Tuscany DOCG Wines

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

This is a dessert wine produced by leaving the grapes on the vines an extra week or two so that they ripen well. This DOCG is dedicated entirely to the passito style wines made from the Aleatico grape on Elba. Under Italy's appellation system, very few dessert wines receive the DOCG designation, making the Aleatico dell’Elba Passito a rarity in Italy.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG.

For more about Brunello di Montalcino wines, click here.

Carmignano DOCG.

Carmignano was established in 1994 and is thus one of the most recent DOC appellations in Tuscany. It belongs to those appellations that are called "a cascata", or cascade style, where it is possible to obtain a number of different wines from a single grape variety.

It is interesting to note that a DOCG wine, Chianti Montalbano, is also produced in this same area. The hills of Carmignano comprise Barco Reale, a vast territory that was once a hunting reserve. Today, Barco Reale is the name of a fine wine produced with Carmignano grapes. Very fine Vin Santo and rosé wines, once known here as Vin Ruspo, also have a place in the local winemaking tradition.

These wines are produced in an area that covers the municipalities of Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano, at an altitude of no more than 133 feet. The terrain here is marly, schistose and clayey.

Chianti Classico DOCG.
Chianti Colli Arentini DOCG.
Chianti Colli Fiorentini DOCG.
Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG.
Chianti Colline Pisane DOCG.
Chianti DOCG.
Chianti Montalbano DOCG.
Chianti Rufina DOCG.
For more about Chianti DOCG subzones, click here.

Morellino di Scansano is made in the hilly environs of the village of Scansano, in the Maremma, including a part of the coast. Morellino is a Sangiovese grape varietal. Morellino di Scansano is made from at least 85% Sangiovese, with the remaining 0–15% comprising any non-aromatic black grape variety included in the list periodically updated by the Regione Toscanal authorities.

Morellino di Scansano does not need to age in wood and can be released in March after harvest, meaning that it can be found on the shelf within less than 8 months after harvets, and thus sometimes be an amazingly fresh and crisp wine.

Morellino di Scansano Riserva can be released on 1 January two years after the harvest. Of these two years, at least one must have been spent in wood.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is one the few well-known (and, some would say, few good) white wines produced in Tuscany. It is made only in the area around the popular tourist town of San Gimignano from the otherwise minor vernaccia grape. 

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG.

For more about Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, click here.