Wine region
Tuscany
Tuscany is Sangiovese country: Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile and the Bordeaux varieties of Bolgheri.
- Vineyard area
- about 60,000 hectares
- Main grapes
- Sangiovese, then Canaiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; white Vernaccia, Trebbiano and Vermentino
- Appellations
- eleven DOCG and over 40 DOC
- Soils and climate
- Mediterranean and hilly; galestro and alberese in Chianti, sea breezes in Bolgheri and the Maremma
- Signature wines
- Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Bolgheri, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Vin Santo
- Landmark
- the Gallo Nero, black rooster of the Chianti Classico consortium, founded in 1924
Tuscany lies in central Italy between the Apennines and the Tyrrhenian Sea: hills, cypresses and olive groves, and among them about 60,000 hectares of vines. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild winters; inland, altitude cools the nights, and on the coast the sea breeze tempers the heat. The region has eleven DOCG and over 40 DOC. One grape dominates the picture: Sangiovese, the most important red variety of Italy and the backbone of almost all the great Tuscan reds.
The heart of Tuscany is Chianti, between Florence and Siena. As early as 1716 Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici fixed the boundaries of the growing area, and in 1924 the growers of the core zone joined together in the consortium of the black rooster, the Gallo Nero. Chianti Classico must contain at least 80 per cent Sangiovese, and white grapes have no longer been allowed since 2006. The Riserva ages for at least 24 months; the Gran Selezione, introduced in 2014 at the top of the pyramid, may come only from the estate’s own grapes. On stony soils of galestro and alberese, the wines show sour cherry, violets and herbs, with lively acidity and firm tannin, and go with tomato sauces, grilled meat and pecorino.
Further south, at Montalcino, grows Brunello, pure Sangiovese: at least two years in wood and four months in bottle, sold only from 1 January of the fifth year after the harvest, the Riserva a year later. Rosso di Montalcino is the earlier, simpler version. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano comes from the town of Montepulciano and is also made from Sangiovese, here called Prugnolo Gentile; it has nothing to do with the Montepulciano grape of Abruzzo.
On the coast at Bolgheri, Tuscany has its Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, favoured by the sea. Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon here in 1944; Sassicaia was released with the 1968 vintage and has had its own appellation, Bolgheri Sassicaia, since 1994. It became the model for the “Super Tuscans”, wines that originally did not follow the rules of the classic appellations. Anyone who values Ticino Merlot will find the same grape at Bolgheri in a different landscape: sea instead of lakes.
From the hills around San Gimignano comes Vernaccia, which received the first Italian DOC in 1966. Vin Santo is made from dried grapes, aged in small barrels and matured for several years; cantucci are dipped into it. At the table: bistecca alla fiorentina with Chianti Classico or Brunello, wild boar ragù with Vino Nobile, pecorino with a younger Sangiovese.