Tuscany
Tuscany is Sangiovese country: high-acid, savory, food-forward reds that ripen in the long Mediterranean summer. Chianti Classico is the heart, Brunello di Montalcino the prestige peak, and Bolgheri the modern outsider where Cabernet and Merlot blend into the so-called Super Tuscans. Regional cuisine — bistecca, ribollita, wild boar — was built around these wines.
Signature grapes
Defining styles
Famous appellations
- Chianti Classico
- Brunello di Montalcino
- Bolgheri
History
Etruscans planted vines here three millennia ago. Modern Chianti was codified by Baron Bettino Ricasoli in 1872 with a Sangiovese-dominant blend. Brunello emerged in the 19th century from Biondi-Santi's clonal selection. The Super Tuscan revolt of the 1970s ignored DOC rules and forced Italy to invent the IGT Toscana category around them.