Tuscany

Responsible for only 6% of Italy's total wine production in 2006 (half that of the Veneto) Tuscany may not be a heavyweight in terms of quantity, but as the home of two of the country's most famous fine wines - Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino - it certainly is in terms of quality.

Tuscany is Italy's most ancient wine region dating back to the 8th century BC when the Etruscans developed the area in parallel with the Greeks before ceding to the Romans. Along with building roads and sewers, they developed the region's viticultural potential, using wood for winemaking rather than amphorae, and passing their expertise onto their French neighbours. With the demise of Rome in the 5th century AD the Longobards established Lucca as the capital of what was then known as Tuscia. Firenze (Florence) and Siena became banking and trading hubs during the Middle Ages, with Chianti (then a white wine) first documented in the 14th century.

Tuscany passed from the Medicis to the Hapsburgs as part of the Holy Roman Empire and then onto the Austrian Empire before becoming part of a reunified Italy in 1861. The quality of Chianti was first recognised by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III, who classified its finest areas in 1716. 

Located in the west-central part of the country with the Tyrrhenian Sea on its coast, Tuscany's climate ranges from Mediterranean on the coast to Continental deep in the Apennines. More than two-thirds of the province is covered with hills, an important terroir factor in the production of fine Tuscan wine. The finest areas are Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano and  Bolgheri. Sangiovese (in its various clones) is the black grape of choice.

Recommended producers:
Costanti, Falchini, Gagliole, Villa di Geggiano, Grati, Lisini, Monte Bernardi, Poggio Nibbiale, Massimo Romeo, San Giuseppe, Soldara, di Valgiano.