Ornellaia paves the way for white Super Tuscan

Tuscany’s Ornellaia, known for producing some of Italy’s most collectible red wines, has released its first serious white wine as part of an effort to explore the potential of white varieties in Bolgheri DOC – a region dominated by reds.

A blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Viognier, Ornellaia Bianco 2013 was not “necessarily planned”, explained winemaker Axel Heinz at a tasting to mark its release, but a spontaneous decision which has taken seven years to reach fruition.

“Tuscany is not recognised as a great area for white wines, obviously, we are in a Mediterranean climate”, said Heinz. “We would expect the reds to fair much better than the whites. But we realised more and more that there’s space for….