Tuscany

Overview

Tuscany is located in Central Italy, and is bordered by Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, in the north, by Umbria and Marches in the east, and finally by Lazio in the south. In the west, the region is bordered by the Tyrrhenian Sea which brings cooling breezes to the most coastal wine regions. The climate varies from temperate coastal to slightly more continental with higher diurnal variations in the inland regions. Summers are hot and rain mainly falls in the winter months. Tuscany’s landscape is one of rolling hills, and several of Italy’s most famous wine regions are found here, including Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Bolgheri, and Maremma.

Tuscany has a long wine history which can be traced back to the 7^th century BC, and the Romans are said to have had a great influence on wine becoming a part of the region’s everyday life. Many of today’s most prolific Tuscan family wine estates were established in the 13^th and 14^th centuries, including Antinori and Frescobaldi.

Key Grape Varieties

The region is home to Sangiovese, which along with Nebbiolo arguably is Italy’s leading red grape variety, certainly for fine wine. Sangiovese accounts for around 85% of the grape varieties planted in Tuscany and makes up the core of some of the region’s most famous wines including Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, but also Morellino di Scanzano.

The so called “Super Tuscan” blends – from Bolgheri and Maremma – are often blends of international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, sometimes also including indigenous Sangiovese, and sometimes also in varietal versions. Most famous is Sassicaia, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from Bolgheri.

Classification

Tuscany has no classification system, and any wine hierarchy is embedded in the appellation system.

Food Pairing

When it comes to food matches, Sangiovese based wines – such as Brunello and Chianti - tend to go incredibly well with roast lamb especially when served with Mediterranean herbs and garlic, but also with a variety of game, roast veal, and Sangiovese’s acidity can really add a mouth-watering lift to richer meat cuts such as T-bone and ribeye. Italian pasta and risotto dishes are also wonderful matches especially when made with mushrooms, truffle, but also with Tuscan sausage or wild boar stuffing.

Super Tuscan blends, whether Cabernet or Merlot based, complements a variety of meat cuts like those which pair well with Sangiovese-based blends, but also including styles such as Wagyu and Kobe. Overall, most Tuscan red wines pair well with local Italian cheese especially the hard cow- and sheep’s milk-based ones. 

Sub Regions

Tuscany has many interesting sub regions; at the moment we focus on small handful of the most famous ones. Just click on any of the links below to find our wines in these appellations:

• Bolgheri
• Brunello di Montalcino
• Chianti Classico
• Toscana IGT