Tuscany

Region in Italy with the regional capital of Florence, the vineyard area totals 63.633 hectares. Just as Bordeaux and Burgundy are the most famous wine-growing regions in France, so Tuscany, as well as Piemont, hold this position in Italy. The region is located on the Ligurian coast, and is bounded by the Apennines in the east. The third-largest Italian island, Elba, is also included in this region. It provides some of the most beautiful landscapes, and is of great historical and artistical interest. Long before Roman times and the birth of Christ, the Etruscans established viticulture here, making i tone of the oldest wine-growing regions in Europe. In ancient times, the area made up the country of Etruria, named after the original inhabitants. In Latin this name became Tuscia, which then evolved to Toscana over time. The Romans then started displacing the Etruscans from the 3rd century BC. The Romans awarded grants of land to retired legionnaires as a reward for their dedication to their country. Following the fall of the Roman empire, Tuscany was ruled in turn by Goths, Byzantinians, Langobards and Franks. Under emperor Charlemagne (742-814 AD), the Via Francigena (road of the Franks) was built, connecting the north of Italy with the south, and running through Lucca, San Gimignano, Siena and Radicofani in Tuscany. The city states of Florence and Siena, which were mortal enemies for a long time, developed from the 11th century, as did Genoa and Venice further north. At this time the needs and requirements of the rapidly developing cities led to a flourishing wine culture in Tuscany. The wines of Florence were famous in medieval times, and were sold as far afield as England and Russia. An inseparable part of this history is the Medici family, which promoted arts, science and viticulture at the highest level. Tuscany was unified under Medici rule in the early 16th century, and was made a grand duchy in 1569 by pope Pius V. (1504–1572).

In the early 17th century, grand duke Cosimo III. (1642-1723) introduced 150 grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon (Uva Francesca). After the demise of the Medici line, Francis Stephan of Lorraine took over. In 1860, Tuscany was united with the kingdom of Sardinia as a result of a plebiscite, both then became part of the new kingdom of Italy in 1861. Cosimo III. was also responsible in 1716 for defining the boundaries of the wine-growing regions of Carmignano, Chianti, Pomino and Val d´Arno di Sopra, these are thus among the first officially recorded designations of origin in Europe. In the 19th century, baron Ricasoli defined the strict rules for production of Chianti, probably the most famous wine of Tuscany, if not of Italy. At this time the region began its rise to being a wine force to be reckoned with. To the north and east, the large region is bounded by the Apennines. The vineyards stretch from the mountains to the Tyrrhenian coast. Two thirds of the vineyard area is located on sloping sites at altitudes of between 100 and 500 metres above sea level. Vineyards alternate with olive groves and extensive woodlands. A total of 14 beautiful wine routes traverses the region. Today, Tuscany is considered to be the heart of quality wine production in Italy. DOC and DOCG wines account for around 45% of total production. This is also the region in which the phenomenon of the ”vini da tavola” came about, today designated as IGT, which put the often narrow and rigid DOC rules in question, and frequently even outperform DOCG wines. These wines were known as Super-Tuscans, and include famous names such as Sassicaia and Ornellaia. The white IGT wine Galestro also caused quite a stir. Tuscany is also the home of the famous ”holy wine” Vin Santo. The Maremma area, a landscape in the south-west of the region, developed rapidly from the 1990’s on, creating high hopes fort he region. Many well-known and leading wine estates invested in new vineyards here, for example Antinori, Castello Banfi, Castello di Querceto, Frescobaldi and Ricasoli. The 40 DOC/DOCG zones are:

* Ansonica Costa dell´Argentario
* Barco Reale di CarmignanoCarmignano
* Bianco della Valdinievole
* Bianco dell´Empolese
* Bianco di Pitigliano
* Bianco Pisano di San Torpè
* Bolgheri
* Brunello di Montalcino (DOCG)
* Candia dei Colli Apuani
* Capalbio
* Carmignano (DOCG)
* Chianti (DOCG)
* Chianti-Classico (DOCG)
* Colli dell´Etruria Centrale
* Colli di Luni
* Colline Lucchesi
* Cortona
* Elba
* Montecarlo
* Montecucco
* Monteregio di Massa Marittima
* Montescudaio
* Morellino di Scansano (DOCG)
* Moscadello di Montalcino
* Orcia
* Parrina
* Pomino
* Rosso di MontalcinoVino Nobile di Montepulciano
* San Gimignano
* Sant´Antimo
* Sassicaia (Bolgheri Sassicaia)
* Sovana
* Val d´Arbia
* Val di Cornia
* Valdichiana
* Vernaccia di San Gimignano (DOCG)
* Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (DOCG)
* Vin Santo del Chianti
* Vin Santo del Chianti Classico
* Vin Santo di Montepulciano