The gently rolling hills, small villages, cypress trees and endless rows of vines under a blue sky. Tuscany is probably a place of longing for many Germans. It's nice to be able to bring the memories of your last holiday home with a glass of wine!
The leading grape variety is undoubtedly the Sangiovese grape, which has various clones with illustrious names such as Brunello, Prugnolo gentile or Morellino, depending on the growing region.
And then, of course, there is Chianti:
The Chianti region between Florence and Siena was mentioned by name as early as 1404 - albeit in connection with the purchase of a white wine.
Today, it is generally associated with high-quality red wines from the Sangiovese Grape. But of course, not all Chianti wines are the same! Depending on the municipality, there are already huge differences due to the different soil compositions.
The centrepiece and traditionally considered the best region is the Chianti Classico DOCG area around the municipalities of Castellina, Gaiole, Greve and Radda.
For example, the winery Castello di Fonterutoli produces its three Gran Selezione wines in three different municipalities alone in order to emphasise the subtle differences (the picture on the right shows the modern cellar building in Castellina)
The interplay of soils, microclimate, but also the composition of the grapes (in addition to Sangiovese, small proportions of other grape varieties can also be added) and of course the ageing process result in fundamentally different wines: everything is possible, from a simple wine for pizza to a great site wine.
One of the four big Bs of the wine world!
Brunello, which means "little brown one", is the name of the Sangiovese clone that produces one of the greatest Italian red wines. Together with its "brother" Vino Nobile (see right), these two regions received the first DOCG classification in 1980.
In contrast to Chianti, Montalcino lies further south, where it is warmer and drier, but the nights are cooler. This leads to an even more complex flavour profile.
The noble wine - formerly reserved for the nobility and popes
Montepulciano is the name of a municipality (pictured above) in the east of the province of Siena. The moderating influence of Lake Trasimeno is already noticeable here: evaporation often creates clouds of mist, which make the wine cooler.
This great wine should not be confused with the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grape , which produces a completely different type of wine.
Tuscany in figures:
65.000 hectares of vineyards, 45% of which are DOC and DOCG
Our top winegrowers in Tuscany:
Castello di Fonterutoli - Mazzei
Buy our top wines from Tuscany online:
One of our favourite wines for every day, at an unbeatable price from absolutely sustainable cultivation:
A great wine for special moments:
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, Castello di Fonterutoli
And one of the super Tuscans from the Maremma:
