Region
Tuscany
Tuscany is the part of Italy most people picture when they think of wine: hillsides of Sangiovese, long lunches, and producers who can describe a single slope in detail. It holds several of Italy's most recognised red wine areas, each with its own character.
Key facts
- Signature grape
- Sangiovese, which accounts for most of the region's serious reds.
- Best known areas
- Chianti Classico, Montalcino, Bolgheri and the wider Maremma coast.
- Typical style
- Red fruit, firm acidity, savoury and herbal edges, tannin built for food.
- Also produces
- Coastal reds led by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, plus white wines such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
Known for
- Sangiovese in several distinct expressions
- Wine roads that combine landscape, food and direct contact with producers
- Long ageing reds from Montalcino
- Coastal Bordeaux style blends from Bolgheri
Stories
Regions
Chianti Classico: what the name actually tells youTwo words on a label carry a surprising amount of information, once you know how to read them.
Regions
Brunello di Montalcino: why patience is part of the wineMontalcino built waiting into its rules, and you can taste the reason in the glass.
Learn
Super Tuscans, without the mythologyA commercial nickname that became a legend, and what it actually describes today.
Travel
How to plan a wine day in TuscanyOne area, two visits, a long lunch and a driver. The rest is detail.
Perspective
Why the place you discovered a wine mattersThe bottle you remember is rarely just a bottle. It is a table, a view and someone who poured it.
Related
Region
Chianti ClassicoRegion
MontalcinoRegion
BolgheriGrape
SangiovesePairing
Tuscan food and wine
Sources and further reading