Tuscan Wines and Vineyards in Tuscany

Tuscan wines Super Tuscan wines
Tuscan wine grape varietals Italian wine grape varietals

Tuscany and its vineyards are famous as the source of a considerable variety of excellent wines, almost all red but with a few more-than-drinkable white wines as well. This was not always so. During the 1950s, "Chianti" and the other products from Tuscan wineries were almost synonymous with "plonk". However, the quality of Tuscan wines has improved enormously during the past forty years, to the point where one no longer has to search for good wine - they are almost all good - but for a wine that suits one's taste exactly. Along with this improvement in quality, Tuscan wines from within and sometimes between geographical zones have become more uniform in flavour as the role of oenologists in the wineries of Tuscany has increased. My prediction is that during the next few years, Tuscan winemakers will make major efforts to achieve a distinct flavour for their wines, and that variety in taste will increase without loss of quality - a kind of democratisation of the Super-Tuscan phenomenon.

Tuscan vineyard

Tuscan Wine Tours offers private and shared minibus guided wine tours of Tuscany.

 tuscan wine tours

Wine tasting and sightseeing tours in Tuscany

Angela Saltafuori, a English-speaking, licensed guide and sommelier, drives groups of 2 to 8 visitors in a comfortable, air-conditioned minibus to visit Tuscan wineries and taste Tuscan wines. Classic wine tasting itineraries for shared wine tours and customised private wine tasting tours or sightseeing tours based on your wishes. More about Tuscan wine tours.

DOCG, DOC and IGT Tuscan wines

Italy's wine classification system divides Italian wine production into four classes, with two falling under the EU category Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region and two falling under the category of Table Wine. The four classes are:

Quality Wines Produced in a Specific Region

• Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG)

• Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)

Both DOC and DOCG wines are defined according to strict area of growth and production specifications and the permitted grape varietals are also specifically defined. The DOC system was initiated in 1963 in order to establish a method of both identifying quality wine and maintaining the reputation of that wine - in a word, 'branding'. The main difference between a DOC wine and a DOCG wine is that the latter must pass a blind tasting for quality in addition to conforming to the strict requirements to be designated as a wine from the designated area. After the introduction of sweeping wine laws in 1992, transparent rules were created regarding requirements for DOCG entry, imposing new limits regarding the production of grapes per hectare and minimum natural alcohol levels, among others. The 36 DOCG wines of Italy are located in 13 different Regions but most of them are concentrated in the Regions of Tuscany and Piedmont.

Table Wines

• Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT)

- denotes a wine from a specified region within Italy. This appellation was created in 1992 for wines that were considered to be of higher quality than simple table wines, but which did not conform to the strict wine laws for their region. Before the IGT was created, "Super Tuscan" wines such as Tignanello and Sassicaia were labeled Vino da Tavola.

• Vino da Tavola (VDT)

- denotes simply that the wine is made in Italy and indicates a basic wine, made for everyday, local consumption.

DOC and DOCG wines of Tuscany

Map showing the distribution of DOCG and DOC wines, vineyards and wineries in Tuscany, Italy

Tuscany DOCG wines

• Aleatico dell'Elba (Passito), Island of Elba.

• Brunello di Montalcino (Rosso as normale and Riserva), province of Siena.

• Carmignano (Rosso - normale and Riserva), provinces of Firenze and Prato.

• Chianti (Rosso - normale and Riserva), provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena; with the option to indicate one of the sub-regions:
   - Classico as normale and Riserva, provinces of Firenze and Siena
   - Colli Aretini as normale and Riserva province of Arezzo
   - Colli Senesi as normale and Riserva, province of Siena
   - Colli Fiorentini as normale and Riserva, province of Firenze
   - Colline Pisane as normale and Riserva, province of Pisa
   - Montalbano as normale and Riserva, provinces of Firenze, Pistoia and Prato
   - Montespertoli as normale and Riserva, province of Pisa
   - Rufina as normale and Riserva, province of Firenze
   - Chianti Superiore, produced throughout the Chianti region with the exception of the classico sub-region.

• Morellino di Scansano (Rosso as normale and Riserva), province of Grosseto.

• Vernaccia di San Gimignano (Bianco as normale and Riserva), province of Siena.

• Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Rosso as normal and Riserva), province of Siena.

 More about specific Tuscan DOCG wines.

Tuscany DOC wines

• Ansonica Costa dell'Argentario province of Grosseto.

• Barco Reale di Carmignano or Barco Reale provinces of Firenze and Prato.

• Bianco della Valdinievole province of Pistoia.

• Bianco dell'Empolese provinces of Firenze and Pistoia
• Bianco di Pitigliano province of Grosseto.

• Bianco Pisano di San Torpè province of Pisa.

• Bianco Vergine della Valdichiana or Valdichiana provinces of Arezzo and Siena.

• Bolgheri and Bolgheri Sassicaia province of Livorno.

• Candia dei Colli Apuani province of Massa-Carrara.

• Capalbio province of Grosseto.

• Colli dell'Etruria Centrale provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena.

• Colli di Luni (Bianco; Rosso in the specific styles normale and Riserva); with specific grape variety: Vermentino (Bianco); an inter-regional DOC produced in the provinces of Massa-Carrara (Toscana) and of La Spezia (Liguria).

• Colline Lucchesi province of Lucca.

• Cortona province of Arezzo.

• Elba province of Livorno.

• Montecarlo province of Lucca.

• Montecucco province of Grosseto.

• Monteregio di Massa Marittima province of Grosseto.

• Montescudaio provinces of Livorno and Pisa.

• Morellino di Scansano province of Grosseto.

• Moscadello di Montalcino province of Siena.

• Orcia province of Siena.

• Parrina province of Grosseto.

• Pomino province of Firenze.

• Rosso di Montalcino province of Siena.

• Rosso di Montepulciano province of Siena.

• San Gimignano (Rosso in the specific styles normale, Riserva and Novello) province of Siena.

• Sant'Antimo province of Siena.

• Sovana province of Grosseto.

• Val d'Arbia province of Siena.

• Val di Cornia provinces of Livorno and Pisa.

• Vin Santo del Chianti provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena.

• Vin Santo del Chianti Classico provinces of Firenze and Siena.

• Vin Santo di Montepulciano province of Siena.

 More about specific Tuscan DOC wines

Tuscan wines Super Tuscan wines
Tuscan wine grape varietals Italian wine grape varietals

Tuscan Wines Info © ammonet InfoTech 2006 - 2010. All rights reserved.