Who said that the Maremma is only a land of reds? In fact, many of the white wines produced in Tuscany come from that area. Fresh and very pleasant wines made from international grape varieties and small oenological gems made from traditional grapes, as in this case. Scalandrino, in fact, is a Vermentino della Maremma Toscana DOC, an interesting white wine offered here by Fattoria Mantellassi. First, a curiosity. The "scalandrino" is a rustic tool once used by farmers to climb over hedges. A 100% white Vermentino, the Mantellassi vines are rooted in soils of ancient tufaceous and calcareous origin, with low yields and high quality fruit. Softly pressed, with a very low yield (around 50%), Scalandrino ferments in French oak barrels. Then, at the end of vinification, the wine remains in barriques for a short period of maturation of about five months. This is followed by bottling and a further period of refinement in the cellar before going on sale. Brilliant straw yellow in colour, this Maremma Vermentino offers a fruity and persistent bouquet, the result of careful selection of the grapes elevated in oak barrels. In the mouth, however, one discovers a wine characterised by a soft body and a pleasantly persistent finish.