Massimo called and said, "I have a new Morellino in... come and try it." And when Massimo tells you to come and try a wine, you do, because it is going to be good. So we went to Buscion. The day was rainy; it's been raining a lot this spring.

I'd never heard of Morellino before. Morellino di Scansano, from the southern coastal region of Tuscany. Tell me about it, I said to my friend, who's a bit of a wine guy. "Morellino is Chianti's little brother," he told me. "He's from the same region. Morellino is just a very local name for the Sangiovese grape from which the Chiantis and the Brunellos of the region are made. In the village of Scansano, in the area of Toscano called Maremmo, they call this grape Morellino." The wine was fresh and crisp, as Morellinos can be served young, as early as March after the harvest. Massimo brought over my vitello tonnato, a local favorite. Veal filets, sliced thin and served with a white sauce made of tuna, mayonnaise, and capers spread over the top.

"It's hard to grow up as Chianti's little brother," my wine guy friend continues, " in his shade... It's worthless to try to look like him, or to fight against his popularity. The only thing he can do, Morellino, is to have his own personality, and to stress his own qualities that make him unique. That way, even when his big brother Chianti is hanging around with his friends Brunello and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, little Morellino di Scansano will still stand out." And he does... Morellino was awarded the coveted DOCG designation in 2007.

And this is why I love coming to Buscion. It's a small place, local and friendly. Sometimes it's crowded with tourists, like this day when they were inside escaping from the rain. But I never have to choose what to try. Massimo always has a suggestion. and I always learn a new thing or two about wine.