TUSCANY AND ITS WINES

• Caroline’s Toscana
• 27/07/2022

TUSCANY AND ITS WINES

Together with Piemonte, Tuscany is certainly one of the Italian regions that stands for high-quality wines. It is best known for its famous red wines: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano have made Tuscany one of the most famous regions for oenology. In Tuscany, however, red wines are also produced from "international" grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Some Tuscan white wines, such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano, are also among the region's excellences. Vin Santo is also one of the most interesting products from the point of view of winemaking and aging techniques.

The History of Tuscan Wine:

The origins of viticulture in Tuscany date back to Etruscan times, although the Tuscan wine only became popular in the Middle Ages when it became an essential commodity. Chianti wine was first mentioned in 1300 when the "Lega del Chianti" was founded under the jurisdiction of Florence and the famous "Gallo Nero" was created as an emblem, which is still the symbol of Chianti Classico today.

In 1872 Baron Bettino Ricasoli formulated his famous recipe, which is still used today by many producers. Ricasoli's recipe used mainly Sangiovese grapes to bring strength and flavor to the Chianti, and added black Canaiolo to soften the acidity.

In the same years, thanks to Clemente Santi, Brunello di Montalcino was born. He was a chemist and pharmacist, who identified Sangiovese Grosso as the most suitable for the production of a high quality wine. Around the 1960s, some producers such as Marquis Incisa della Rocchetta decided to create full-bodied wines from international grapes and aged in barriques. Because of the structure and price of these wines, they were called "Supertuscans". At that time these wines were completely independent of local oenology and found no place in any denomination and were classified as "table wines". Currently, alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Sangiovese is also included in the composition of many of these wines. In 1963, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano was the first wine to receive the DOC, while the Vino nobile di Montepulciano and the Brunello di Montalcino were the first to receive the DOCG in 1980.

Wine denominations:

Tuscany today has a large number of DOCG (11) and DOC (40) designations of origin, as well as 6 IGTs.

The status "Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita" certifies a wine of the highest quality. A DOCG wine is therefore a wine with a controlled and guaranteed designation of origin. A total of 72 growing areas are allowed to bear this title, for which even more restrictive requirements have to be met. This means that only those who have been DOC for at least five years can become DOCG. In addition to the DOCG designation, these wines may also contain references to a sub-zone, a district, a microclimate zone or the winery on the label.

Additional designations for quality are "Superiore" for wines that exceed the legal requirements, "Riserva" for wines that have been matured in wood for a particularly long time, or "Classico", which is used to distinguish particularly traditional locations.

Caroline's Toscana Wineries:

A perfect combination of Tuscan flair, comfort and good wine! In these wineries excellent and renowned wine is produced... a wine tasting in their magnificent cellars under expert guidance is a must try!

These wine estates offer special services on site (some with breakfast, dinner, cooking lessons, etc.); .... exposed on a hill top, with a fantastic view of olive groves and vineyards as far as the eye can see…