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Tuscany

Wines from Tuscany

The Italian region of Tuscany has an immensely rich cultural history. Home to the artistic and architectural mecca of Florence, along with stunning hillside towns such as Siena and San Gimignano, it will come as no surprise to you that Tuscany also produces some of Italy’s best-loved and most widely recognised wines.

What are Tuscany’s most famous wines? The native Sangiovese grape is extensively planted in Tuscany, resulting in the region’s world-famous Chianti and Chianti Classico DOCGs, but also the perhaps lesser well-known and highly prestigious Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. Some 90 million bottles of Chianti are produced annually, testament to the drinkability of this flavoursome and popular wine, whose fairly savoury, earthy profile is rounded out by notes of forest fruits. The production of Chianti Classico, however, is more tightly controlled, with its growing area limited to a small mountainous zone between Florence and Siena. This is a somewhat more complex wine, with a concentrated bouquet comprising aromas of cherry, spice, violets and tobacco. Last but certainly not least when it comes to Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino is grown in relatively arid conditions, and undergoes a two-year aging process in small barriques, resulting in highly refined, silky wines with notes of vanilla and spice thanks to its time spent in contact with the wood.

Tuscany is also the seat of the very highly regarded Bolgheri DOC, the happy result of one particular Marchese’s desire to reproduce some of his favourite French wines on home turf. Based on Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, Bolgheri follows in the tradition of the great Bordeaux wines, very successfully reworking them with inimitable Italian flair. The history of Bolgheri wine can be traced back to one particular wine from the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta’s Tenuta San Guido estate: Sassicaia. Beating several world-class Bordeaux wines in a blind tasting in the late 70s, Sassicaia paved the way for Borgheri’s ascension, and has never looked back.

What are the Super Tuscans? ‘Super Tuscan’ is a term that dates back several decades, to a time when various producers of the region – keen to innovate and bring dynamism to a wine-growing tradition that they perceived as stagnant and restrictive – began to experiment with new styles, different grape varieties, and more modern methods of production. This was a situation that obviously could not be condoned by the strict rules governing the DOC and DOCG appellations, and yet despite using international grape varieties, these wines clearly boasted excellent quality and knowledgeable winemaking skill. Thus, the Super Tuscan was born, as a way of referring to these rebellious pioneers. Sassicaia is a Super Tuscan, as is Ornellaia, grown in neighbouring vineyards by the Marchese’s neighbour, Lodovico Antinori. Another marchese, Piero Antinori, brings us a further Super Tuscan planted in traditional Chianti Classico territory, in the form of Tignanello. The classification system eventually caught up, initially permitting these wines the less prestigious IGT designation, and even creating new DOCs in the case of Bolgheri for example.

In a nutshell, whilst Chianti, Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino are produced using autochthonous grape varieties and thus entitled to DOCG status, the Super Tuscans are made using grape varieties historically originating elsewhere, but nevertheless cultivated, fermented and aged on Italian soil.

Now all that remains is to work out which ones you prefer…

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