Sovana is a

denominazione di origine controllata The following four classification of wine, classifications of wine constitute the Italy, Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; 'designation of origin'); * ''Indicazione ...

red or

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...

wine from the south of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The DOC is named after the ancient

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *Etruscan civilization (1st millennium BC) and related things: **Etruscan language ** Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan coins **Etruscan history **Etruscan myt ...

settlement of

Sovana Sovana is a small town in southern Tuscany, Italy, a ''frazione'' of Sorano, a comune in the province of Grosseto. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History Etruscan by origin, Sovana became a R ...

. Sovana received DOC status in 1999, along with its neighbor, the DOC Capalbio. Sovana encompasses roughly the same areas that produce the white wine Bianco di Pitigliano, and encompasses the towns of

Pitigliano Pitigliano is a town in the province of Grosseto, located about south-east of the city of Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). The town is known as ''the little Jerusale ...

Sorano Sorano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Grosseto, in southern Tuscany, Italy. It is an ancient medieval hill town perched on a tuff outcrop overlooking the Lente River. History Sorano was probably inhabited by the Villanovan culture ...

Manciano Manciano is a town and ''comune'' in the southern part of the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, central Italy. It has a population of about 7,200. Manciano is southwest of Pitigliano and northeast of Orbetello. History Manciano was once a fairl ...

and borders the DOC Morellino di Scansano in the north, and the region of

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

in the south. Under the DOC regulations, Sovana can be made in

rosso Rosso is the major city of south-western Mauritania and capital of Trarza Region, Trarza region. It is situated on the Senegal River at the head of the river zone allowing year-round navigation. The town is 204 km south of the capital Nouakc ...

or rosato styles. Sovana rosso must be at least 50% sangiovese, plus up to 50% other local non aromatic red grapes. One of these local grapes used for the Sovana blend is

Ciliegiolo Ciliegiolo is a variety of red wine grape from Italy, named after the Italian for 'cherry'. It is a minor component of traditional blends such as Chianti, but interest has revived in recent years. In Umbria it is made into a light quaffing wine ...

. Sovana rosso is for the most part a light wine, although there are reserva wines that receive extended maturation. Sovana also allows monovarietal DOC wines, made from the grapes of Aleatico,

Sangiovese Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

. These wines must contain at least 85% of the varietal in order to allow it to be stated on the bottle #e.g., Sovana Merlot DOC#. Up to 15% of other authorized grapes may be used in the blend.

References

{{coord missing, Italy Wines of Tuscany Italian DOC Sorano Sovana