The term “Super Tuscan” came into vogue in the late 1980s when several red wines from TUSCANY began attracting international attention. These superlative wines had to be labeled VINO DA TAVOLA (table wines), though in some cases they were superior to DOCG and DOC wines and able to command higher prices. But such wines were ineligible for Italy's top classifications because they were produced using either unauthorized varieties (like CABERNET SAUVIGNON and MERLOT), an unapproved composition (such as 100 percent SANGIOVESE from areas unapproved), or unsanctioned methods (such as using small, nontraditional oak barrels for aging).

The challenge became what to call wines of superior quality that didn't meet official premium wine designations-"Super Tuscans" fit the bill. Although most Super Tuscans are still sold as "vino da tavola," in the mid-1990s, the Italian government granted some of the top Super Tuscans their own DOC status. For example, Sassicaia may now be labeled "Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC". It may seem paradoxical that Tuscany, a region once stifled by viticulture traditions dating back three millennia to the Etruscans, is today acclaimed by wine aficionados around the world for the revolutionary reds known as "Super Tuscans."