Tuscany Wine Regions Guide

Geography and terroir

The landscape of central Italy, and above all Tuscany, is ancient and profound. The fifth largest region in Italy covers all the bases: meticulously preserved Etruscan ruins, bucolic idylls replete with vines and olive groves, Chianti Classico’s famous vineyard-covered hills (we’ve all dreamed of these rolling hills), and the art-filled cities of Florence and Siena. Tuscany borders Liguria and Emilia-Romagna to the north, Marche and Umbria to the east, and Lazio to the south.

It is also extremely varied topographically, with the Apennine Mountains running through central Italy and two seas – the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian – on Tuscany’s west coast. It covers an area of more than 22,997 km², and much of rural Tuscany is very undulating – elevation, terrain, and soils all vary enormously here. Without a hint of hyperbole, this could reasonably be described as the ideal place to make wine. Most regions enjoy a textbook Mediterranean climate, with warm (occasionally too warm!) summers and wet winters. The result is an expanding collection of ripe, expressive, and terroir-driven wines that merge tradition and innovation to spectacular effect. Both red and white wines are made in Tuscany, along with a small amount of dessert wine and even traditional-method sparkling.

Of course, every region has a signature grape variety, and Tuscany is no exception. Although the Maremma (Tuscan coast) is heavily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Sangiovese remains Tuscany’s most important grape. Yet despite significant improvements in viticulture and winemaking, there is considerable variation in the quality of Sangiovese reds. They range from lean, aggressively tannic wines to the most seductive expressions of variety and terroir made in Italy; poor-quality clones and high yields in the 1970s did untold damage to the area’s reputation.

Thankfully, replacing them with better clones in the 1990s has revolutionized our expectations of Tuscan wine. Contemporary Sangiovese, grown in several major appellations, may or may not contain other varieties. However, it will likely have good color and flavor, with a structural zest that makes the grape incredibly food-friendly. It performs particularly well in central Tuscany’s friable galestro soils and limestone-rich alberese formations, while Cabernet Sauvignon prefers the stonier soils of Bolgheri. Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are generally known for medium-bodied, structured expressions of Sangiovese, while Montalcino produces some of Tuscany’s fullest and most concentrated examples. International varieties also thrive in Tuscany, both as varietal wines and in Bordeaux-style blends.

Meanwhile, white wines are getting better with every vintage. Tuscany was not historically celebrated for the quality of its whites, not least because its most widely planted traditional white grape, Trebbiano Toscano, can become neutral when cropped at high yields. However, a rash of experimentation – most successfully with Chardonnay and Vermentino – has yielded wines of increasing character and verve, particularly the gracefully elegant Chardonnays of central Tuscany and the Maremma.

Paolo de Marchi, founder of Isole e Olena in Chianti Classico, says:

“When I decided to plant my first new vineyard, the system of quotas was already in place, so I decided to pull out part of the Trebbiano and Malvasia vineyards to be able to replant the same surface area with Chardonnay,”

He also added:

“The key has been the site selection, and I planted most of our Chardonnay on the northeastern side of our estate, which means early sunshine in the morning with clear light and cool air and shade in the afternoon with the heat of a long summer day.

Luckily, the high Chianti Classico hills are an area where grapes retain a lively pH, which still allows us to harvest at ripeness instead of rushing to protect the acidity.”

Even Trebbiano Toscano, the workhorse grape grown in Sangiovese country for more than a century, is being revived by pioneers like Francesco Ricasoli.

Winemaking and regional classifications

Although terroir is considered of paramount importance in this grand sweep of vineyards, changes in winemaking were the catalyst for the region’s revival in the 20th century. Indeed, some may consider the revolution in cellar methods and approaches even more significant than Tuscany’s natural resources, as it represented a vital change in attitude – and philosophy – that forever altered the face of Italian wine.

In the mid-1900s, however, it all looked so different. Two principal obstacles to quality were outmoded regulations that favored bulk growers and antiquated methods and equipment. Chianti is a prime example of this malaise – the DOC regulations encouraged the inclusion of high-yield white varieties, benefiting farming communities to the detriment of wine quality.

High yields, limited temperature control, and prolonged extraction frequently produced lean, tannic wines that required extended maturation. Modern cellar equipment and more selective viticulture brought cleaner fruit, greater consistency, and more precise expressions of Sangiovese. In their maturity, the best wines had a certain oxidative charm. However, nothing highlighted the grape’s or terroir’s most desirable characteristics. Varietal white wines were similarly uninspiring: oxidized and stale with a distinct lack of aroma or flavor. Something had to be done.

And it was. Inspired by the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta and Piero Antinori, winemakers shortened the fermentation time and macerated the wine for shorter periods afterward. Producers adopted more selective viticulture, improved temperature control, and adjusted extraction based on fruit quality. Some revived traditional blending grapes such as Canaiolo, while others experimented with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

For both white and red styles, vinification in stainless steel delivered more fruit and less rusticity; inbuilt temperature control ensured that Vermentino and Chardonnay made in Tuscany could rival the best whites of France and, indeed, Friuli-Venezia. However, not everyone welcomed the introduction of new oak in the form of Bordeaux-style barriques.

Nevertheless, some leading producers embraced maturation in new French barriques, introducing a more polished, oak-influenced style. In recent times, the pendulum has swung back in favor of fruit over oak: aging in amphorae and traditional botti have become more fashionable. Yet the rusticity once associated with much Tuscan wine is far less common today.

The lowdown

Today, Tuscany is taking stock of a wine revolution that began on the coast in the mid-20th century. This has changed the face of one of Europe’s oldest viticultural traditions. As in all Mediterranean countries, wine had always been part of daily life, an indispensable part of a diet based on wheat, the vine, and the olive. Thus, until the mid-20th century, there were relatively few changes in Tuscan winegrowing – traditions governing the use of grape varieties remained unaltered for hundreds of years. In contrast, Bordeaux experienced several significant upheavals and evolutions in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many found this inertia (more accurately, deep resistance to change) charming: Tuscany was wary of change for change’s sake. This lent the region a timeless and very alluring air.

Tuscany’s coastal revolution began in the 1940s, when Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Tenuta San Guido. The first Sassicaia was made in 1948 for private consumption; the wine was commercially released with the 1968 vintage.

Piero Antinori later helped bring Sassicaia to the international market and became a leading figure in Tuscany’s modern wine revolution. His own creation, Tignanello, was soon followed by a tidal wave of copycat imitations: some were entirely based on French grapes, while others blended Sangiovese and Merlot (aged in new barrique) in gross violation of the Consorzio rules. They were varietal Cabernets, 100% Sangiovese reds, and superlative Bordeaux blends – what united this diverse firmament is that they all failed to conform in one way or another with established practices. Which, of course, was the entire point!

However, this radical transformation of Tuscany’s winemaking culture was not without its critics. In trying to catch up with France – and the New World – a forced internationalization risked diluting Italy’s soul. Retail shelves were groaning under the weight of cookie-cutter Merlots and Cabernets produced across central Italy; the appearance of French grapes in the vineyards, gleaming steel tanks, and small oak barrels engendered fears of rapid homogenization. When all is said and done, was Tuscany different from Napa Valley or Australia’s Coonawarra? And does the world need any more oaky Merlot?

In retrospect, it is evident that Tuscany would eventually find the balance between tradition and modernity. This can be seen most clearly in Chianti Classico, where 100% Sangiovese wines, sensitively aged in used barrels (the reliance on new oak has been toned down recently), display all the virtues of terroir character and subtlety. Meanwhile, the best Super Tuscans remain as beguiling as ever, but they have been joined by aromatic Vermentino and even the occasional premium example of Trebbiano Toscano. The techniques of the 21st century are now being used to give new expressiveness – and finesse – to grapes and zones that were famous in Etruscan times. Bettino Ricasoli would be proud. His vision, at long last, has been realized.

Tuscany gastronomy

No region plays the gourmet quite like central Italy: dining out covers the whole gamut, from fresh gelato to farm-to-table produce served in a rural bolthole.

There are endless restaurants and trattorias in Tuscany, ranging from Michelin-starred extravaganzas to wonderfully chaotic family-run affairs. Spicy green olives, cinghiale (wild boar), smoky porcini mushrooms, truffles, bistecca alla Fiorentina (T-bone steak), and legumes are all culinary staples in both urban and rural Tuscany. Gastronomes find it almost impossible to leave.

A Guide to the Gastronomy and Cuisine of Tuscany: Read more