Bolgheri, Osso Buco and Milan
With Italy in the middle of hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics, let’s focus on a new breed of full-bodied Italian red wine. Super Tuscan is a consumer term, not an official designation or appellation. A number of well-established, yet enterprising estate producers started planting international grape varieties in the 1970’s along Tuscany’s Mediterranean coastline. These included Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. Now considered the super stars of Italy, with prices to match, they are international in style yet have a distinct “Italianess” about them. Powerful, highly structured and flamboyant, they are the result of aging in a combination of new and previously filled oak barriques. The Macchiole estate, a key Super Tuscan producer, is located in the Bolgheri appellation which has proven itself to be the epicenter for this type of wine. Beautifully balanced with dark fruit, herbs, spices and violet notes, it is fresh and polished with a well-integrated, subtle, tannic structure. While it may be aged for up to ten years, it can be enjoyed now. Decant the wine and let it breath for half an hour before serving. It’s excellent value when compared to the triple digit prices of most icon Super Tuscans. Since the city of Milan is the co-host for the Winter Olympics, let’s pair this wine with the city’s traditional meat dish, Osso Buco. It also goes by the name, veal shanks Milanese, which are slow-braised with vegetables, wine and broth. This wine was scored 93 points by jebdunnick.com.