Ansonica Costa dell'Argentario is a DOC of the Tuscany region in central Italy. It is one of the few DOCs in the famous region that deals exclusively with white wines, made (in this case) from the Ansonica variety. Costa dell'Argentario wines can be richly flavored, with fresh, minerally characters, quite different to the usual Sangiovese-based reds of the Maremma.
The catchment area for this title covers the southernmost coastal portion of the Grosseto province, taking in the communes of Manciano, Orbetello and Capalbio as well as the Isola del Giglio (an island) and the Monte Argentario peninsula from which the DOC takes its name. Its title was granted in 1995, and this most southerly of all Tuscan DOCs runs along the Tyrrhenian coast right up to the regional border with Umbria.
Monte Argentario is connected to the mainland by three spits of land, and the Isola del Giglio lies in the Tyrrhenian Sea approximately 15 miles (25km) off the coast. Vineyards are situated at higher elevations than those planted to red grape varieties, as the white grapes benefit from the diurnal temperature variation this brings. The Mediterranean climate here brings about dry summers, and feels influence from the hot, dry Sirocco and Mistral winds.
There is a wealth of soil types throughout the area, ranging from limestone-dominant sand on the mainland to rocky, granite soils on the Isola del Giglio. Overall, vineyards are found on sites where there is good drainage, but the soil still stores enough water to keep vines alive over the dry season.
This DOC exclusively covers white wines made from Ansonica. Ansonica, which is also sometimes spelled Anzonica, is one of the key white-wine varieties in the geographical area known as the Tuscan Maremma, but is also widely used in Sicily (where it is known as Inzolia), most notably as part of the original Madeira blend. Under the terms of the DOC, Ansonica grapes must constitute at least 85 percent of the blend, and the remaining 15 percent may be made up from other white varieties sanctioned for use in the Grosseto province.
Far from being one of the traditional Tuscan wines, Ansonica Costa dell'Argentario was granted DOC status a full 25 years after such names as Chianti, Montecarlo and Elba. Grosseto as a province is not associated with Tuscany's older wine traditions; that privilege is reserved for Siena, Firenze and Pisa.
Manciano, Orbetello and Capalbio communes also make wines under the Capalbio DOC, whose wider portfolio includes red, white and sweet vin santo wines based on such well-regarded grapes as Trebbiano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.
