Sassicaia and the Super Tuscans

Fashion, as in many things, determines price in wine.

In my lifetime I have witnessed Bordeaux, then Bourgogne, then the Supertuscans dominate the fine red wine market.

The rise of Sassicaiia from a table wine in the 1970s to £150 per bottle now is a case in point.

Its production is far more limited than Bordeaux with its enormous domaines like Margaux.

When David Beckham emerged as a superstar in the 1990s he would eat in a classy Italian trattoria in Cheshire and, though by all accounts a modest drinker, his tipple of choice was Tuscan.

Sassicaia is the wine of choice of the Clooneys and Obamas.

The best known Sassicaia producer Tenuta San Guido is closed to the public and does little marketing but its reputation is now made.

It’s also fine wine – 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.

Its tannins are smoother than a claret and it possesses a slight salinity as it’s a coastal terroir.  Is it worth £150 though?

Those investors that bought Sassicaia – or its fellow Tuscan Ornellaia at £5 a bottle in the 70s – have made a handsome profit but it’s not that simple.

There is a big spread between the buying and selling price, dealing commission of 10%, storage costs, it’s an unregulated business and when – if ever – do you sample it?

At the other end of the scale I always enjoy Jane Maquitty’s supermarket recommendations in The Times on Saturday.

I get as much enjoyment in say drinking a Chilean Pinot Noir from Sainsbury’s like Cono Sur for less than a tenner than a Supertuscan at 15 times the price.

And as for ordering it from a pricey Italian restaurant wine menu – don’t even go there.