The land of Italian wine par excellence
Tuscany is a famous region all over the world for the excellence of its wines that represent one of the main products, exported all over the world. The hills of Chianti between Florence and Siena, the area of Montepulciano, the wineries of Montalcino, they represent almost holy places for the lovers of the wines and there are numerous bed&breakfasts and farms that offer accommodation and the possibility to taste, matched with complete explications of the characteristics of the Tuscan wines by sommeliers and oenologists.
Tuscan wine: Chianti
The tuscan region of Chianti, is a hill area between Florence and Siena, covered by vineyards and small medieval villages. Thanks to the great characteristics of its soil, it produces the most popular wine of Tuscany Chianti classico.. This wine has a ruby red colour and a strong taste, its velvety taste make it perfect paired with meats or structured first courses. In the past, the only grape variety used to produce Chianti was Sangiovese, but in the ‘800 also Canaille and Malvasia were added, besides a small percentage of Trebbiano. This formula, is now used by few producers whereas the most popular foresees a 80% of Sangiovese and the other 20% of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The symbol of the producer of Consorzio Chianti Classico is a black rooster, impressed also in the neck of the bottle and the organization includes some of the producers that live in Castellini in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Barberino Val d’Elsa, Castelnuovo Berardenga, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa and Poggibonsi.
The wine is celebrated by the literature and cinema, Chianti shows up, for instance, in the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle with Sherlock Holmes as main character, it is also the wine chosen by Hannibal Lecter in the movie “The silence of the Lambs” to pair the meal of its future victim.
Tuscan wines: Il Brunello di Montalcino
Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most precious wines of Italy, produced in the area of Montalcino, in the province of Siena, it is obtained from Sangiovese 100%. The parameters to obtain a good certified Brunello are strict, like for instance the altitude that doesn’t have to exceed the 600 meters, the density of the grapes hasn’t be below the 3000 stumps for hectare, an alcohol degree of 12,5%, till the complete absence of forcing the grapes to grow to obtain a high quality and natural wine. All the production cycle, then, from the vinification to the preservation, till the refining in the wooden barrel and then in the bottle, has to be carried out in the area of Montalcino.
The result is a delicious wine, with a ruby red colour and a spiced smell and a marked taste, that can be perfectly paired with red meat and game.
The production of Brunello in Tuscany began in the ‘500 but till the end of the second world war, it was popular only among the inhabitants of that area. After the war, its popularity grew considerably as well as its cost, becoming one of the most favorite wines of the royals.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano produced with grapes Sangiovese and Cannolo, it is instead one of the most ancient wine variety in Italy and its origins date back to the medieval period, in the city of Tuscany with the same name. The main characteristic of this wine is the ageing, that has to be of at least 3 years, 6 months of which have to take place in the bottle and the high alcoholic volume. The colour is an intense red, the perfume is of flowers and the taste is dry with notes of wood.
