Sangiovese - King of Tuscany
In the hills of Tuscany, there is the largest concentration of ambitious and advanced winemaking in Italy. Tuscan winemaking is for small landowners rather than large cooperatives, many of these landowners have made their fortunes by working at other wineries (eg Napa Valley, California). Since the 1970s, the young and ambitious have invaded this beautiful countryside dedicated to olives, cypresses, and vines, once dominated by Tuscan wine-producing aristocratic Florentine houses such as Antinori, Frescobaldi, and Ricasoli. Here, the Sangiovese vine is king for dry reds, and the quality of the wine it produces depends a lot on aging and, in particular, on the height at which it is grown. Chianti is the wine from Tuscany, the most important albeit very divided wine area of Tuscany. Chianti is mainly made from Sangiovese with various additions, both local and international grape varieties. It is not surprising that it comes in different levels of quality, from very simple to flawless. A wine that says simply Chianti is likely to be very plain. We recommend paying special attention to the Brancaia winery. To find out what the best Tuscany Chianti wines have to offer, you need to find a wine with the name of one of the eight sub-zones:

• Chianti Classico
• Chianti Rufina
• Chianti Montalbano
• Chianti Montespertoli
• Chianti Colli Senesi
• Chianti Colline Pisane
• Chianti Colli Fiorentini
• Chianti Colli Aretini

One of the highest expressions of Tuscany and Sangiovese wines can perhaps be found in the southern zone of Brunello di Montalcino, around the town of Montalcino near Siena. Brunello is a local Sangiovese clone, concentrated here due to the warmer climate. The result is a kind of "essence" of Sangiovese, capable of developing in a bottle for decades. Brunello di Montalcino wine is not released until it is four years old. The lighter wines of this area are sold as Rosso di Montalcino, usually, the price of this wine from Montalcino is higher than that of Chianti. Manufacturers worth paying attention to: Soldera, Biondi-Santi, Pieve Santa Restituta, Stella di Campalto.

Italian paradise for French varieties

The area that has received the most serious attention in recent decades is Bolgheri, Tuscany. In the late 1960s, the San Guido estate showed that the area could produce world-class French grape varieties in the form of the Super Tuscan Sassicaia, and Sassicaia is now a separate DOC. In the 1980s, two more legendary wines, Ornellaia and Masseto, entered the wine scene. Thanks to them, Tuscany wines became known far beyond the borders of the country. Gaja of Barbaresco has also built his Ca'Marcanda winery in Bolgheri, a place already tried and tested by prestigious wineries such as Le Macchiole and Grattamacco. But perhaps the most exciting thing is that there is still so much land to explore. We will hear more about regions such as Val di Cornia, Montecucco, Monteregio di Massa Marittima, and Morellino di Scansano. Manufacturers worth paying attention to: Fattoria Le Pupille, Avignonesi, Castello dei Rampolla, Montepeloso.