Vini Toscana en

The Wines of Tuscany
Complete guide to DOC and DOCG wines
The Wines of Tuscany

Editorial project: Giunti Progetti Educativi and Toscana Promozione Dept. of Economic Development for Tuscany Managing editor: M. Cristina Zannoner Editorial coordination: Morgana Clinto Coordination for communication: Toscana Promozione Text edited by the Dept. of Economic Development, originals by Emanuele Pellucci Updating for the 2008 edition: Corrado Benzio Editing and iconographic research: Fabio Leocata Graphics, page format and cover: Studio Fridom Editorial secretary: Margherita Romagnoli Technical department: Elena Orsini Translation from the italian: Catherine Frost Original title: Vini di Toscana.Guida completa alle Doc e Docg
For information: Direzione Generale dello Sviluppo Economico Settore Produzioni Agricole Vegetali Via di Novoli, 26 50127 Florence tel. +39-055.4383078 fax +39-055.4383150 maddalena.guidi@regione.toscana.it www.regione.toscana.it Toscana Promozione Agenzia di promozione economica della Toscana Villa Fabbricotti Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 62 50134 Florence tel. +39-055.462801 fax +39-055.4628033 info@toscanapromozione.it www.toscanapromozione.it
Complete guide to DOC and DOCG wines
www.giunti.it 2008 Giunti Progetti Educativi S.r.l., Firenze 2008 Toscana Promozione, Firenze First edition: December 2008 Reprint 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Year 2011 2010 2009 2008
Printed by Giunti Industrie Grafiche S.p.A. Prato, Italy
CONTENTS
FOREWORD WINE, A SYMBOL
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OF
TUSCANY
9 21 22 25 28 34 37 40 45 46 49 52 55 58 61 64 67 70 73 76 79 82 85 88 91 94
DOCG WINES BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO CARMIGNANO CHIANTI AND CHIANTI CLASSICO MORELLINO DI SCANSANO VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOC WINES ANSONICA COSTA DELLARGENTARIO BARCO REALE DI CARMIGNANO BIANCO DELLA VALDINIEVOLE BIANCO DELLEMPOLESE BIANCO DI PITIGLIANO BIANCO PISANO DI SAN TORP BOLGHERI AND THE SASSICAIA SUB-AREA CANDIA DEI COLLI APUANI CAPALBIO COLLI DELLETRURIA CENTRALE COLLI DI LUNI COLLINE LUCCHESI CORTONA ELBA MONTECARLO MONTECUCCO MONTEREGIO DI MASSA MARITTIMA
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MONTESCUDAIO MOSCADELLO DI MONTALCINO ORCIA PARRINA PIETRAVIVA POMINO ROSSO DI MONTALCINO ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO SAN GIMIGNANO SANTANTIMO SOVANA TERRATICO DI BIBBONA TERRE DI CASOLE VAL DARBIA VALDICHIANA VAL DI CORNIA VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI CLASSICO VIN SANTO DI MONTEPULCIANO
PRODUCTION REGULATIONS CURRENTLY THE WINE AND FOOD ROADS PHOTOGRAPHS
IN FORCE
97 100 103 106 109 112 115 118 121 124 127 130 133 136 139 142 145 148 151 154 158 162
Foreword
What is the best way to give a potential foreign visitor a taste of our land? Have him sample one of the many extraordinary wines of Tuscany. There is nothing, in fact, that resembles us more closely than our wine. Wine represents our land much more clearly and distinctively than any picture could. And this is because it contains all of the salient features of the Tuscan spirit: respect for history and tradition as well as the ability to invest in the future with farsighted intuition; undying love of local roots, coupled with the drive to explore more global horizons. And this is true of each of the many wines of Tuscany. In the land of local pride, in fact, although wine has a thousand faces, none the same as any other, each of these, mysteriously, puts us in contact with the pulsing heart of our land. For this reason, getting to know our wines is like entering into the heart of Tuscany and its people. If then, as in this case, we investigate the world of typicit, the realm of appellations of origin, we take an even deeper step, one that leads us into an authentic and almost inextricable maze of emotions and qualities: a maze from which we can escape, of course, but always with a sense of nostalgia and an irresistible urge to return. To the readers of this guide, I wish a happy journey through this Tuscany of a thousand flavors. Along the way you will realize what treasures nature has lavished on this territory, but also how much creativity has been exerted by those who have worked, and are working now, to discover flavors that are always ancient but always new.
Regione Toscana
THE FRUIT OF THE GRAPE
WINE, A SYMBOL OF TUSCANY
The fruit of the grape
ruit of the grape and of mans labor. This is wine: the fruit of a plant as old as the world, and of the never-ending labor of man.
Wine is a religious symbol, it is food for the mind, it is a precious heritage; so much so that it was once called the fuel of the poor. And today it is a splendid ambassador of the land of Tuscany. In recent years, it is said, the export of Italian wine has exceeded that of fashion. Wine is the new champion of made-in-Italy. And Tuscany, the land of wine, from the northernmost areas touching on Liguria to the borders with Lazio, plays a fundamental role.
THE FRUIT OF THE GRAPE
THE LONG HISTORY OF A GREAT WINE
Official records tell of nearly 63,000 hectares of vineyards, over half of which are classified as DOC or DOCG. Each year, this area produces approximately 3 million 300 thousand kilograms of grapes, for an average of nearly 65 quintals per hectare. The wine produced each year amounts, on average, to 2 million 300 thousand hectolitres. Tuscany is outstanding not so much for the quantity as for the quality of the wine it produces. It is the region that all winelovers dream of visiting at least once in their lives, as proclaimed every year by the results of a referenThe god Dionysus dum held by an oenological Bible and, at right, cupids, in among its readers. Their first ideal a series of Pompeian destination is Tuscany, followed by frescoes. On page 6, the Bacchus by Bourgogne and California. Caravaggio, now in the The importance, the quality, and the oUffizi, and an Etruscan riginality of Tuscany (in wine language, banquet scene. the term is typicality) are also demonstrated by the number of its DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) and DOCG (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) wines. As of today there are 6 of the latter (the latest arrival is Morellino di Scansano), and no less than 36 of the former, thanks to very recent recognition of Terre di Casole. Then there are the sub-areas (as exemplified by Chianti). In a word, Tuscany seems to have practically no anonymous vine-
yards. It is an imposing scenario, especially today when the market is being enriched with new wines and new trends. Nor should it be forgotten that, alongside so many DOC wines, there has developed an entirely Tuscan phenomenon consisting of a wide range of quality wines for which the term Super Tuscans has been coined. This name was coined, first by journalists and then in marketing, to indicate wines of high value and quality produced in Tuscany, but not bound by the precise regulations of the DOC wines. These wines differ widely as regards varietal composition, obtained through appropriate oenological techniques, often linked to particular brand names.
The long history of a great wine

Today wine is produced all over the world. But this does not mean that a great wine can be produced anywhere and with little effort. What is it, then, that makes a wine great? On what does its appeal depend? Thats not such a hard question to answer.
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THE LONG HISTORY OF A GREAT WINE
LABOR AND LOVE
In addition to excellence, at times to rareness, the person who buys or uncorks a bottle of wine wants that wine, starting from its label, to have a history, to narrate a territory, to shine with its own light, in addition to the sensations it imparts to the palate and the brain. This is an aspect that has always been important to those who remain true to their own DOC or DOCG wine; as well as those who have wanted their great wine to become a DOC; because that little word, by now synonymous with quality, speaks a language understood by winelovers the world over. The wine of Tuscany, any DOC or DOCG wine, narrates a history, that of its territory; and so we offer this guide, the little map of a land stretching from the vineyards at the foot of the Apuan Alps to the grapes growing in the shadow of extinct volcanoes on the islands of the Tuscan archipelago. The image of our DOC and DOCG wines is that of ancient farmhouses topped by pigeon-lofts, or Renaissance villas, where the wine producer himself will meet you and show you around. And perhaps you will find a chapel with a Renaissance Madonna by some little-known but extraordinary artist. Within this frame the rittocchino or cavalcapoggio (patterns in which the grapevines are planted on the hilly slopes) are the emblem of a territory unique the world over. Whoever sips a
Tuscan DOC wine will sense in that glassful the worlds most beautiful landscape, that frescoed Madonna, and that church where the sky seems to come closer to man; and will recall a night spent on a holiday farm, or an unforgettable supper of pappa al pomodoro or ribollita. All of this can be found in the bottle you may sample in Sidney or Kuala Lumpur. It is a way of life, encompassing relaxed living, reflection, and the recognition that art can be a wide-ranging heritage.
Labor and love

From Etruscan times to today, through the Renaissance and all of the ages in which Tuscany has expressed its greatness, wine has played a major role, among princes as well as peasants. Wine has always been an important supplement to a diet poor in everything, but especially in proteins and animal fats. Thus historical studies record that in the Middle Ages the minimum daily consumption was one liter of wine, but that liter could be doubled, and could even rise to 4 liters a day for the wealthier classes. In the Tuscany of tenant farmers, wine was an ever-present element in the diet, but also a way to overcome the hardships of a life of privation. The historic center of the world capital of marble, Carrara, once had over 60 wine cellars; today only one is left. In the wine cellars, the marble miners could pause for a moment, forgetting their fatigue.
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LABOR AND LOVE
LABOR AND LOVE
Today, with the peasant world gone forever, the old wine cellars are vanishing, but the enoteca is flourishing, as a phenomenon midway between the classic wine bar originating in Britain and the old-style Italian bottiglieria, or wine shop. Today the enoteca has become the height of fashion, and its managers are now rediscovering what was a classic up to thirty years ago: wine sold by the bottle but and this is important strictly DOC. For years, the queen of wine sold in bulk has been the hilly area of the Florentine Chianti, boasting authentic capitals such as Certaldo and Montespertoli. Harvesting grapes on the Florentine hills in a painting from 1857 by Giovanni Signorini. On the previous page, Francesco Leoncini, Miracle of St. Francis turning Water into Wine, Pistoia, church of San Francesco.
In Tuscany today, everybody is producing wine: great names from both opera and pop music, actors, movie producers and artists. Prominent industrialists, leading fashion designers and racecar drivers are growing wine. And labels are being created by such famous names in art as Fernando Botero, Igor Mitoraj, Sandro Chia, as well as Pietro Cascella and the great Tuscan satirical cartoonists. Originating in Tuscany, and flourishing there, is wine tourism, a movement that has led to open wineries, bringing millions of people to visit the wine-producing companies. In Tuscany the cooperative wineries have entrusted their grapes to great wine experts, and have thus risen to first place in the sectors guides. And this alone is enough to proclaim the region avant-garde. James Suckling, one of the worlds wine gurus, states that Tuscan wines are ex-
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FROM THE LANDSCAPE TO THE BOTTLE
FROM THE LANDSCAPE TO THE BOTTLE
cellent with meals; which is to say, our wine is a central element of conviviality, and not the triumph of solipsism.
From the landscape to the bottle

The Tuscan landscape was organised in a dense network of little farms dependent on small and large estates, most of them owned by the nobility. And they were the first to grasp the importance of producing great wines. Take, for example, the wine of Carmignano, a splendid land where the Medicean villas of Poggio a Caiano and Artimino stand. In 1716 Grand Duke Cosimo I de Medici granted a sort of denominazione dorigine to the wines produced on those slopes, where Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc had already made their appearance. French grape varieties also arrived at Montecarlo di Lucca, thanks to a physician returning home from France. Not to mention the Dukes of Salviati, lords of the coast between Pisa and Viareggio. They imported from France vine shoots of Cabernet Sauvignon, which was not highly successful along the coasts of Versilia. The same vine shoots were given to their cousins the Incisa della Rocchetta, who, in the mid-Seventies, created Sassicaia. The history of DOC wines is a very Tuscan story, since it was Baron Bettino Ricasoli, who had played a prominent part in the Unification of Italy, to stipulate the first regulations for the production of Chianti wine (the formula was 70% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo and 10% white grape varieties such as Trebbiano and Malvasia).
Baron Ricasolis ancestors had been wine growers since the year One Thousand, but when he decided to renovate the winery in the family castle of Brolio, he looked first and foremost to France. The time was around the middle of the 19th century. The Iron Baron, as he was called, also found a symbol for that wine: the Black Rooster, which had been the emblem of the Chianti League, of the Communes that fought against Florence. It was instead a veteran of Garibaldis troops who, at about the same time, created Brunello di Montalcino, one of the worlds greatest wines. The first vintages were presented at Siena in 1870. Brunello comes from Sangiovese Grosso, the most important grape variety in our land, which forms the basis for almost all of the great Tuscan red DOC wines. It is a great variety, especially when carefully tended with full respect for its characteristics. For example, it cannot yield its finest fruit when grown above a certain altitude. But it also gives great results in the Super Tuscans, where it is often combined with international varieties. The history of the Sangiovese grape has
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DOC AND DOCG: GUARANTEED QUALITY
DOC AND DOCG: GUARANTEED QUALITY
been the history of this land, since the time when the yield per hectare was extremely high, with large productions but limited quality.
DOC and DOCG: guaranteed quality

The history of the Tuscan DOC and DOG wines is being updated hour by hour. Dating from the end of May 2007 is the decree that establishes the Terre di Casole DOC, in the Senese, the land around Siena. It came after Terratico di Bibbona, from the coast of Livorno, and after Morellino di Scansano had become the sixth Tuscan DOCG. The records are many: Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the region s most famous white wine, and the first white DOC in Italy; and Brunello, the very first DOCG. Laws on DOC wines in Italy are relatively recent, with the first regulations passed only in 1963. Todays rules come from the well-known Law 164 of 1992, still in force today. The law stipulates regulations on production that indicate the area of provenance of the wine, the maximum quantities produced per hectare, the methods and times of vinification, maturation and fining, as well as the characteristics of the product when released on the market.
For the DOCG the top in quality estabOpposite page, a lished by Law 164/92 the rules become bunch of grapes in an stricter, with inspections conducted up Egyptian bas-relief to the moment of bottling. Bottles of from the XVI century DOCG wine bear in fact a label of control, B.C. and, below, J. a State mark applied to the lots of wine that Steen, The Merry Company, detail. have passed the inspections conducted by commissions. A record of another kind is the flask of Chianti that Enrico Fermi used to toast the news of his Nobel Prize for physics; he who had left Italy, fleeing from the laws discriminating against Jews. How much of Italy there is in that photo of the great nuclear physicist. For centuries the flask was the symbol of the Italy of wine, of Tuscany, of Chianti. Hundreds of times the marketing wizards have tried, and failed, to discover something equally striking, but the image is too potent to be replaced by any new symbol. But the power of Tuscan wine is just this: its ability to renew tradition. And it is only fitting that the innovators have often been the nobility. Remember that Tuscany is the land of the Lorraines, of the Accademia dei Georgofili, of great land reclamation projects launched by the grand dukes. It is also the land that has revived country style, with the unmistakable fustian jackets of Maremma. All of this is present in the glass of Tuscan wine you are holding; never forgetting that everything comes, as it always has, from the labor of man.
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DOCG WINES
The DOCG is a recognition granted to only a very few wines; as stated by the label, only those of particular qualitative value can boast this honour. The first DOCG in Italy was granted to a Tuscan wine, Brunello di Montalcino, in 1980. As with the DOC, the fundamentals lie in the regulations establishing the geographic area of production, grape varieties, yield, and organoleptic qualities of the wine for which the DOC is requested. The inspections are, however, stricter, not limited to production alone but extending as far as bottling, that is, to the finished product. At that point, wine receiving the DOCG is given by the consortium that safeguards the mark and verifies its quality a label, a sort of State seal, green for white wines and pink for reds. The label is assigned to each individual producer in relation to the quantity of wine that has passed the quality tests. And so when we find the numbered DOCG mark on a bottle, we can be certain that we are about to drink a truly extraordinary wine.
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BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG
HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

Brunello di Montalcino is the supreme expression of a land that has boasted a great winegrowing tradition for centuries. Highly esteemed already in centuries past, the wines produced in this corner of Tuscany have always held true to the time-tested canons of tradition. The first experiments in promoting and enhancing the characteristics of a very special raw material and a unique environment began only near the end of the 19th century. Brunello was created around the middle of the 19th century by the efforts of a group of local winegrowers who, through selective cloning of the Sangiovese grape, obtained a product of the highest quality, the first Italian wine to be obtain the DOCG recognition, in 1980. Its production has undergone a definitive qualitative evolution, followed by the spread of its reputation, image and name all over the world. From the American newspapers we learn that even the stars of Hollywood have fallen under the spell of Brunello.
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Brunello is produced exclusively within the boundaries of the municipality of Montalcino, on soil of various types, excluding low valleys.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Brunello di Montalcino is made from grapes of the Sangiovese variety alone, called Brunello at Montalcino. These grapes are grown mainly according to the cordone orizzontale speronato (horizontal spurred cordon) system, which results in a low yield per hectare (a maximum of 80 quintals). Brunello di Montalcino wine cannot be released before January 1st of the year after the term of five years calculated starting from the year of vintage (six years for the Riserva), always with a minimum two years of fining in oak barrels and six months in the bottle. Vinification, preservation, fining and bottling must take place exclusively within the Commune of Montalcino.
Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino Costa del Municipio, 1 53024 Montalcino (SI) tel. +39-0577.848246 fax +39-0577.849425 e-mail: info@consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it
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BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG
ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS
Brunello di Montalcino has a characteristic deep ruby red color, tending toward garnet with fining. It has a characteristic intense aroma. The flavor is dry, warm, slightly tannic, robust, harmonic and persistent. Its minimum alcohol content is 12.5% vol., but it frequently reaches 13.5% vol.
CUISINE
Brunello di Montalcino is a classic wine to be served with Florentine steak, the queen of Tuscan cooking, and in general with red meat, roasts and game of all kinds, in particular wild boar, king of the Mediterranean maquis. But it is also perfect with pigeon, one of the favorite dishes of inland cooking. Excellent also with truffles and mushrooms, it is a fine companion to aged cheeses such as parmigiano and Tuscan pecorino. It is also indicated as a meditation wine especially in bottles from great years, well-preserved and at the peak of their qualitative evolution. For the older vintages it is advisable to open the bottle ahead of time or to decant it, and the wine should be served at a temperature of 18-20 C. But Brunello, at a moment when wine-drinking customs are evolving, can also be a daring accompaniment to fine fish baked with vegetables.
Carmignano DOCG
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The Carmignano DOCG includes only the municipalities of Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano. A land of low and medium-high hills, with good exposure, favorable to the cultivation of grapes.
Consorzio Vini di Carmignano Piazza Matteotti, 8 59015 Carmignano (PO) tel. +39-0571.910078 fax +39-0571.583399 e-mail: lefarnete@enricopierazzuoli.it
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CARMIGNANO DOCG
CARMIGNANO DOCG
Trebbiano Toscano, Canaiolo Bianco and Malvasia del Chianti, up to 10%. Other red grapes can be added, up to 10%. Maximum yield is 80 quintals per hectare.
Carmignano DOCG is bright, intense ruby red in color tending toward garnet with ageing; it has an intense aroma with a hint of violets, which becomes more refined with aging. The taste is dry, sapid, full, harmonic, mellow and velvety. The minimum alcohol content is 12.5% vol. Carmignano DOGC wine cannot be released before June 1st of the second year after vintage. The Riserva type is released starting from September 29 (St. Michaels Day and the Carmignanos feast day) of the third year after vintage. Carmignano is a wine that ages splendidly.
This DOCG territory, whose hills overlook Florence and Prato, is small in size but big in tradition. It is a wine of ancient tradition that has retained over the years an image of its own, even when it was a product included within the great Chianti family. On these hills of Montalbano, where memories of Medicean times appear on every corner, wine has always been produced. And the Medici family, who built here their splendid villas of Poggio a Caiano and Artimino, were its first promoters, considering that, in 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo III granted to the wine of Carmignano the first true patent of nobility, a kind of DOC before its time, including it among the finest Tuscan wines worthy of protection. In recent times, first with the DOC in 1975, then with the DOCG in 1990, Carmignano has confirmed its standing as one of the great Italian red wines, elegant and with an international flavor deriving from the presence of Cabernet.
Strong red wine, 14thcentury miniature. Page 29, grape-pressing scene on a tapestry conserved at Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence.
CUISINE
Its special characteristics make Carmignano a wine to be served with hearty roast meats, game and aged cheeses. Elegant and velvety, when well aged it becomes an excellent meditation wine. It pairs well with dishes from the traditional cuisine of Prato and the Florentine plain such as stracotto alla pratese (beef stew) and porchetta di maiale (roasted whole pig).
GRAPE VARIETIES
The basic variety is Sangiovese (minimum 50%), accompanied by Canaiolo Nero (up to 20%) and by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%). White grapes are also present:
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CHIANTI DOCG

Chianti has always been the Tuscan wine par excellence, a product that has made its region of origin famous the world over and that still today, in its multiplicity of types coming from different production areas, keeps the prestige of Italian wine high on international markets, even though the area is sometimes called Chiantishire for the many British and Americans who have moved there. The first demarcation of the Chianti wine area dates from 1932, while the DOC dates from 1967 and the DOCG from 1984. The Chianti appellation can be supplemented by the Superiore specification as well as by the geographic specifications of Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Montalbano, Rufina or Montespertoli, referring to the various geographical sub-areas.
Chianti and Chianti Classico DOCG

This is a historic DOC, and is the largest in Italy. Within it are geographic sub-areas, the most ancient of which produces Chianti Classico DOCG, which has its own production regulations.
GRAPE VARIETIES
The basic varieties grown in the Chianti vineyards are: Sangiovese (minimum 75%), Canaiolo Nero (up to 10%), Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia del Chianti (up to 10%), and
Chianti DOCG
AREA OF PRODUCTION
Various parts of Tuscany that make up the great Italian winegrowing region, including in whole or in part over 100 municipalities in the provinces of Arezzo, Florence, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena. Consorzio Vino Chianti Viale Belfiore, 9 50144 Florence (FI) tel. +39-055.333600 fax +39-055.333601 e-mail: c.chianti@chiantisuperiore.it
complementary red grapes (up to 10%). The maximum yield of grapes per hectare is 90 quintals, which drops to 80 for the subareas and 75 for the Superiore specification. Chianti wine cannot be released for consumption prior to March 1st of the year after vintage, with the exception of Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Rufina and Superiore, for which the release date is September 1st, and Chianti Montespertoli, for which it is June 1st.
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CHIANTI DOCG
The Riserva must be aged for at least two years, starting from January 1st after the year of vintage, with at least three months of fining in the bottle.
The characteristics of Chianti are: lively ruby red in color, tending toward garnet with ageing; harmonic, dry, sapid, slightly tannic taste which refines with time to soft and velvety; intense winy aroma at times with a scent of violets, which becomes more highly refined during ageing. The minimum alcohol content is 11.5% vol. and 12% vol. for some subareas (Colli Fiorentini, Rufina and Montespertoli), for Chianti Superiore and for Riserva. In the case of Chianti Riserva from the sub-areas, the minimum alcohol content is 12.5% vol.
Chianti Classico DOCG

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The entire territory of the municipalities of Greve in Chianti (Province of Florence), Radda in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti and Gaiole in Chianti (Province of Siena) and part of the territory of the municipalities of San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa and Barberino Val dElsa (Province of Florence) and Poggibonsi and Castelnuovo Berardenga (Province of Siena). Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico Via Scopeti, 155 SantAndrea in Percussina 50026 San Casciano V.P. (FI) tel. +39-055.82285 fax +39-055.8228173 e-mail: marketing@chianticlassico.com
CUISINE
Any type of Chianti can be drunk as a young wine, fresh and pleasing to the palate, although it is well known that the wine from some areas is highly suited to medium or long ageing, during which it acquires an unmistakable aroma and flavor. In its great variety, Chianti is a wine for all occasions. Some areas produce young wines to be served throughout the meal, as well as with pasta dishes with meat sauce, boiled meats and stews. From other areas, more highly structured wines, moderately aged, pair perfectly with poultry and roast veal. Lastly, where wines of great character, high alcohol content and long ageing are produced, the best combination is with roast meats, game and aged cheeses. And a young Chianti can also be a worthy accompaniment to the savory fish stew called cacciucco.
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CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG
CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG
per hectare. Chianti Classico wine can be released starting from October 1st of the year after vintage. The Riserva must be aged for at least 24 months, three of which in the bottle.
The regulations stipulate that a scent of violets is one of the particular characteristics of Chianti Classico. The color must be bright red, tending toward garnet with ageing. The flavor is harmonic, dry but slightly tannic. Minimum alcohol content is 12% vol., rising to 12.5% vol. for the Riserva.
CUISINE
This is a great wine that perfectly accompanies the great dishes of Tuscan cooking, starting with bistecca alla fiorentina, the famous Florentine steak, and continuing to stewed wild boar and roast pigeon. In general, all red meats go well with Chianti Classico, which can also end a meal as an accompaniment to Tuscan pecorino, aged or semi-aged. And Chianti Classico can even be paired with the fish stew known as cacciucco in either the Livorno version or that of Viareggio, more delicate in flavour.
Chianti Classico DOCG refers only to wines coming from the ancient heart of the area in which Chianti wine is produced. Since 1996, Chianti Classico has been produced according to special regulations. As a whole, the Chianti Classico area does not cover over 7,000 hectares. With the 2006 vintage, a great innovation was introduced. For the first time, Chianti Classico was made without the addition of white grapes (in this case, Trebbiano and Malvasia). Visiting the Chianti Classico production area means discovering stupendous landscapes but also such beautiful places as the town of Radda, the Castle of Brolio, and San Felice.
GRAPE VARIETIES
The new rules for producing Chianti Classico call for Sangiovese grapes, from a minimum of 80% to 100% (in the latter case, we speak of a pure Sangiovese). White grapes having been eliminated, 20% of the formula can consist of other red grapes. Widely grown in the area are Canaiolo, Colorino and other varieties such as Cabernet and Merlot. Note that a new Chianti Classico vineyard can enter production only four years after the grapevines have been planted and that the maximum yield (lowered in the new regulations) has been established as 75 quintals
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MORELLINO DI SCANSANO DOCG

Morellino di Scansano is one of the best-known Tuscan red wines, and undoubtedly the most typical of the area called Maremma, born in an environment that combines the advantages of hilly slopes with fragrant sea breezes, where grapevines were already cultivated by the Etruscans. In a text from the past century we read: The wines of Magliano, Pereta and Scansano are excellent and in few places is wine of such delicious quality produced. So that it closely resembles Chianti. In the last decade, Morellino di Scansano has attracted great interest on the part of many producers, and the land designated to its production has been substantially increased. Subsequent to the high quality levels achieved and the affirmation of its own identity and image on foreign markets as well, Morellino di Scansano received the DOCG recognition in 2006.
Morellino di Scansano DOCG

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Morellino is produced on the hilly terrain in the Province of Grosseto stretching from the Ombrone to the Albegna river, an area that includes the entire territory of the municipality of Scansano and part of those of Manciano, Magliano in Toscana, Grosseto, Campagnatico, Semproniano and Roccalbegna. Consorzio di Tutela Morellino di Scansano Via Marconi, 23 58054 Scansano (GR) tel. +39-0564.509931 fax +39-0564.507710 e-mail: info@consorziomorellino.it
Opposite page, a 16th-century miniature showing a bizarre system of pressing grapes in vogue at the time. On the next page, detail from a 16th-century still life, and wine decanting scene in a 16th-century miniature.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Sangiovese (locally called Morellino, a name borrowed from the dark bay horses known as morelli, very numerous here) is the basic variety, at times the only one (85100%). Other black grapes can be added (up to 15%). The grape yield is 90 quintals per hectare.
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MORELLINO DI SCANSANO DOCG
Morellino di Scansano is ruby red in color, tending toward garnet with time; the aroma is ethereal, intense, pleasant, refined; the taste dry, warm, and slightly tannic. The minimum alcohol content is 12.5% vol. with two years of ageing of which at least one in wooden barrels, starting from January 1st of the year after harvesting, and with a minimum alcohol content of 13,5% vol., this wine is entitled to the Riserva specification.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is produced exclusively from vineyards situated on hilly terrain in the municipality of San Gimignano.
CUISINE
A wine for the whole meal when young, it is instead particularly indicated for roast meats and game when aged and coming from a good year. It is ideal with the dishes of Maremma, such as acquacotta (typical soup), scottiglia di cinghiale (wild boar stew), and maiale ubriaco (drunk pork), but even a vegetable pie can offer an unusual but tasty combination.
Consorzio della Denominazione San Gimignano Villa della Rocca 53037 San Gimignano (SI) tel. +39-0577.940108 fax +39-0577.942088 e-mail: info@vernaccia.it
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VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO DOCG
VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO DOCG
GRAPE VARIETIES
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is made from a variety of the same name, with the possible presence of other non-aromatic white grapes up to a maximum of 10%. In recent years the producers have increasingly utilized these grapes, which have come to enhance the basic variety. In any case, the yield of grapes per hectare cannot exceed 90 quintals.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is straw yellow in color tending toward golden with ageing. It has a fine, penetrating, distinctive aroma and a dry, harmonic taste, with a characteristic slightly bitter aftertaste. The minimum alcohol content is 11% vol. (11.5% vol. for the Riserva, after required minimum ageing of one year starting from January 1st of the year after vintage, and an additional four months of fining in the bottle).
CUISINE
Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a wine that has always been deemed excellent as an aperitif, outstanding with appetizers, especially seafood, a delicious companion to all fish and seafood dishes and perfect with veal and chicken as well. It is ideal with a seafood risotto, but also with a dish of rice and mushrooms. To be served cold, at a temperature of 11-12 C.
In the shadow of San Gimignanos fourteen medieval towers originates what can be termed the most famous white wine in the region. In the Tuscan wine panorama, Vernaccia holds an outstanding place, fruit of a tradition that dates back, according to documented records, to the middle of the 13th century. A wine once beloved by popes and princes, Vernaccia has, over the centuries, linked its excellent quality to the incomparable landscape of the San Gimignano territory. Todays Vernaccia, especially after the granting of the DOCG it was the first white wine to receive this honor, in 1993 has undergone constant evolution not only in the vineyard but also in the wine cellar. And this is why, when you sip a glass of this wine, you will taste all the flavor of Tuscany.
White wine, miniature from the Tacuinum sanitatis in medicina, late 14th century. Opposite page, an antique botanical plate.
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VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano originates on the hills stretching between Val dOrcia and Valdichiana, in vineyards occupying a magnificent landscape embellished by monuments, villas and ancient farmhouses, outstanding among them the Basilica di San Biagio, the masterpiece of Antonio da San Gallo. The history of this wine starts from a centuries-old winemaking tradition that already in the 17th century saw Nobile proclaimed the King of Tuscan wines (Francesco Redi, Bacco in Toscana). The fame of this wine, beloved by the nobility and the great lords (from whence its name) has come down to our own day. Especially in the last few decades (the DOCG dates from 1980) its quality has greatly improved, thanks to renovation of the vineyards and modernisation of the winemaking equipment and techniques. Today Vino Nobile is deemed one of the very best Italian red wines.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is produced in the hilly areas of the municipality of Montepulciano, preferably on soil of Pliocene origin lying at an altitude of 250 to 600 meters.
GRAPE VARIETIES
The basic varieties are Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile from 70% to 100%) and Canaiolo Nero (maximum 20%). Other suitable grapes can be added (maximum 20%) on condition that the content of white grapes does not exceed 10%. The grape yield per hectare cannot exceed 80 quintals. With at least three years of maturing calculated starting from January 1st of the year after vintage, of which six months of fining in the bottle, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano can bear the Riserva qualification. Due to its particular characteristics, it is a wine suitable to medium or long ageing.
Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Piazza Grande, 7 53045 Montepulciano (SI) tel. +39-0578.757812 fax +39-0578.758213 e-mail: info@consorziovinonobile.it
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is ruby red in color, tending toward garnet
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VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG
with ageing. The aroma is intense, heterogeneous, ethereal, characteristic; the flavor dry, well balanced and persistent, at times with woody tones. The minimum alcohol content is 12.5% vol., 13% vol. for the Riserva.
CUISINE
A classic wine to be paired with roasted red meat, game and fine poultry such as faraona al cartoccio, guinea fowl baked in paper but also with the classic pork roast called arista alla fiorentina, or with a dish of pappardelle served with game sauce. Excellent also with seasoned Pecorino di Pienza, especially the type aged in caverns. In the great vintages, moderately aged, it is a pleasant meditation wine. In this case the bottle should be opened well in advance, and the wine served at room temperature. It also pairs well with fish stew, especially the savoury and spicy one called cacciucco alla livornese.
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DOC WINES
The year 1963 was a memorable one for the history of Italian winemaking: in that year, the law on appellation of origin for wines came into force in Italy. Although much later than France, Italy passed a law that was to establish rules for typical productions, but above all to guarantee that consumers knew what they were drinking. The regulations for DOC wines were subsequently amended and updated, particularly in 1992 with Law 164. Current DOC legislation has established two fundamental matters today. The first is that of the regulations, specifying the geographical borders, the varieties of grapes used, the production yield, and the organoleptic characteristics of each appellation. In other words, it explains what a wine must be in order to boast the DOC. The second matter has to do with inspections, entrusted to the consortiums of wine producers and, of course, as with all food products, to the representatives of the State and the Regions. Thanks to these guarantees, the 36 Tuscan DOCs can offer us top-quality wines, the full expression of the many varieties produced in the territory of Tuscany.
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ANSONICA COSTA DELLARGENTARIO DOC

Today the Argentario promontory, one of the most beautiful parts of Tuscany, a favorite vacation spot, lends its name to the DOC of a white wine, Ansonica, which has always been produced on the promontory and the slopes of what is known as the Costa dArgento, as well as the Island of Giglio. A fascinating itinerary leads over the hills and along the coasts of a magnificent landscape dotted with ancient towns and historic memories. On one side the town of Capalbio with its medieval architecture and its Etruscan and Roman ruins, on the other Ansedonia, a modern town built in the vicinity of an ancient Roman one. And then Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole, with its imposing medieval fortress, on the A wine amphora promontory of Argentario, as far as the from Etruscan times. wild beauty of Giglio Island. On page 42, caskHere above all viticulture is still pracmakers in a 15th-centiced on the characteristic terraces, tury miniature. On where grapes are hard to cultivate but the following pages, a 14th-century miniayield products of the highest quality. ture with three ladies drinking a toast and GRAPE VARIETIES the grape harvest in a The basic variety for this wine is 15th-century miniaAnsonica Bianco (at least 85%). Other ture portraying the grapes can be added (up to 15%). month of September. The environmental and cultivation conditions of the vineyards must be those
Ansonica Costa dellArgentario DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Produced in the hills, foothills and islands in the southern part of the Province of Grosseto, comprising the municipalities of Manciano, Orbetello and Capalbio in part, and those of the Island of Giglio and Monte Argentario in whole.
Ansonica Costa dellArgentario DOC c/o C.C.I.A.A. di Grosseto Via Cairoli, 10 58100 Grosseto (GR) tel. +39-0564.430111 fax +39-0564.415821 e-mail: roberto.saletti@gr.camcom.it
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ANSONICA COSTA DELLARGENTARIO DOC
traditional to the area. The same is true of the planting arrangement, the training and pruning systems; all forcing methods are excluded, a well as the Tendone (Arbor) system. The maximum grape yield allowed per hectare is 110 quintals.
This wine is straw yellow, more or less intense, in color. It has a characteristic, slightly fruity aroma; a dry, soft, lively and harmonic flavor. The minimum alcohol content is 11.5% vol.
CUISINE
Being a fresh, lively wine, Ansonica Costa dellArgentario pairs well with light seafood dishes, especially appetizers and fish. It is also excellent served as an aperitif. But we recommend it particularly with a surprising, mysterious dish: cuscuss alla livornese, a couscous dish that reveals the exotic origins of the city of the Four Moors.
Barco Reale di Carmignano, Rosato di Carmignano, Vin Santo di Carmignano and Vin Santo di Carmignano Occhio di Pernice DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
Comprises the territories of the municipalities of Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano. Soils lying at an altitude not exceeding 400 meters above sea level deriving from calcareous marl rocks of the Alberese, schistose, clayey and arenaceous types. Consorzio Tutela dei Vini di Carmignano Piazza Matteotti, 8 59015 Carmignano (PO) tel. +39-0571.910078 fax +39-0571.583399 e-mail: nobile@bccmp.com
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BARCO REALE DI CARMIGNANO DOC
BARCO REALE DI CARMIGNANO DOC

With a DOC instituted in 1994, this wine falls within the cascade category, for which from a single registered grape variety it is possible to produce several DOC wines, a practice already successfully experimented in other DOCG zones. Carmignano, with its red wine now classified in the superior
least 75%); other white grapes may be added up to 25%. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese (minimum 50%); other white or red grapes may be added up to 50%. The maximum grape yield per hectare is 100 quintals.
Barco Reale di Carmignano: bright ruby red, brilliant color; winy, intense, fruity aroma; dry, sapid, fullbodied, harmonic flavor; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Rosato di Carmignano: more or less intense ros color, at times with ruby red reflections; fruity, winy, characteristic aroma; dry, fresh, pleasantly acidulous, harmonic flavor; 11% vol. Vin Santo di Carmignano: color ranging from straw yellow to golden, to deep amber; ethereal, intense, characteristic aroma; harmonic, velvety flavor, more rounded in the amabile type; 16% vol. Vin Santo di Carmignano Occhio di Pernice: color ranging from deep pink to pale pink; warm, intense aroma; mellow, velvety, rounded flavor; 16% vol.
category, deserved in fact worthy recognition of its other wines (alongside Chianti Montalbano DOCG, which has always been produced in the same territory). On these hills beloved by the Medici family was situated Barco Reale, a vast estate theater of interminable hunting parties. The name today distinguishes a quality red wine made from the same Carmignano grapes. The winemaking tradition of this area also includes ros wines (once known as vin ruspo) and Vin Santo wines of the highest quality.
CUISINE
Barco Reale is a wine for the whole meal and is especially good with pasta served with meat sauce, poultry, rabbit and white meats in general. The ros is excellent as an aperitif, with Tuscan appetizers as well as with souffls. The Vin Santo in both versions pairs beautifully with the whole range of pastry and puddings. The Occhio di Pernice type is decidedly a meditation wine, but it can also be served with a dessert such as red-berry jam tart; and of course with biscotti di Prato, the world-famous Tuscan cookies.
THE GRAPES
Barco Reale and Rosato: Sangiovese (minimum 50%), Canaiolo Nero (up to 20%), Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (1020%), Trebbiano Toscano, Canaiolo Bianco and Malvasia (up to 10%); other red grapes may be added up to 10%. Vin Santo: Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Bianca Lunga (at
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BIANCO DELLA VALDINIEVOLE DOC

The Bianco della Valdinievole DOC area is undoubtedly, at least as regards quantities, one of the smallest in Tuscany, although its territory includes many of the municipalities situated between Pistoia and Lucca. Linked to the wine tradition of Lucca, viniculture in this area has centurieslong roots; already in the 15th century the Prato merchant Marco Datini wrote that, Pescia is the great market of wines, specialized in the white ones, the Trebbiani, which represent the salient feature of the Valdinievole; a real patent of nobility that, with its ups and downs, has survived until our own time. More recently (the DOC dates from 1976) the wineries have still further improved their traditional wine by including new varieties of grapes to supplement Trebbiano Toscano. And along with the white, the Pistoia producers have added a Vin Santo that is marketed after three years of maturing in caratelli (small wooden barrels). Bianco della Valdinievole was esteemed by such famous personages as Puccini and Mascagni, as well as by the actor Tot, a frequent visitor to Montecatini Terme, the modern capital of the area.
Bianco della Valdinievole DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The DOC area comprises the territories of the municipalities of Buggiano, Montecatini Terme and Uzzano, and in part those of Larciano, Marliana, Massa and Cozzile, Monsummano Terme, Pescia and Pieve a Nievole. Consorzio Vino Bianco della Valdinievole c/o Provincia di Pistoia Piazza San Leone, 1 51100 Pistoia (PT) tel. +39-0573.3741 fax +39-0573.374307 e-mail: urp@provincia.pistoia.it
GRAPE VARIETIES
Trebbiano Toscano (70-100%). Malvasia del Chianti, Canaiolo Bianco and Vermentino can be present in the vineyards, either alone or in combination, up to 25%, as well as other white grapes up to 5%. The yield per hectare cannot exceed 130 quintals.
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BIANCO DELLA VALDINIEVOLE DOC
Bianco della Valdinievole is light golden yellow, tending toward straw, in color. It has a slightly winy, pleasant aroma; dry, lively, harmonic flavor, occasionally verging on sparkling, with a minimum alcohol content of 11% vol. for the white wine, 17% vol. for the Vin Santo. The latter is produced in the types dry, demi-sec and sweet. In color it ranges from straw to light amber; the aroma is intense, ethereal, typical; the flavor harmonic, mellow, with a characteristic slightly bitter aftertaste.
CUISINE
A wine to be served with appetizers, soups, vegetables, grilled fish and seafood. Perfect for pairing with the various types of Vin Santo is a vast range of pastry, starting with the famous cialde (wafers) di Montecatini, and going on to brigidini (aniseseed wafers), the specialty of Lamporecchio. This wine can also accompany a vegetable pie or the famous giant asparagus of Pescia, cooked al dente. Preceding pages: the Vitis vinifera in an antique botanical plate and a print showing a tavernkeeper serving wine. Page 57, Domenico Induno, The Old Man and his Dog, detail. Page 58, autumn is symbolized by the grape harvest in a miniature from the Tacuinum sanitatis. Page 62, antique print with a grape-pressing scene.
Bianco dellEmpolese DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The grapes used in the production of Bianco dellEmpolese must come from vineyards situated in the municipalities of Empoli, Cerreto Guidi, Fucecchio, Vinci, Capraia e Limite and Montelupo Fiorentino.
Ente Tutela Vini dellEmpolese e della Val dElsa c/o Cantine Leonardo da Vinci Provinciale Mercatale, 291 50056 Vinci (FI) tel. +39-0571.902444 fax +39-0571.509960 info@cantineleonardo.it
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BIANCO DELLEMPOLESE DOC
BIANCO DELLEMPOLESE DOC
When released for marketing, Bianco dellEmpolese must present a light yellow color tending toward straw, a characteristic aroma and a dry, harmonic, fresh, delicate flavor. The minimum alcohol content is 10.5% vol. The Vin Santo type ranges from golden to amber in colour, with an intense, ethereal, characteristic aroma, a flavor that is dry or amabile, harmonic, mellow, with a characteristic aftertaste. The minimum alcohol content is 16% vol. for the dry type and 15% vol. for the amabile.
CUISINE
An excellent companion to appetizers, soups, vegetable dishes, fish and boiled meats, this wine is also good with artichokes, the vegetable king of these plains; cooked artichokes, of course, since the difficulty in pairing a raw vegetable of such particular flavor, rich in iron, with wine is well known. For the Vin Santo, the choice is between the dry or the sweet type, to be served with pastry.
Bianco dellEmpolese was recognized as a DOC wine in 1989, although good wines have always been produced on the hills around the busy, industrious town on the banks of the Arno River. The historian Federigo Melis recalls in fact how in the past the wines of this district, especially those of the countryside around Cerreto Guidi and Vinci, were well known to the Florentines. From the improvement of these lands brought about by the Medici family, who built one of their finest villas at Cerreto Guidi, down to our own day, when the dedicated work of many small and medium-sized wineries has improved the quality of the local wines to the point of obtaining a DOC recognition, the local winegrowing tradition has never been interrupted. The DOC includes a Vin Santo in addition to the white wine.
GRAPE VARIETIES
We are in the realm of Trebbiano Toscano, and this variety constitutes the basis of Bianco dellEmpolese (80-100%). Other white grapes can be added, with a limit of 8% for Malvasia del Chianti. The yield cannot exceed 120 quintals per hectare.
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BIANCO DI PITIGLIANO DOC

The environment from which Bianco di Pitigliano originates is without doubt one of the most fascinating in Tuscany, its hills covered with vineyards facing the striking profile of the medieval town clinging to a high spur of tufo rock, enveloped in the mysterious aura of a place once inhabited by Etruscans and Romans. Still today, the numerous caverns dug out of the tufo rock bear witness to the presence of natural wine cellars used by the farmers of yesteryear, who since the remote past have cultivated grapevine on the surrounding hills. It is only quite recently, after the evolution in local winemaking that has conferred on Bianco di Pitigliano the status of DOC, that this usage been abandoned, although not entirely. The progress in winemaking also derives from the adoption of noble varieties that have served to gentrify the grapes of the traditional varieties.
Bianco di Pitigliano DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The Bianco di Pitigliano DOC is reserved to wine made from grapes harvested from vineyards situated in the municipalities of Pitigliano and Sorano and in part those of Scansano and Manciano.
Consorzio Vino Bianco di Pitigliano Via Marsala, 23 58014 Manciano (GR) tel. +39-0564.620532 e-mail: cmmaremma@libero.it
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BIANCO DI PITIGLIANO DOC
GRAPE VARIETIES
Trebbiano Toscano (50-80%), Greco, Malvasia Bianca Toscana and Verdello, either alone or in combination, not over 20%; Grechetto, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco and Riesling Italico (not over 30%), other white grapes (up to a maximum of 10%). The maximum yield per hectare is 125 quintals. For the past 20 years or so, a kosher wine has been produced at Pitigliano for the national and international Jewish community, in memory of the Jewish traditions of this area, still found in many local dishes.
Bianco di Pitigliano is straw yellow in color tinged with green; its aroma is delicate; its flavor dry, lively, neutral, with a slightly bitter base, of medium body, mellow. The minimum alcohol content is 11% vol., which becomes 12% vol. for the Superiore type. Production of a Spumante type, with minimum alcohol content of 11.5% vol., has recently been allowed.
Bianco Pisano di San Torp DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Overlapping that of Chianti Colline Pisane, this area extends over the plains stretching along the Arno, the Egola and the Elsa rivers. The municipalities found here are: Casciana Terme, Capannoli, Chianni, Crespina, Lari, Palaia, Ponsacco, Terricciola and in part Cascina, Collesalvetti, Fauglia, Laiatico, Lorenzana, Montopoli Valdarno, Peccioli, Pontedera, Santa Luce, San Miniato (in the Province of Pisa) and Collesalvetti (in the Province of Livorno). Consorzio Vino Bianco Pisano di San Torp Via Benedetto Croce, 107 56100 Pisa (PI) tel. +39-050.501650 fax +39-050.643996
CUISINE
A fresh, lively wine, Bianco di Pitigliano pairs well with many dishes: various appetizers, soups, grilled or steamed fish, snails, vegetables, soft cheeses and above all typical Maremma specialties such as acquacotta. But we recommend trying it also with mussel soup or with squid on a skewer.
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BIANCO PISANO DI SAN TORP DOC
BIANCO PISANO DI SAN TORP DOC

Bianco Pisano di San Torp is a wine that has been produced by farmers in the Pisan hills since the remote past. In 1980 they decided to give this wine a name and production regulations. The name is that of a Christian martyr, one of Neros soldiers, who was beheaded and whose body was abandoned on a boat that landed in 68 A.D., at a village on the French coast, which was then named for him: Saint Tropez. The area where Bianco Pisano di San Torp is now produced was famous over the centuries for its excellent Trebbiano wines, a tradition that has persisted over the years and, although with understandable evolution, has come down to our own time. Today the wineries are engaged in improving the quality of this wine and promoting it in Italy and abroad. Along with the Bianco type is a Vin Santo.
Bianco Pisano di San Torp has a more or less deep straw yellow color, a winy, lively and characteristic aroma, and a dry, harmonic, delicate flavor. The minimum alcohol content is 11% vol. for the white wine and 16% vol. for the Vin Santo. The latter cannot be released prior to November 1st of the third year after vintage (or the fourth year, for Vin Santo Riserva). The color of Bianco Pisano di San Torp Vin Santo ranges from golden to amber, more or less intense; its aroma is intense, ethereal, aromatic; its flavour amabile or dry, harmonic, with a characteristic aftertaste.
CUISINE
Bianco Pisano di San Torp is a wine to be drunk young, a good accompaniment to Pisan fish dishes and seafood soups, or fine fish baked in paper. As a more daring and imaginative alternative, it can be paired with raw fish.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Trebbiano Toscano (75-100%). Other white grapes can be added up to 25%. The yield cannot exceed 120 quintals per hectare.
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BOLGHERI AND THE SASSICAIA SUB-AREA DOC

This corner of Tuscany is rich in history and natural beauty, starting from the famous Avenue of Cypresses, a verdant outdoor cathedral five kilometres long, immortalized by the poet Carducci. Long known for its ros wines, the Bolgheri area has now become famous above all for its reds, thanks to the deep commitment and experimentation of wineries particularly interested in the quality level of their products. The evolution recognized in amendments to the regulations on DOC wines with the addition of the red wine type (as well as Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice) and with the creation of the Sassicaia sub-area, has allowed one of the great quality Italian wines to be included in a DOC, the label that has revitalized the national sector as a whole. Today the most famous Italian and foreign winemakers are investing heavily in the entire Bolgheri area.
Bolgheri and the Sassicaia sub-area DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The grapes used to produce Bolgheri wines must grow in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci, with the exclusion of the territories west of the old Via Aurelia. The Sassicaia sub-area is a limited section in the locality of Bolgheri.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Bolgheri Bianco: Trebbiano Toscano (10-70%), Vermentino (10-70%), Sauvignon (10-70%). If the content of Vermentino or Sauvignon reaches 85%, the name of the variety can appear on the label along with the name Bolgheri. Bolgheri Rosso, Rosato and Rosso Superiore: Cabernet Sauvignon (10-80%), Merlot (up to 70%), Sangiovese (up to 70%), other red grapes (up to 30%). The Rosso Superiore type must be aged for at least two years starting from January 1st of the year after vintage, of which at least one year in oak barrels and at least six months of fining in the bottle.
Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini DOC Bolgheri Loc. San Guido, 45 57020 Bolgheri (LI) tel. and fax +39-0565.749705 e-mail: info@lastradadelvino.com
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BOLGHERI AND THE SASSICAIA SUB-AREA DOC
Bolgheri Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese (50-70%), Malvasia Nera (30-50%), other red grapes up to 30%. Bolgheri Sassicaia: Cabernet Sauvignon (from 80% to 100%); may contain other red grapes up to 20%. Yield per hectare: 100 quintals for the white wines, 90 for the others. For the Superiore type, the yield cannot exceed 80 quintals per hectare, for Bolgheri Sassicaia, 60.
Bianco, Vermentino, Sauvignon: color straw yellow; aroma fine, delicate; flavor dry, harmonic, sapid; minimum alcohol content 10.5% vol. Rosato: color ros; aroma winy, delicate; flavor dry, harmonic; 11.5% vol. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: color ranging from deep pink to pale pink; aroma intense; flavor sweet, mellow, velvety and rounded; minimum alcohol content 16% vol. Rosso: color ranging from ruby red to garnet; aroma intensely winy; flavor dry, harmonic; alcohol content 11.5% vol. (12.5% vol. for Rosso Superiore). Bolgheri Sassicaia: color deep ruby red or garnet; aroma winy, rich and elegant; flavor dry, full-bodied, robust and harmonic; well structured and elegant; alcohol content 12% vol.
Candia dei Colli Apuani DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Candia dei Colli Apuani is produced on suitable soil in the hilly terrain of the municipalities of Carrara, Massa and Montignoso. Of special interest in visiting the area are the Via di Fontia on the Carrara side and the Via dellUva on the Massa side.
Preceding page: watercolored woodcut from the Hortus Sanitatis by Johannes de Cuba (1491). On the following pages, an old miniature with a winetasting scene and a historical print.
CUISINE
The whites and ross are wines to be served young paired with soups, fish and souffls. The Sauvignon is appropriate for more important fish and seafood dishes. The red is good with the whole meal and with white and red meats, and is incomparable with bistecca alla fiorentina. The Vin Santo is ideal with dessert and pastry, while Sassicaia should be paired with demanding roasts and with game, from wild boar to pigeon, especially when served rare.
Consorzio fra Produttori Vino Candia dei Colli Apuani DOC c/o Federazione provinciale Coltivatori Diretti Largo Matteotti, 1 54100 Massa (MS) tel. +39-0585.43852 fax +39-0585.43852
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CANDIA DEI COLLI APUANI DOC
CANDIA DEI COLLI APUANI DOC

A stretch of hills facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, behind it the Apuan Alps. On these steep slopes the ancient populations of Carrara and Massa decided long ago to cultivate the grapevine and to create the ancestor of todays Candia. Numerous texts mention the stupendous vineyards and the flourishing olive groves cultivated by the courageous farmers of this area with great sacrifice and little recompense, considering that the cultivated areas have always been small in size and the yield of grapes and wine equally limited. In recent years the types specified in the new production regulations are amabile, dry and Vin Santo. Looking out from the vineyards, the view sweeps from the marble caves beloved by Michelangelo to the Gulf of La Spezia, as far as the Tuscan Archipelago.
a maximum of 20%, as long as the content of Malvasia Bianca Lunga does not exceed 5%. The yield per hectare is 90 quintals.
At the time of release for sale, Candia wines must possess the following characteristics: for the amabile or abboccato type, color that is more or less deep straw yellow; delicate, pleasant, slightly aromatic aroma and fruity, sweet, harmonic, lively or calm flavor, including also the sparkling type. The dry type, with a dry, at times mellow, fruity, full-bodied, harmonic flavor, and a bitter aftertaste, also includes a sparkling wine. For both, the minimum alcohol content is 11.5% vol. There is also a Vin Santo, with minimum alcohol content of 16.5% vol. (of which at least 14% vol. already developed and a minimum of 2% to be developed).
CUISINE
A wine to be drunk young, Candia is ideal with lean appetizers and fish dishes but we recommend it above all paired with rounds of fried chick-pea dough topped with Colonnata Lard DOP or, for the amabile type, with delicate sweets such as the typical rice and cream pie of Massa and Carrara.
GRAPE VARIETIES
In this area, from time immemorial, Vermentino has been grown, and this variety forms the basis of Candia: Vermentino Bianco (70-80%) and Albarola (10-20%). Grapes from the Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia varieties can be added, up to
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CAPALBIO DOC

The Capalbio DOC includes the southern foothills and hilly areas in the Province of Grosseto, stretching from the municipality of Magliano in Toscana, skirting the Maremma Natural Park, known as the Uccellina, as far as the municipality of Capalbio, and also including the territories of Orbetello and Manciano. The winemaking traditions of this area, which includes two more DOC (Parrina and Ansonica Costa dellArgentario) have always contributed to enhancing the quality of the wines of the Grosseto territory. The grape varieties and wines of this area have been known since Roman times, when they were exported in ships sailing from the port of Cosa. They became even better known in the Middle Ages, and their fame spread still further in 1600 with the establishment of the Stato dei Presidi (Garrison State). There where the wild beauty of the Mediterranean maquis meets the hills covered with well-cultivated olive groves and vineyards, in a unique scenario of immense environmental value, the Capalbio DOC, instituted in 1999, promotes the value of the areas typical grape species, both black and white, with regulations providing for numerous alternatives that will serve as further stimulus to the already highly-qualified local producers.
Capalbio DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The production area includes part of the territories of the municipalities of Capalbio, Magliano in Toscana, Orbetello and Manciano, in the Province of Grosseto.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Sangiovese, in the amount of at least 50%, is the basic variety for the production of Capalbio red and ros wine. The remaining 50% can consist of non-aromatic black grapes. Trebbiano Toscano, present for least 50%, is the basic variety for the production of Capalbio Bianco and Vin Santo, while the remaining 50% can consist of non-aromatic white grapes. Capalbio Vermentino, Capalbio Sangiovese, Capalbio Cabernet Sauvignon must contain at least 85% of the variety of the same name. With ageing of almost three years, of which at least six months in wooden barrels, Capalbio Rosso Riserva is produced. Maximum production per hectare is 110 quintals for the red wines and 115 for the white wines.
Colli Meridionali della Maremma Tuscany Via Marsala, 73 58014 Manciano (GR) tel. +39-0564/620532 e-mail: cmmaremma@libero.it
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CAPALBIO DOC
Capalbio Rosso: more or less intense ruby red in color; characteristic winy aroma; dry, harmonic, pleasantly tannic flavor; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Capalbio Sangiovese: ample, winy aroma, which takes on characteristic spiced tones in Capalbio Cabernet Sauvignon. Both wines have a dry, full-bodied, pleasantly tannic flavor and a minimum alcohol content of 12% vol. Capalbio Riserva: ruby red in color, tending toward garnet with ageing; ample, winy aroma; dry, sapid, harmonic, pleasantly tannic flavor, with a minimum alcohol content of 12% vol. Capalbio Rosato: more or less deep pink in color; winy, fruity, fresh aroma, minimum alcohol content 10.5% vol. Capalbio Bianco: color light straw yellow, delicate, fresh, fruity aroma; flavor dry, minimum alcohol content 10.5% vol. Capalbio Vermentino: straw yellow in color at times with greenish reflections; delicate, fruity aroma; dry, sapid flavor, minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Capalbio Vin Santo: color ranging from golden yellow to amber; aroma ethereal, intense, characteristic; flavor harmonic, velvety, well-rounded, alcohol content 16% vol.
Colli dellEtruria Centrale DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Coincides with that of Chianti DOCG, to which the Colli dellEtruria Centrale wines also appear as an accompanying appellation.
CUISINE
The broad range of Capalbio DOC wines makes it suitable for an equally broad and varied local cuisine, from appetizers to fish and seafood dishes, from the typical soups of Maremma (acquacotta), to mushrooms, to game dishes, especially wild boar in sweet-and-sour sauce, to cheese (pecorino DOP); traditional desserts and pies are excellent with the Vin Santo. Consorzio Vino Chianti Viale Belfiore, 9 50144 Firenze (FI) tel. +39-055.333600 fax +39-055.333601 e-mail: c.chianti@chiantisuperiore.it
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COLLI DELLETRURIA CENTRALE DOC
COLLI DELLETRURIA CENTRALE DOC

The Colli dellEtruria Centrale DOC, recognized in 1990, includes various types of wine: red, ros, white, Novello, Vin Santo and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice. The production territory is typically Tuscan: hills, woods, olive groves and vineyards. The varied productions find in the appellation ample range to promote viticulture linked to the traditional varieties that have always grown in this territory. The vineyards of Colli dellEtruria Centrale are fully integrated into the Tuscan landscape, representing a more diversified component for the production and promotion of those wines that take their place alongside Chianti DOCG. This appellation, recalling the centrality of the Etruscan origins of Tuscany, reinforces the concept of a strong link to the territory of production and its traditions.
Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese (from 50% to 100%), other grapes (up to 50%). Yield per hectare is 120 quintals for all of the types.
Rosso: color ruby red, brilliant, lively, even that of medium intensity; aroma ranging from winy to fruity, fragrant, fresh, delicate; flavor lively, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 10.5% vol. Rosato: color more or less intense ros; aroma fruity, fragrant, fresh; flavor fresh, lively, sapid; minimum alcohol content 10.5% vol. Bianco: color straw-yellow, at times with a greenish tinge; aroma delicate and fruity; flavor sapid, lively, fresh, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 10% vol. Novello: color cherry red occasionally tending toward violet, lively; aroma fruity, fresh; flavor lively, fresh, vigorous, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 10.5% vol. Vin Santo: color ranging from golden straw yellow to deep amber; aroma ethereal, intense, characteristic; flavor harmonic, velvety, more rounded in the amabile type; minimum alcohol content 15% vol. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: color ranging from deep pink to pale pink; aroma warm, intense; flavor gentle, soft, velvety, rounded; minimum alcohol content 16.5% vol.
CUISINE
The red is a wine for the whole meal, good also with meats including bistecca alla fiorentina. The ros pairs well with Tuscan charcuterie, starting from the fennel-flavoured sausage called finocchiona, but also with ribollita (bread soup), onion soup and baked fish. The white is ideal with appetizers in general, with soups and fish dishes. The Vin Santo Amabile goes perfectly with pastry, and the dry type is a good meditation wine. Lastly, the Novello is a seasonal wine to be drunk with pleasure up to January, and very good with roast chestnuts.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Rosso and Rosato: Sangiovese (at least 50%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot, Pinot Nero, Canaiolo Nero either alone or in combination (up to 50%), other grapes (up to 25%). Bianco: Trebbiano Toscano (at least 50%), Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Grigio, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Malvasia del Chianti, Sauvignon (up to 50%), other grapes (up to 25%). Novello: Sangiovese (at least 50%), Canaiolo Nero, Merlot, Gamay and Ciliegiolo (up to 50%), other grapes (up to 25%). Vin Santo: Trebbiano Toscano and/or Malvasia del Chianti (from 70% to 100%), other grapes (up to 30%).
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COLLI DI LUNI DOC
Colli di Luni DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Found in part within the Region of Tuscany and in part within the Region of Liguria. In the Tuscan territory the Colli di Luni DOC involves, in part, the municipalities of Fosdinovo, Aulla and Podenzana; and in Liguria, fourteen municipalities. This is the northernmost DOC in Tuscany Opposite page, the grape harvest and and the southernmost of the Ligurian transporting the ones. Colli di Luni is in fact a DOC equalgrapes in a Roman ly divided between these two regions; in mosaic. common it has above all Vermentino, the traditional grape variety grown on these hills beside the sea. We are in Val di Magra, in an environment of historic importance for viticulture, as confirmed by the references to Luni wines made by Pliny the Elder. From the Romans to the troops of Napoleon, many have been the colonizers of these lands wed to viticulture. The granting of the DOC to the wines of today is the just recognition of an ancient tradition, but even more, of the dedicated efforts made by the wineries in recent years. In addition to the white wine, produced in two types, one of them made exclusively from Vermentino grapes, the DOC also includes a red type.
Consorzio Vini Colli di Luni c/o C.C.I.A.A di La Spezia Via V. Veneto, 28 19124 La Spezia (SP) tel. +39-0187.728249 fax +39-0187.777908 e-mail: info@sp.camcom.it
GRAPE VARIETIES
For the Bianco, the required combination is Vermentino (minimum 35%), Trebbiano Toscano (from 25 to 40%); other white grapes up to 30%.
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COLLI DI LUNI DOC
The predominant presence of Vermentino (90-100%) produces the wine Colli di Luni Vermentino; other white grapes are allowed up to 10%. For the Rosso: Sangiovese (60-70%), Canaiolo, Pollera Nera, Ciliegiolo (at least 15%). Other black grapes are allowed up to 25% with a limit of 10% for Cabernet. For all types the yield per hectare is 100 quintals.
Colli di Luni Bianco: color straw yellow to yellow; aroma delicate, pleasant; flavor dry, harmonic, characteristic. Minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Colli di Luni Vermentino: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma intense, characteristic, fruity; flavor dry, harmonic, with a hint of almonds. Minimum alcohol content 11.5% vol. Colli di Luni Rosso: color more or less intense ruby red, tending to garnet with ageing; aroma delicate, winy; flavor dry, fine, harmonic. Minimum alcohol content is 11.5% vol.
Colline Lucchesi DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
It extends over the territories of the municipalities of Lucca, Porcari and Capannori, on soils of Eocenic origin yielding a production that is limited but high in quality.
CUISINE
The white type goes well with the dishes of Ligurian cooking in general: light appetizers, soups and pasta al pesto. The whole range of fish and seafood dishes pairs very well with Vermentino. Tuscan cooking, especially white and red meats, are ideal with the red type; but it is also excellent with crostini al lardo (bruschetta with lard) and above all, in a daring combination, with a dish of raw fish Italian style or sushi, raw fish Japanese style.
Consorzio Colline Lucchesi c/o Unione provinciale Agricoltori Via Barsanti e Matteucci 55100 Lucca (LU) tel. +39-0583.342044 fax +39-0583.341920 e-mail: lucca@confagricoltura.it
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COLLINE LUCCHESI DOC
COLLINE LUCCHESI DOC

The territory around Lucca, with its landscape of olive groves, vineyards and Renaissance villas, is one of the most fascinating corners of Tuscany, frequented in the past by the English and Americans enamored of Lucca. Here the tradition of wine, red wine in particular, dates from before the year One Thousand, as states an ancient document: The slopes of the hills north of Lucca were covered with vineyards in the 9th-century. Sante Lancerio, cellarman to Pope Paul III Farnese, a real wine connoisseur, recorded above all the wines produced by the noble families. In our own day, the Lucca wineries have first improved and promoted the red wines, obtaining a DOC in 1968, and then the whites, whose production regulations were included in the DOC in 1985. Today producers are engaged in research involving grape varieties not traditional to this area.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Rosso: the basic grape is Sangiovese (45-70%), to which are added Ciliegiolo and/or Canaiolo (maximum 30%), Merlot (maximum 15%) and other red grapes (maximum 15%, with the exception of Aleatico and Moscato, for which the maximum is 5%). Merlot: the basic variety is Merlot (minimum 85%), plus other black grapes (up to 15% with the exclusion of Aleatico and Moscato). Sangiovese: Sangiovese (minimum 85%), plus other red grapes (up to 15%, with the exclusion of Aleatico and Moscato). Bianco: Trebbiano Toscano (45-70%), Greco and/or Grechetto and/or Vermentino Bianco and/or Malvasia del Chianti (maximum 45%), Chardonnay and/or Sauvignon (maximum 30%), other white grapes (maximum 15%). Sauvignon: Sauvignon (minimum 85%), plus other white grapes (up to 15%). Vermentino: Vermentino (minimum 85%), plus other white grapes (up to 15%). The yield cannot exceed 100 quintals per hectare. There is also a Vin Santo and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice.
ma pleasant, characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic, soft, vivacious only when of this years vintage; 11% vol. (11.5% vol. for the Riserva). Bianco: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma delicate, pleasant, characteristic; flavor dry, delicate, harmonic; 10.5% vol.. Sangiovese: color ruby red, garnet when aged; aroma characteristic and pleasant; flavor dry and harmonic; 11.5% vol. (12% vol. for the Riserva). Merlot: color ruby red, verging on garnet when aged; aroma characteristic, pleasant; flavor full, dry; 11.5% vol. (12% vol. for the Riserva). Sauvignon: color ranging from straw yellow to light golden; aroma delicate, almost aromatic; flavor dry, velvety, pleasant; 11% vol. Vermentino: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma intense and delicate; flavor mellow, fruity, dry; 11% vol. Vin Santo: color deep golden yellow tending toward amber; aroma pleasant, harmonic, characteristic; pleasantly sweet passito flavor (amabile type), dry, velvety, harmonic flavor (dry type); 16% vol. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: color ranging from pale to deep pink with a garnet tinge; aroma intense, characteristic; flavor sweet, mellow, velvety; 16% vol.
CUISINE
The red type goes well with pasta served with meat sauce, with folaghe (water hen) alla Puccini, with Garfagnana lamb but also with chestnut flour polenta served with pork. It is also a worthy companion for fish dishes such as cacciucco di pesce and triglie (mullet) alla livornese. The white type accompanies appetizers, soups such as garmugia (a spring vegetable soup typical of Lucca), and the fish stew of Serchio. It is also good with some local dishes such as tortelli, spaghetti with ricotta and potatoes cooked with herbs.
Rosso: color brilliant ruby red, verging on garnet when aged; aro-
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CORTONA DOC

Cortona boasts precious works of art, from Fra Angelico to the Renaissance church of the Madonna del Calcinaio. Viticulture dates from Etruscan times, but international grapes are present, due to the Napoleonic occupation and above all to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Cortona DOC, recognized in 1999, is the achievement of the areas wine producers, who have identified specific characteristics in the wine production techniques, soil and microclimate, to enhance the characteristics of Cortona as a place with a great wine-producing vocation.
Cortona DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The area of production of Cortona DOC includes the land suitable for producing quality wine in the municipality of Cortona; vineyards may be planted only at altitudes of at least 250 meters above sea level.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Cortona Rosato: Sangiovese (40-60%), Canaiolo Nero (10-30%), other suitable red grapes up to 30%. For the specifications Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Grechetto, Riesling Italico, Pinot Bianco, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Merlot, Pinot Nero, Sangiovese and Syrah, at least 85% of grapes of the relevant variety must be present. Vin Santo: Trebbiano Toscano and/or Grechetto and/or Malvasia Bianca Lunga (from 80 to 100%), other white grapes up to a maximum of 20%. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese and/or Malvasia Nera (80100%), other black grapes (minimum 20%). The minimum yields range from 90 to 100 quintals per hectare, depending on whether the grapes are red or white. The minimum density for new vineyards is 3300 vine-stocks per hectare. For the Vin Santo, ageing of at least three years is compulsory, which becomes five years for Vin Santo Riserva and eight for Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice.
Consorzio Vini Cortona c/o Cortona Sviluppo S.p.A. Via Guelfa, 40 52044 Cortona (AR) tel. +39-0575.630158 fax +39-0575.630227 e-mail: cortonavini@cortonavini.it Cortona Chardonnay: color straw yellow; aroma fruity, with lightly aromatic substructure; flavor rich, harmonic, elegant; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Cortona Grechetto: color straw yellow; aroma fresh, delicate, characteristic, lightly aromatic; flavor dry and harmonic; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Cortona Pinot Bianco: straw yellow; aroma delicate, fine, characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic, elegant; minimum alcohol content 11% vol.
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CORTONA DOC
Cortona Riesling Italico: color straw yellow; aroma intense, aromatic, characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic, with intense aromatic aftertaste; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Cortona Sauvignon: color straw yellow; aroma intense, elegant, characteristic con aromatic substructure; flavor dry and harmonic, elegant; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Cortona Rosato: color from ros to light red, without violet reflections; aroma fruity, delicate; flavor dry, delicate and harmonic; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Cortona Cabernet Sauvignon: color from ruby red to garnet; aroma intense, characteristic, spicy; flavor full and harmonic, dry; minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Cortona Gamay: color from ruby red to garnet; aroma winy, intense; flavor rich and harmonic; minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Cortona Merlot: color bright garnet red with some purplish reflections, tending to brick red with ageing; aroma of berries with occasional light herbaceous notes; flavor dry and harmonic, full-bodied; minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Cortona Pinot Nero: color from ruby to ruby-garnet; aroma intense, winy; flavor dry, full, characteristic; minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Cortona Sangiovese: color ruby red verging on red-orange with ageing; aroma winy, intense and elegant; flavor dry and harmonic; minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Cortona Syrah: color from ruby red to garnet; aroma characteristic, elegant; flavor dry and harmonic; minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Cortona Vin Santo: color from golden yellow to deep amber; aroma intense, ethereal, characteristic, scenting of ripe fruit; flavor smooth, velvety, deeply rounded; minimum alcohol content 17% vol. Cortona Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: color between amber and topaz, with ample reddish rim that darkens to brown with age; aroma of ripe fruit and other tones, intense, rich, complex; flavor fine, persistent, with sweet aftertaste; minimum alcohol content 18% vol.
Elba DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The entire surface of the Island of Elba.
CUISINE
Due to its great variety, Cortona can accompany a wide range of dishes: from first courses to meats, to game and, of course to desserts for the Vin Santo types. A treat to be sampled is Cortona a Bacche Rosse with the acquacotta of Casentino.
Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini dellElba c/o Azienda Agricola Acquabona Loc. Acquabona, 1 57037 Portoferraio (LI) tel. +39-0565.933013 fax +39-0565.9406 e-mail: acquabonaelba@tiscali.it
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ELBA DOC
ELBA DOC

Insula vinifera, island abounding in wine. This was Elba, on whose steep slopes the grape has always been cultivated, obtaining precious vines from autochthonous varieties (Paradisa, Baianella, Riminese, Luglierina, Salamanna etc.), but also those imported from France during Napoleons sojourn on the island. With time viticulture has changed and new grapevines, obtained from traditional Tuscan varieties, have been promoted. Today, along with white and red wine, the DOC has been enriched by other types: Rosato, Ansonica, Aleatico and Vin Santo, as well as by additional specifications. Recently the Moscato Bianco type has been added, from which a fine Passito is made.
Elba Bianco: color from straw yellow to light straw; aroma winy, delicately scented; flavor dry and harmonic, minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Elba Rosso: color ruby red; aroma winy; flavor dry, full-bodied; 11.5% vol. Elba Rosso Riserva: color from intense ruby to garnet; aroma intensely winy; flavor full, dry and harmonic; 12.5% vol. Elba Rosato: color more or less intense ros; aroma winy, fresh; flavor dry and harmonic; 11% vol. Ansonica: color from straw to amber; aroma intense and characteristic; flavor from dry to amabile, harmonic; 11.5% vol. Ansonica Passito: from deep straw yellow to amber; aroma ethereal, intense; flavor harmonic, from amabile to dolce; 15% vol. Vin Santo: color from straw yellow to golden to deep amber; aroma ethereal, intense, characteristic; flavor harmonic, velvety, more rounded for the amabile type; 16% vol. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: from deep to pale pink; aroma warm, intense; flavor sweet, mellow, velvety and rounded; 16% vol. Aleatico: color from bright ruby red to dark red; aroma intense and characteristic; flavor ranging from amabile to sweet, fullbodied, harmonic; 16% vol. Elba Bianco Spumante: color light straw; perlage fine and persistent; aroma delicate, tenuous; 11.5% vol. Elba Moscato Bianco: color from deep straw yellow to amber; aroma intense, characteristic; flavor from amabile to sweet, harmonic and velvety; 16% vol.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Elba Rosso, Rosato and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese (minimum 60%); other grapes up to 40%, with a limit of 10% for white grapes. Elba Bianco, Spumante and Vin Santo: Trebbiano Toscano Procanico (minimum 50%) and/or Ansonica and/or Vermentino (maximum 50%), other white grapes up to a limit of 20%. Elba Ansonica: Ansonica Bianca (minimum 85%), other white grapes up to 15%. Aleatico: Aleatico (100%). Elba Ansonica Passito: Ansonica Bianca (85% minimum), other white grapes up to 15%. Moscato Bianco: Moscato (100%). The maximum yield per hectare cannot exceed 80 quintals for Bianco, Ansonica, Spumante and Vin Santo, 70 for Rosso, Rosato, Ansonica Passito and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice, 60 for Aleatico and Moscato Bianco.
CUISINE
Wines to be consumed young, especially the whites, with appetizers, seafood and with the splendid shellfish from the waters of the Archipelago. The Riserva reds are ideal with roast meats and game, but also with wild mushrooms from Monte Capanne and with gurguglione, the typical fish soup of Elba. A great assortment of sweets pairs with the dessert wines; the Passito is excellent with puddings. The Moscato Bianco is good as an aperitif but perfect with desserts, including schiaccia briaca, the islands typical drunken cake.
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MONTECARLO DOC

Montecarlo di Lucca was in the past a strategic fortress midway between Serravalle and Lucca, a splendid town rich in scenic beauty and even more in history. Its history is also made of agriculture, with the grapevine and the olive tree always predominant in the economy, as shown by the ancient name (Vivinaia) of this medieval town on a hill overlooking the Valdinievole and the plain of Lucca. A wine road traversed the whole hillside, whose slopes were carpeted with Trebbiano vineyards that yielded a wine highly esteemed not only at the Medici Court but also by the Florentine taverngoers. The tradition of Montecarlos white wine lived on through the years, and already by the end of the 19th century its production had been further improved, thanks also to the importation of new grape varieties from France (Pinot Bianco, Roussanne, Smillon, Sauvignon). In 1985, alongside the white wine, the Montecarlo DOC included the production of red.
Montecarlo DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The DOC area includes part of the territories of the municipalities of Montecarlo, Altopascio, Capannori and Porcari in the Province of Lucca. The grapes are grown on soil formed of clayey schist mixed with sandstone and limestone. The climate, too, is highly favourable. Consorzio Vino Montecarlo c/o Federazione Coltivatori Diretti Via Barsanti e Matteucci 55100 Lucca (LU) tel. +39-0583.341746 fax +39-0583.331178
GRAPE VARIETIES
Montecarlo Bianco is made of Trebbiano Toscano (40-60%), Smillon, Pinot Grigio and Bianco, Vermentino, Sauvignon and Roussanne (40-60%), on condition that at least 3 of these varieties account individually for 10%. Montecarlo Rosso is obtained from Sangiovese (50-75%), Canaiolo Nero (5-15%), Ciliegiolo and/or Colorino and/or Malvasia Nera and/or Syrah and/or Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot (10-15%), and other varieties up to a maximum of 20%. The maximum yield is 100 quintals per hectare for the white, 90 for the red. These grapes can also be used to produce Vin Santo and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice. Montecarlo Rosso, when subjected to ageing for two years starting from January 1st of the year after harvest, is entitled to a Riserva specification.
Montecarlo Bianco: color more or less intense straw-white; brilliant limpidity; aroma delicate, characteristic; flavor dry, deli-
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MONTECARLO DOC
cate, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Montecarlo Rosso: brilliant limpidity; color bright ruby red; aroma winy, intense; flavor dry, sapid; minimum alcohol content 11.5% vol. Montecarlo Rosso Riserva: brilliant limpidity; color ruby red verging on garnet; aroma winy, intense, characteristic; flavor dry, sapid, velvety; 12% vol. Vin Santo: color ranging from straw yellow to golden, to deep amber; aroma ethereal, intense, characteristic; flavor harmonic, velvety, more rounded for the amabile type; 16% vol. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: color ranging from deep pink to pale pink; aroma warm, intense; flavor sweet, mellow, velvety and rounded; 16% vol. On the preceding page: Dionysus transforms the mast of a ship into a grapevine, Athenian pottery (VI century B.C.). Page 88, the Osteria del Fico in Florence, in a painting from 1501. Below, harvesting with panniers in an antique print.
Montecucco DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
Located in the Province of Grosseto, in an area especially well suited to the production of quality wines, including part of the municipalities of Cinigiano, Civitella Paganico, Campagnatico, Castel del Piano, Roccalbegna, Arcidosso and Seggiano.
CUISINE
The white is good with appetizers, with the vegetable soups of Lucca, with risotti and fish dishes. It also pairs well with the classic charcuterie of Garfagnana, such as biroldo and prosciutto crudo bazzone. The red is ideal for the whole meal, and when moderately aged, with roast meats, game and the typical dishes of the Lucca territory.
c/o Provincia di Grosseto Settore Agricoltura Via Pietro Micca, 39 58100 Grosseto (GR) tel. +39-0564.484111 fax +39-0564.28860
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MONTECUCCO DOC
MONTECUCCO DOC

This a rather recently instituted DOC, recognized in July 1998, which includes various types of wine: Rosso, Sangiovese, Bianco and Vermentino. The red wines and the Sangiovese can also be produced in the Riserva type. The area lies at the foot of Monte Amiata, bordering on the vineyards of Montalcino, and this alone guarantees a winegrowing area of great scenic beauty. In recent years production techniques have been improved and refined, as demonstrated by the quality of certain wines, reds above all, now well-known and constantly in demand on the market. The area is also worth a visit for its wealth of agricultural products and game.
Montecucco Rosso: color deep ruby red; aroma winy and ample; flavor harmonic, dry, sufficiently tannic; alcohol content 12% vol. Montecucco Sangiovese: color deep ruby red; aroma winy, fruity and characteristic; flavor harmonic, dry, slightly tannic; alcohol content 12% vol. Montecucco Rosso Riserva and Sangiovese Riserva: color ruby red verging on garnet; aroma ample, winy and elegant, characteristic; flavor full, dry, warm and elegant, at times with woody tones; the alcohol content is 12.5% vol. Montecucco Bianco: color straw yellow; aroma delicate, fresh, more or less fruity; flavor dry and lively; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Montecucco Vermentino: color straw yellow; aroma delicate, fresh and characteristic; flavor dry, soft and sapid; alcohol content 11.5% vol.
CUISINE
Montecucco Rosso is an excellent accompaniment to cheeses, cold cuts, Tuscan charcuterie and meats in general. Montecucco Rosso Riserva and Sangiovese Riserva are superb with bistecca alla fiorentina, roast meats, wild boar and aged cheeses, pecorino in particular. Montecucco Bianco pairs well with soups, appetizers and fish, but above all with the shellfish of the Maremma coast.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Montecucco Rosso is made from Sangiovese (minimum 60%) and other non-aromatic red grapes. Montecucco Bianco is made from Trebbiano Toscano (at least 60%) and other white grapes. There are also Montecucco Sangiovese and Montecucco Vermentino specifications, in which the respective grape varieties are present for least 85%, as well as a Riserva type, for both Montecucco Rosso and Montecucco Sangiovese. The yield per hectare must not exceed 90 quintals for the red wines and 110 quintals for the whites.
Opposite page, pictorial representation of the wine production cycle. Page 95, fragment of a Roman bas-relief with grapepressing scene. Page 96, Andrea Pisano, Noah, Museo dellOpera del Duomo, Florence.
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MONTEREGIO DI MASSA MARITTIMA DOC

Although this DOC was recognized in 1994, the area has a long tradition of viticulture. Its territory boasts a long history, with the jewel that is Massa Marittima and the other medieval towns forming a garland around it in the southern part of the Maremma Grossetana. From these hills and slopes come the wines of the Monteregio DOC, no less than nine types representing a composite reality in the local winegrowing world, offering the producers a chance to promote a whole series of grape varieties that have long formed part of the Grossetano wine heritage. Two places in particular must be seen: the historic centre of Massa Marittima and the famous Abbazia di San Galgano.
Monteregio di Massa Marittima DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
All of the territories of the municipalities of Massa Marittima and Monterotondo Marittimo and part of those of Roccastrada, Gavorrano, Castiglione della Pescaia, Scarlino and Follonica in the Province of Grosseto, with the exclusion of deep valleys.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Monteregio di Massa Marittima Rosso, Riserva, Ros and Novello: Sangiovese (minimum 80%); other non-aromatic red grapes (maximum 20%, maximum for each 10%). Bianco: Trebbiano Toscano (at least 50%), Vermentino and/or Malvasia and/or Malvasia di Candia and/or Ansonica (up to 30%); other white grapes not exceeding 30% (maximum for each 15%). Vermentino: Vermentino Bianco (at least 90%), other white grapes for a maximum of 10%. Vin Santo (also Riserva): Trebbiano Toscano and/or Malvasia (minimum 70%); other white grapes up to 30%. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese (50-70%), Malvasia Nera (10-50%); other black grapes up to 30%.
c/o Provincia di Grosseto Settore Agricoltura Via Pietro Micca, 39 58100 Grosseto (GR) tel. +39-0564.484111 fax +39-0564.28860
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MONTEREGIO DI MASSA MARITTIMA DOC
The maximum yield of grapes per hectare is 110 quintals for the Bianco, Vermentino and Vin Santo, 100 for the other types.
Rosso: color deep ruby red; aroma winy, fruity; flavor dry; 11.5% vol. Rosso Riserva: color deep ruby red verging on garnet; aroma winy, intense, fruity; flavor dry; 12% vol. Novello: color ruby red; aroma winy, fruity; flavor dry, slightly acidulous, sapid; 11% vol. Bianco: color pale straw-yellow; aroma intense, delicate; flavor dry, with medium body; 11% vol. Vermentino: color brilliant straw yellow at times tinged with green; aroma delicate, characteristic; flavor dry, mellow, velvety; 11.5% vol. Rosato: color deep pink; aroma winy, fruity; flavor dry; 11% vol. Vin Santo and Vin Santo Riserva: color from straw yellow to golden, to deep amber; aroma ethereal, intense; flavor harmonic, velvety, more rounded in the amabile type; 16% vol. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: color ranging from deep pink to pale pink; aroma warm, intense; flavor sweet, mellow, velvety and rounded; 16% vol.
Montescudaio DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
Includes all of the territories of the municipalities of Casale Marittimo, Castellina Marittima, Guardistallo, Montescudaio, Riparbella and part of those of Montecatini Val di Cecina and Santa Luce. The grapevines are grown on tufaceous or calcareous soil.
CUISINE
There is an ample choice of dishes with this vast range of wines, all of which pair well with the traditional dishes of Maremma. Here it is best to follow the rules: light appetizers, soups and fish dishes with the white wines; cold cuts and meat with the red; roasts, especially wild goose and stewed wild boar, with the Riserva; the whole meal, and in autumn chestnuts, with the Novello. Typical sweets with the Vin Santo, starting with ricciarelli and cavallucci, cookies whose origin is contended between Siena and Massa Marittima.
Consorzio DOC Montescudaio c/o La Casa del vino Via Roma, 2 56040 Montescudaio (PI) tel. +39-0586.655394 / 651611 fax +39-0586.655394
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MONTESCUDAIO DOC
MONTESCUDAIO DOC

The Montescudaio DOC was recognized 30 years ago, and in 1999 the production regulations were largely amended, with the recognition of no less than ten different types of wine. The slopes of Montescudaio, Guardistallo and the five communes in the Val di Cecina where these wines are produced have a long winemaking tradition, well developed already at the time of the Signorie of the Della Gherardesca and Ridolfi families. This land is also rich in historic memories and, thanks to its position, is a place well worth a visit; to discover such fascinating sites as the valley of the Diavolo, or the area around Larderello, the geothermal capital of Italy, with its boric acid fumaroles.
GRAPE VARIETIES
For Montescudaio Rosso the basic variety is Sangiovese, present for at least 50%, while the Bianco is based on Trebbiano Toscano (minimum 50%), also in the Vin Santo type. When the varieties Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Vermentino are present for at least 85%, the wine can bear the specification of the variety in question. For the red wines there is a Riserva, subjected to ageing for at least 24 months (of which three in the bottle) starting from November 1st of the harvest year. The Vin Santo is produced by the traditional Tuscan vinification method. The yield per hectare is 100 quintals for Montescudaio Rosso and for the white wine bearing the name of the grape variety; 90 for the Montescudaio Rosso bearing the name of the variety and 110 for Montescudaio Bianco.
color ruby red tinged with garnet; aroma full and complex; flavor warm, harmonic and persistent; alcohol content 12.5% vol. Montescudaio Cabernet: color deep ruby red with light purplish reflections, tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma intense, persistent, characteristic; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 12% vol. Montescudaio Merlot: color ruby red with purplish reflections tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma winy, pleasant; flavor full, harmonic, mellow; alcohol content 12% vol. Montescudaio Sangiovese: color ruby red tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma winy, characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic, sufficiently tannic; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Montescudaio Bianco: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma fine and fruity; flavor dry, sapid, harmonic; alcohol content 11% vol. Montescudaio Chardonnay: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma ample and characteristic; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11% vol. Montescudaio Sauvignon: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma ample and characteristic; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11% vol. Montescudaio Vermentino: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma ample and fruity; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11% vol. Montescudaio Vin Santo: color ranging from bright straw-yellow to golden, to deep amber; aroma intense, ethereal, characteristic; flavor warm, harmonic, velvety, well-rounded for the amabile type; 16% vol.
CUISINE
For the white wine, pairing with appetizers, first courses, snails, eels and fish is recommended. The red wine can be served with the whole meal, but when moderately aged is indicated for roast meats and game dishes. It is ideal with cacciucco (fish soup) alla livornese and with mushrooms and truffles, which grow abundantly in the area. The Vin Santo is good with pastry, but some of the highest quality products are at their best as meditation wines.
Montescudaio Rosso: color more or less deep red, tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma intense, characteristic; flavor dry, full-bodied, harmonic; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Montescudaio Rosso Riserva (also with indication of the variety):
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MOSCADELLO DI MONTALCINO DOC

This is another of the many oenological treasures found in the land of Montalcino, and is undoubtedly the one with most ancient tradition, being known as a delicious dessert wine already in the 16th century. Francesco Redi, a century later, referred to it as that elegant, divine Moscadelletto di Montalcino so highly esteemed by the gentlemen of Paris and London. The production of this wine has declined over the years to the advantage of the red wines, starting from his majesty Brunello, and the small amounts produced were more out of respect for tradition than for economic purposes. Only in recent years has Moscadello di Montalcino come back into vogue, convincing the local wineries to request a DOC (1985), and today a number of winemakers are producing it or planning to do so. The regulations allow for the production of several types (Bianco, Tranquillo, Frizzante and Vendemmia Tardiva) in order to meet the varying demands of consumers.
Moscadello di Montalcino DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The entire territory of the municipality of Montalcino.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Moscadello di Montalcino is produced with grapes from the Moscato Bianco variety. Other white grape varieties can be added up to 15%. The different types are Tranquillo, Frizzante and Vendemmia Tardiva. The yield per hectare is 100 quintals, while for the Vendemmia Tardiva type it is 50 quintals. Vinification, fining and bottling must take place exclusively in the Commune of Montalcino. The Frizzante type becomes frothy through natural fermentation; the Vendemmia Tardiva, produced with partially withered grapes, undergoes fining of at least one year.
Consorzio Vino Moscadello di Montalcino Costa del Municipio, 1 53024 Montalcino (SI) tel. +39-0577.848246 fax +39-0577.849425 e-mail: consbrun@tin.it
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MOSCADELLO DI MONTALCINO DOC
Moscadello di Montalcino Tranquillo is straw yellow in color; the aroma is characteristic, delicate, fresh and persistent; the flavor is aromatic, sweet, harmonic, characteristic of muscatel grapes; minimum alcohol content 10.5% vol. The Frizzante type is distinguished by its fine, lively froth. Moscadello Vendemmia Tardiva has a color ranging from straw yellow to golden yellow; aroma characteristic, delicate, persistent; flavor aromatic, sweet, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 15% vol. On the preceding pages, wine is offered to a guest in a miniature from the Tacuinum sanitatis. On the opposite page, a tapestry depicting Bacchus, the wine god.
CUISINE
In the past a wine for lords and ladies, today Moscadello di Montalcino contents the diverse palates of all lovers of dessert vines. Served at the end of the meal, the Tranquillo and Frizzante types are excellent with pastry; Moscadello Vendemmia Tardiva is a more important wine, also suited for meditation. It is excellent with aged pecorino cheese.
Orcia DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The Province of Siena, in an area including in whole or in part the municipalities of Castiglione dOrcia, Pienza, Radicofani, San Giovanni dAsso, San Quirico dOrcia, Buonconvento, Trequanda, Abbadia San Salvatore, Chianciano, Montalcino, Sarteano, San Casciano Bagni and Torrita di Siena. This area has geological and climatic conditions exceptionally favorable to the grapevine. Consorzio del Vino DOC Orcia Via Borgo Maestro, 90 53023 Rocca dOrcia Castiglione dOrcia (SI) tel. +39-0577.887471 fax +39-0577.888454 e-mail: info@consorziovinoorcia.it
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ORCIA DOC
ORCIA DOC

This is a recent DOC, recognized in February 2000, which includes various types of wine: red, also Novello, white and Vin Santo. The approval of this DOC has made available to both producers and consumers a tool for promoting and safeguarding an area, the Val dOrcia, in the Province of Siena, having a strong vocation for the cultivation of the grape, as demonstrated by the wine produced here. Note that the Val dOrcia as a whole has been proclaimed a world heritage site by UNESCO. Among its many jewels are the towns of Pienza and Bagno Vignoni, with its thermal swimming pool dating from the Middle Ages.
Orcia Novello is cherry red in color tending toward bright violet; the aroma is fruity, fresh; the flavor lively, fresh, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Orcia Vin Santo ranges in color from straw yellow to golden to deep amber; the aroma is intense, ethereal, characteristic; flavor harmonic, soft and mellow; minimum alcohol content 16% vol.
CUISINE
Orcia Rosso can be considered a wine for the whole meal, although it is at its best with first courses of pasta dishes such as pici (handmade spaghetti) or tagliatelle with meat sauce, second courses of savory red meat, and medium-aged or fresh Pecorino di Pienza cheese; it should be served at a temperature of 16-18 C. The Novello type is a wine for the whole meal, to be combined with simple, rather bland dishes; serve at a temperature of 15-18 C. Orcia Bianco goes well with typical Tuscan appetizers and with fish dishes, white meats and fresh cheeses. It is also adapts very well as an aperitif wine, in which case it should be served at 12-14 C. The Vin Santo is ideal as an aperitif, when served chilled, or as a dessert wine, accompanying the typical Tuscan cookies.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Orcia Rosso, also in the Novello type, is made from Sangiovese grapes (minimum 60%) and other non-aromatic varieties, on condition that the white grapes do not exceed 10%. Orcia Bianco is made basically from Trebbiano Toscano (at least 50%) and other non-aromatic white varieties. There is also a Vin Santo type, made from Trebbiano Toscano and/or Malvasia Bianca Lunga (at least 50%). The yield per hectare must not exceed 80 quintals.
Orcia Rosso is ruby red in color, tending toward garnet when aged; the aroma is winy and fruity; flavor sapid, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Orcia Bianco is straw white in color, at times tinged with green; the aroma is fine and fruity; flavor dry and harmonic; minimum alcohol content 11% vol.
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PARRINA DOC

This is another of Tuscanys very small DOC zones, limited not only in territory but also in size of the vineyards and number of producers. The area stretches over a small strip of land in the southernmost part of the region, almost bordering on the sea, which boasts ancient winemaking traditions. Without going back to the Etruscans, although they too grew grapes here, this has been a land of conquest. Here many people have passed through, and it seems that the name of the locality from which the DOC originates comes from Spanish. Parra in Spanish means in fact grapevine, or grape pergola. While winemaking has always played a major role in this area, favored also by the maritime climate, its wines have become known and appreciated, first by the Italians and then by foreigners, only with the spread of tourism. Especially in recent years, some wineries have attempted to cross the autochthonous grape varieties with traditional Tuscan ones, to improve the quality.
Parrina DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The wines of the Parrina DOC, produced in four types (Rosso, Rosso Riserva, Rosato and Bianco), come from a limited territory in the municipality of Orbetello.
GRAPE VARIETIES
The basic variety of Parrina Bianco is Trebbiano Toscano, known in this area as Procanico (30-50%), and Ansonica and/or Chardonnay (30-50%). For the Rosso and Rosato, the regulations specify Sangiovese (70-100%). In both cases, other suitable non-aromatic black grapes (up to 30%) can be added for the red and the ros wines, white grapes (up to 20%) for the white. The yield per hectare is 100 quintals for the white and 90 for the others.
Consorzio Vino Parrina DOC Loc. La Parrina 58010 Albinia (GR) tel. +39-0564.862636 fax +39-0564.862636 e-mail: info@parrina.it Parrina Bianco: color light gold straw yellow; aroma winy, fine, fragrant, persistent; flavor dry but velvety, with a faint bitter aftertaste; minimum alcohol content 11.5% vol. Parrina Rosso: color ruby red; aroma delicate and pleasant; flavor dry, harmonic, velvety; minimum alcohol content 11.5% vol. Parrina Rosso Riserva: color ruby red tending toward garnet; aroma intense, with full, complex bouquet; flavor dry, austere; notable character; alcohol content 12% vol.
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PARRINA DOC
Parrina Rosato: color brilliant ros; aroma delicate, with elegant characteristics; flavor dry, rounded, fresh, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Parrina Rosso Riserva is subjected to compulsory ageing for at least due years, of which at least twelve months in wooden barrels and three months in the bottle, starting from November 1st of the year of vintage.
CUISINE
The white type is extremely good with appetizers, fish dishes and vegetables, but is ideal with mullet and other fish from the Orbetello lagoon. The ros type pairs well with first courses, boiled meats, bacon and eggs; the red with meats in general, pasta and bean soup, poultry but also with the roe of mullet fished in the lagoon; the Riserva with heavy roasts, game, stewed wild boar in particular, and aged cheeses such as pecorino.
Pietraviva DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The wines of this DOC come from areas dedicated to viticulture in the municipalities of Bucine, Cavriglia, Civitella Valdichiana, Montevarchi and Pergine Valdarno, all in the Province of Arezzo.
Provincia di Arezzo Via San Lorentino, 25 52100 Arezzo (AR) tel. +39-0575.3354111
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PIETRAVIVA DOC
PIETRAVIVA DOC

The area of production of the new Pietraviva DOC boasts some very special places. It is a highly interesting geographic area as regards winegrowing, inasmuch as it includes various municipalities in the Province of Arezzo that have been involved in viticulture for many years. The Pietraviva DOC owes its name to a small fortified village in the vicinity of the Commune of Bucine.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Pietraviva Bianco and Pietraviva Bianco Superiore must have 40 to 80% of Chardonnay, up to 30% of Malvasia Bianca Lunga, and up to 20% of Trebbiano Toscano. Other white grape varieties suitable for cultivation in the Region of Tuscany can be present in the vineyards up to a maximum of 30%. Pietraviva Rosso, Pietraviva Rosato, and Pietraviva Rosso Superiore are made of Sangiovese from 40 to 80%, Cabernet Sauvignon up to 30%, and Merlot up to 30%. Other black grape varieties suitable for cultivation in the Region of Tuscany can be present in the vineyards up to a maximum of 20%. Pietraviva with the indications Chardonnay, Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo Nero, Ciliegiolo, Merlot, and Sangiovese must contain at least 85% of one of the abovementioned grape varieties, and for the remainder from one or more grape varieties of the same color suitable for cultivation in Tuscany.
Pietraviva Bianco: color straw yellow; aroma fine and delicate; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Pietraviva Rosato: color ranging from ros to ruby red, without purplish reflections; aroma fine and delicate, fruity; flavor dry and harmonic, delicate; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Pietraviva Rosso: color ranging from ruby red to garnet; aroma intensely winy; flavor full and harmonic; alcohol content 12% vol. Pietraviva Bianco Superiore: color straw yellow, even intense; aroma fine and delicate; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 12.5% vol.
Pietraviva Rosso Superiore: color ranging from ruby red to deep garnet; aroma intensely winy; flavor full and harmonic; alcohol content 12.5% vol. Pietraviva Chardonnay: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma fine, delicate, characteristic; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Pietraviva Malvasia Bianca Lunga: color more or less intense straw yellow; aroma fine and delicate, characteristic; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Pietraviva Carbernet Sauvignon: color deep red; aroma winy, characteristic, complex; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 12% vol. Pietraviva Canaiolo Nero: color more or less intense ruby red; aroma winy and characteristic; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Pietraviva Ciliegiolo: color deep ruby red; aroma intense, winy, characteristic; flavor full, dry and harmonic; alcohol content 12% vol. Pietraviva Merlot: color deep ruby red; aroma intense, winy and characteristic; flavor dry, full and harmonic; alcohol content 12% vol. Pietraviva Sangiovese: color ruby red, tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma winy, characteristic; flavor dry, full and harmonic; alcohol content 12% vol.
CUISINE
A good red can be served with Valdarno chicken, best when cooked on a brick in the Tuscan manner. Pietraviva Cabernet Sauvignon can accompany a Chianina steak. Merlot is good with mushrooms and truffles, which grow wild in this area.
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POMINO DOC

One of the smallest DOC areas is also one of the best known internationally, thanks to the top quality of its wines, now offering ten types after recent changes in the production regulations. For the white and red types, there is also a Riserva. The high quality of these wines derives from a terrain that is perfect for viticulture and a high-hills environment that favours a predisposition to ageing. Already by the 18th century the area was considered one of the best in Tuscany.
Pomino DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The DOC area is limited to the locality of Pomino in the municipality of Rufina, in the Province of Florence.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Pomino Bianco: Pinot Bianco and/or Pinot Grigio and/or Chardonnay (70-100%), other white grape varieties (up to 30%). Pomino Bianco Vendemmia Tardiva: Pinot Bianco and/or Pinot Grigio and/or Chardonnay (70-100%), other white grapes (up to 30%). Pomino Vin Santo: Pinot Bianco and/or Pinot Grigio and/or Chardonnay (70-100%), other suitable white grapes (up to 30%). Pomino Rosso: Sangiovese (minimum 50%), Pinot Nero and/or Merlot (maximum 50%), other suitable red grapes (up to 25%). Pomino Rosso Vendemmia Tardiva: Sangiovese (minimum 50%), Pinot Nero and/or Merlot (maximum 50%), other suitable red grapes (up to 25%). Pomino Vin Santo Rosso: Sangiovese (minimum 50%), Pinot Nero and/or Merlot (maximum 50%), other red grapes (up to 25%). Pomino Pinot Nero: Pinot Nero (from 85 to 100%), other suitable red grapes (up to 15%). Pomino Merlot: Merlot (from 85 to 100%), other suitable red grape varieties (up to 15%). Pomino Chardonnay: Chardonnay (from 85 to 100%), other suitable white grapes (up to 15%). Pomino Sauvignon: Sauvignon (from 85 to 100%), other suitable white grapes (up to 15%). The yield per hectare cannot exceed 90 quintals of grapes.
Fattoria di Pomino Via Santo Spirito, 11 50125 Firenze (FI) tel. +39-055.2381400 fax +39-055.211527 e-mail: manuela.papucci@frescobaldi.it
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POMINO DOC
Pomino Bianco: color light straw yellow with greenish reflections; aroma delicate, fruity, pleasant; flavor harmonic, dry with slightly bitter aftertaste; minimum 11% vol., 12% vol. for the Riserva. Pomino Bianco Vendemmia Tardiva: color from deep straw yellow to amber; aroma ethereal intense; flavor harmonic and velvety; minimum 12% vol. Pomino Bianco Vin Santo: from straw yellow to deep amber, aroma ethereal, intense; flavor harmonic, velvety, characteristic; minimum 15.5% vol. of which at least 14.5% vol. fully developed. Pomino Rosso: color bright ruby red with more or less intense garnet tinge; aroma winy, intense and characteristic; flavor: dry, harmonic, robust, slightly tannic in the young wines; minimum 12% vol., 12.5% vol. for the Riserva. Pomino Rosso Vendemmia Tardiva: color more or less intense ruby red verging on garnet; aroma ethereal, intense; flavor harmonic and velvety; minimum 12% vol. Pomino Vin Santo Rosso: color more or less intense garnet; aroma ethereal, intense; flavor harmonic, velvety, characteristic; minimum 15.5% vol. of which at least 14.5% vol. fully developed Pomino Pinot Nero: bright ruby red, with various garnet tones; aroma winy, intense and characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic, robust, slightly tannic in the young wines; minimum 12% vol. Pomino Merlot: bright ruby red, with more or less intense garnet tinge; aroma winy, intense and characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic, robust, slightly tannic in the young wines; minimum 12% vol. Pomino Chardonnay: color light straw yellow with greenish reflections; aroma delicate, fruity, pleasant; flavor: harmonic, dry with slightly bitter aftertaste; minimum 12% vol. Pomino Sauvignon: color light straw yellow with greenish reflections; aroma delicate, fruity, pleasant; flavor: harmonic, dry with slightly bitter aftertaste; minimum 11% vol.
Rosso di Montalcino DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The same as that of Brunello, namely the territory of the municipality of Montalcino, with the exception of deep valleys.
CUISINE
The various types of white wine are good with appetizers and fish dishes; the reds with roast meats and game, as well as poultry and seasoned cheeses. The Vin Santo is ideal with pastry, but also with chestnut-flavoured ice cream.
Consorzio Vino Rosso di Montalcino Costa del Municipio, 1 53024 Montalcino (SI) tel. +39-0577.848246 fax +39-0577.849425 e-mail: consbrun@tin.it
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ROSSO DI MONTALCINO DOC
ROSSO DI MONTALCINO DOC
GRAPE VARIETIES
Sangiovese 100%, with a yield of 90 quintals of grapes per hectare. As no period of maturing in wooden barrels is required for this wine, Rosso di Montalcino can be released for sale starting from September 1st of the year after harvesting.
Rosso di Montalcino is a full-bodied, structured wine that must present the following characteristics upon being released for sale: color deep ruby red; aroma characteristic and intense; flavor dry, warm, slightly tannic; minimum alcohol content 12% vol.
CUISINE
A land of great red wines, Montalcino offers the connoisseur another of its jewels, the Rosso DOC, a wine coming from the same vineyards as Brunello but which is released on the market without the traditional ageing of its big brother. It is, however, a product of high prestige whose quality level has improved even more after the granting of the DOC in 1983. Rosso di Montalcino must also be credited with having opened the way in Italy to the so-called cascade appellations, where from a single vineyard, several different DOC wines can be produced. The wineries can choose, in fact, either at the time of vintage, or prior to it or during the course of ageing, the grapes destined to become Brunello, or whether the grapes or the wine should be used to produce or bottle Rosso di Montalcino. This is a choice that the producers have in fact capitalized on, considering that this DOC absorbs 40% of the production based on Sangiovese Grosso. Previous page: Aromatic old wine, miniature from the 14th century. Page 118, The month of October, detail of fresco in the Castello del Buonconsiglio at Trento. Rosso di Montalcino is a perfect companion to hearty first courses, sauces, poultry, roasts and pecorino cheese. It is excellent with wild boar, as well as with the famous bistecca alla fiorentina.
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ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO DOC

For its splendid palaces, its monuments and the lovely surrounding countryside, Montepulciano has been justly called the pearl of the 16th century. Within this refined and noble setting (which is as noble as its most ancient and prestigious wine) only wines of top quality could originate. One of these is Rosso di Montepulciano, fruit of an important viticulture tradition that could not be limited to Vino Nobile alone. The need to produce a greater quantity of wine has thus convinced the local wineries to recur to that new Italian phenomenon known as cascade appellation, in which a single vineyard is allowed to produce wine of several types, wherever the geographical and climatic conditions allow it. This experiment has already yielded good results, sure to become even better when more wineries decide to utilise this important DOC.
Rosso di Montepulciano DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Rosso di Montepulciano is produced within the territory of the municipality of Montepulciano, with the exclusion of deep valleys.
Consorzio del Vino Rosso di Montepulciano Via delle Case Nuove, 15 53045 Montepulciano (SI) tel. +39-0578.757812 fax +39-0578.758213 e-mail: nobile@bccmp.com
GRAPE VARIETIES
The varietal composition calls for Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile from 70 to 100%) as the basic grape, with the possible addition of Canaiolo Nero (up to 20%). Other varieties, up to 20%, can be added on condition that the content of white grapes does not exceed 10%. Aromatic grapes are excluded, with the exception of Malvasia del Chianti. The yield per hectare is 100 quintals.
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ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO DOC
Upon being released for consumption, Rosso di Montepulciano must possess the following characteristics: color ruby red; aroma intensely winy; flavor dry, persistent, slightly tannic; minimum alcohol content 11.5% vol. Giotto, The Wedding at Cana, detail from the frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. At right, a 19th-century still life by the English artist Edward Ladell.
CUISINE
Indicated for the whole meal, but above all for first courses of pasta with meat sauce (such as pici, the traditional handmade spaghetti of Montepulciano, and of much of the Siena territory) and of course paired with white and red meats, including game, as well as bistecca alla fiorentina.
San Gimignano DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The entire territory of the municipality of San Gimignano (Province of Siena).
Consorzio della Denominazione San Gimignano Villa della Rocca 53037 San Gimignano (SI) tel. +39-0577.940108 fax +39-0577.942088 e-mail: vernaccia@iol.it
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SAN GIMIGNANO DOC
SAN GIMIGNANO DOC

In the territory of San Gimignano, along with Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG, San Gimignano DOC wines are produced in various types: Rosso, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Nero, Vin Santo and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice, as well as Sangiovese Rosso and Rosato. The regulations for this DOC, granted in 1996, were amended in 2003. This area is ideal for winegrowing, due to its geological and climatic conditions and its highly professional producers. Winemaking is the most important industry in the zone. Linked to wine production are cultural aspects that make it one of the most fascinating localities in Tuscany. Of these wines, ancient memories exist (the red wine produced here was once called black wine by the local farmers). Over three million tourists each year contribute to the flourishing local wine market.
suitable white grapes up to a maximum of 10%. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese (from 50 to 100%), other suitable grapes (up to a maximum of 50%). The maximum yield of grapes per hectare must not exceed 80 quintals (100 for the Vin Santo types).
Rosso: color more or less intense ruby red tinged with violet, tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma winy, delicate; flavor dry, harmonic, full-bodied, pleasantly tannic; 12.5% vol. Sangiovese: color more or less intense ruby red, with garnet reflections after long ageing; aroma winy, intense and elegant; flavor dry and harmonic; minimum alcohol content 12.5% vol. Cabernet Sauvignon: color deep ruby red, with garnet reflections after ageing; aroma intense, characteristic, spicy; flavor full and harmonic, dry; minimum alcohol content 12.5% vol. Merlot: color deep ruby red, tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma winy with scent of berries; flavor dry, harmonic and full; minimum 12.5% vol. Syrah: color vermillion red; aroma characteristic, elegant, with a hint of wild berries; flavor dry and harmonic; minimum alcohol content: 12.5% vol. Pinot Nero: color ruby red; aroma intense, winy with possible citrus fruit tones; flavor dry, full, characteristic, 12.5% vol. Vin Santo: color ranging from bright yellow to golden; aroma ethereal, intense, characteristic; flavor ranging from dry to amabile, harmonic, velvety, persistent; minimum alcohol content 16.5% vol. of which at least 14.5% vol. fully developed. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: color ranging from deep to pale pink; aroma delicate, warm, characteristic; flavor soft, rounded, velvety; minimum alcohol content 16.5% vol. of which at least 14.5% vol. fully developed.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Rosso: Sangiovese (from 70 to 100%), Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot, Syrah and/or Pinot Nero (up to 20%), other suitable nonaromatic red grapes up to 15%. Sangiovese: Sangiovese (from 85 to 100%), other suitable non-aromatic red grapes up to 15%. Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Sauvignon (from 85 to 100%), other suitable non-aromatic red grapes up to 15%. Merlot: Merlot (from 85 to 100%), other suitable non-aromatic red grapes up to 15%. Syrah: Syrah (from 85 to 100%), other suitable non-aromatic red grapes up to 15%. Pinot Nero: Pinot Nero (from 85 to 100%), other suitable non-aromatic red grapes up to 15%. Vin Santo: Trebbiano Toscano (from 30 to 100%), Malvasia del Chianti (up to 50%), Vernaccia di San Gimignano (up to 20%), other
CUISINE
These wines are an excellent accompaniment to aged cheeses, game in general, grilled or barbequed red meat, and roasts. Cakes and pastries are ideal combined with the Vin Santo.
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SANTANTIMO DOC

The appellation is named for one of the symbolic monuments of the Montalcino area, the Romanesque Abbey of SantAntimo. Built in the 12th century at the foot of the hill of Castelnuovo dellAbate, and still today standing solitary in the valley surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees, it is shrouded in the mystical aura of the past. The DOC was requested by the wineries to enhance and promote all of those quality wines, which, although not falling within the existing appellations, have now become highly esteemed on the market.
SantAntimo DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The same as the other Montalcino wines, except for a small portion of the municipal territory to the northeast.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Rosso and Bianco: grape varieties bearing red grapes and white ones respectively, suitable for cultivation in Tuscany. The Rosso can assume the qualification Novello. Specifications Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot: the corresponding grape varieties (at least 85%), other grapes (up to 15%). Vin Santo: Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Bianca, alone or in combination (minimum 70%); other grape varieties up to 30%. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese (50-70%), Malvasia Nera (30-50%), other red grape varieties up to 30%. For the last two, there is a Riserva qualification. The yield is 90 quintals per hectare, except for Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Nero and Merlot (80 quintals per hectare).
SantAntimo DOC Costa del Municipio, 1 53024 Montalcino (SI) tel. +39-0577.848246 fax +39-0577.849425 e-mail: consbrun@tin.it
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Rosso: color ruby red, tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma winy, pleasant; flavor sapid, harmonic, at times austere; 12% vol. Bianco: color straw yellow; aroma delicate, pleasant; flavor dry, full, harmonic; 11.5% vol. Vin Santo and Vin Santo Riserva: color ranging from golden straw to deep amber; aroma ethereal intense, characteristic; flavor harmonic, velvety, more rounded in the amabile type; 16% vol. Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice Riserva: color ranging from deep pink to pale pink; aroma warm, intense; flavor mellow, soft, velvety, rounded; 16% vol. Chardonnay: color straw yellow; aroma delicate, pleasant, characteristic; flavor dry, full, harmonic; 11.5% vol. Sauvignon: color straw yellow; aroma delicate, characteristic, intense; flavor dry, harmonic, slightly acidulous; 11.5% vol. Pinot Grigio: color straw yellow; aroma delicate, floral, characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic; 11.5% vol. Cabernet Sauvignon: color deep ruby red; aroma characteristic, intense; flavor full, velvety, pleasantly tannic; 12% vol. Merlot: color deep ruby red; aroma characteristic, intense; flavor full, velvety, with fruity tones; 12% vol. Pinot Nero: color light ruby red; aroma characteristic, marked, at times with a hint of strawberries; flavor dry, velvety; 12% vol. Novello: color ruby red tinged with violet; aroma fruity, fresh, with a hint of newly pressed grapes; flavor light, pleasant, winy; 11% vol.
Sovana DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The area of production of the Sovana DOC coincides mainly with that of Bianco di Pitigliano, involving the territory of the municipalities of Pitigliano, Sorano and part of Manciano up to the border with the Morellino di Scansano DOC. Colli Meridionali della Maremma Tuscany Consorzio dei vini DOC Via Marsala, 73 58014 Manciano (GR) tel. +39-0564.620532 e-mail: cmmaremma@libero.it
CUISINE
Ample selection of dishes: red meats and cheeses for the red wines; fish, soups and appetizers for the whites. Cold cuts, crostini and pasta with meat sauce for the Novello. Cakes, pastry and other desserts for the Vin Santo. The reds can also be paired with omelettes, stuffed zucchini flowers, roast kid, and with first courses consisting of pasta with meat sauce (including the famous pici, thick handmade spaghetti typical of the Siena territory).
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SOVANA DOC
SOVANA DOC

In the territory where the famous Bianco di Pitigliano is produced, with the awarding of the Sovana DOC in 1999, just recognition has been given to the high quality of the red wines historically known in this land since the time of the Etruscans, whose presence still hovers in the air, conferring on this area its unique fascination. In one of Tuscanys most beautiful environments, distinguished by deep vie cave (paths through canyons) and historic wine cellars dug out of the tufo rock and winding under the towns (Pitigliano and Sorano in particular), the Sovana DOC enhances the black grape varieties traditionally grown here, such as Sangiovese and Aleatico, to which are added varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. And through the vie cave we can reach the Etruscan town of Sovana, situated at the heart of the tufo park, which lends its name to the DOC, where in 1025 was born An Etruscan wine jar. Ildebrando di Sovana, the future Pope On the preceding Gregory VII, and where illustrious famipages: pressing grapes in a Roman mosaic lies such as the Aldobrandeschi, the Orsiand frescoes in the ni and the Medici ruled. Fascination, hisAbbey of Monte tory and quality are thus the ingredients Oliveto Maggiore. of this DOC, which by combining modern Page 130, detail from technology with ancient winemaking trathe Works of Charity, dition is rapidly emerging on the market. school of Ghirlandaio, 15th century.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, in addition to Sangiovese. In this case, they assume the qualification of one of the aforesaid varieties. Wines with specification of the variety subjected to ageing in wooden barrels for at least 24 months and fining in the bottle of at least six months can assume the Riserva qualification. The production per hectare is 110 quintals for the Rosso and the Rosato and 90 for the Superiore.
Sovana Rosso: color ruby red with violet reflections; aroma winy; flavor harmonic and balanced; minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Sovana Rosso Superiore and Sovana Rosso Riserva: color deep red, tending toward garnet with ageing, assuming particular tastes and aromas depending on the grape variety utilised; minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Sovana Rosato: color ros tinged with ruby red; aroma winy, delicate, con intense fruity tones; flavor harmonic, slightly acidulous; alcohol content 11% vol.
CUISINE
Sovana Rosso is a perfect accompaniment to the typical cuisine of the territory, from soups, including bean and pasta soup, to tortello maremmano (Maremma filled pasta), to game dishes for the Superiore, and buglione di agnello (a local lamb dish) for the Riserva. Special mention should go to the pairing of Aleatico with the sfratto (eviction), a typical sweet recalling the history of the Jews in Pitigliano and the neighboring villages. Still existing at Pitigliano is the Jewish quarter from which, in one of the many pogroms, the Jews were evicted, an event commemorated in the name of this sweet.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Sovana Rosso, Rosato and Rosso Superiore: Sangiovese represents the basic variety (at least 50%); the remaining 50% can be made up of non-aromatic black grapes. The Sovana Rosso Superiore wines contain a minimum 85% of important varieties such as Aleatico,
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TERRATICO DI BIBBONA DOC

This is one of the most beautiful Tuscan coastlines, with vineyards, olive groves and Mediterranean maquis sloping down to sandy beaches, in the Province of Livorno. In 1549 the Commune of Bibbona granted the lands in perpetual rental to Duchess Eleonora di Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I de Medici, but the men of Bibbona retained the right to cultivate those lands upon payment of the terratico (land rent paid in kind). This is the origin of the name of this new, very recent appellation, instituted in June 2006. This new DOC will allow important wineries to boast the denominazione dorigine controllata.
Terratico di Bibbona DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The Terratico di Bibbona DOC is granted to the wines produced in the municipalities of Rosignano Marittimo, Cecina, Bibbona and Collesalvetti, all in the Province of Livorno.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Terratico Bianco is made from Vermentino (minimum 50%, maximum 100%); other non-aromatic white grapes, suitable for cultivation in the Tuscan region, can be added, either alone or in combination up to a maximum of 50%. Terratico Rosso, Rosso Superiore and Rosato must contain Sangiovese (minimum 35%) and Merlot (minimum 35%). other non-aromatic black grapes, suitable for cultivation in the Tuscan region, can be added, either alone or in combination up to a maximum of 30%. The Terratico di Bibbona DOC wines with the specifications: Trebbiano, Vermentino, Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah must contain the relevant grape varieties, for at least 85%. Other non-aromatic grapes of the same color as that of the varieties specified on the labels can be added, up to a maximum of 15%. Yields range from a minimum of 80 to a maximum of 100 quintals per hectare.
Province of Livorno Via SantAnna 57123 Livorno (LI) tel. +39-0586.2571111
Terratico di Bibbona Bianco: color straw yellow; aroma fine and delicate; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11% vol.. Terratico di Bibbona Rosato: color ros without violet reflections; aroma fine and delicate, fruity; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11.5% vol.
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Terratico di Bibbona Rosso: color ruby red; aroma intensely winy; flavor full and harmonic; alcohol content 12.5% vol. Terratico di Bibbona Rosso Superiore: color deep ruby red tending toward garnet with ageing; aroma ample, winy and elegant, characteristic; flavor full, dry, warm and elegant, with possible woody tones; alcohol content 13% vol. Terratico di Bibbona Trebbiano: color straw yellow; aroma fine, delicate; flavor dry, harmonic; alcohol content 11% vol. Terratico di Bibbona Vermentino: color straw yellow; aroma delicate, fine, fruity; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 11.5% vol. Terratico di Bibbona Cabernet Sauvignon: color ranging from ruby red to garnet; aroma intense, characteristic and spicy; flavor full and harmonic, dry; alcohol content 12.5% vol. Terratico di Bibbona Merlot: color bright garnet red at times with violet reflections, tending toward brick red with ageing; scent of berries, intense; flavor dry, harmonic and full; alcohol content 12.5% vol. Terratico di Bibbona Sangiovese: color ruby red, tending toward red-orange with ageing; aroma winy, intense and elegant; flavor dry and harmonic; alcohol content 12.5% vol. Terratico di Bibbona Syrah: color ranging from ruby red to garnet red, tending toward brick red with ageing; aroma intense, spicy, with scent of berries; flavor dry, harmonic, full; alcohol content 12.5% vol.
Terre di Casole DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The area is limited to the territory of the municipality of Casole dElsa alone. But the operations of vinification and bottling, as well as ageing, can also be carried out in the municipalities of Colle val dElsa, Monteriggioni, Poggibonsi, Radicondoli, and San Gimignano, all of them bordering on Casole and situated in the Province of Siena. Consorzio Terre di Casole DOC c/o Studio di Agronomia Baffetti tel. +39-0577.046459 fax +39-0577.0225372 e-mail: baffetti@agrobaffetti.it Commune of Casole dElsa Piazza Luchetti, 1 530313 Casole dElsa (SI) tel. +39-0577.949728 e-mail: attivita_economiche@casole.it;
CUISINE
With such a vast range of grape varieties employed, there exists no dish that cannot be paired with Terratico. They are undoubtedly wines that adapt to all of the main meat and fish dishes of this part of Tuscany: from bistecca alla fiorentina to cacciucco alla livornese.
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TERRE DI CASOLE DOC
TERRE DI CASOLE DOC

The Terre di Casole DOC is the latest arrival among those of Tuscany. It comes from the wines produced at Casole dElsa, among the most beautiful towns and territories in the Province of Siena, not far from the towers of San Gimignano and the glassworks of Colle val dElsa. Here we are practically at the source of the Elsa River, which then runs down the valley to empty into the Arno in the vicinity of Empoli. Overlooking the vineyards is the ancient town of Casole, one of the most fascinating and best preserved in the valley.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Terre di Casole Bianco, also in the Riserva qualification, calls for a minimum 50% of Chardonnay grapes. The rest of the blend can consist of non-aromatic white grapes coming from other varieties suitable for cultivation in the region. Terre di Casole Rosso, also in the Superiore type, calls for a minimum of Sangiovese grapes ranging from 60% to 80%. The rest of the formula, from 20 to 40%, can consist of non-aromatic red grapes coming from other varieties suitable for cultivation in the region. Terre di Casole Sangiovese and Sangiovese Riserva must be made from Sangiovese grapes for a minimum of 85%, with the rest consisting of non-aromatic red grapes. Terre di Casole Passito is made of Chardonnay grapes for at least 50%, the rest consisting of non-aromatic white grapes.
Terre di Casole Rosso: color ranging from ruby red to garnet. Aroma intense, flavor dry and harmonic. Minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Terre di Casole Rosso Superiore: color bright red with violet reflections that tend toward garnet with ageing. The aroma is intense, with a scent of berries, and the flavor is dry, full. Minimum alcohol content 12.5% vol. Terre di Casole Sangiovese: color ranging from red to garnet with intense, characteristic aroma; flavor full and harmonic, dry. Minimum alcohol content 12% vol. Terre di Casole Sangiovese Riserva: color red with violet reflections, tending toward garnet with ageing. The aroma is intense, characteristic, at times with a scent of berries, spicy. The flavor is full and harmonic. Minimum alcohol content 12.5% vol. Terre di Casole Passito: color ranging from golden yellow to deep yellow. Rich ripe fruit aroma. Minimum alcohol content 15% vol.
CUISINE
The whites are excellent as aperitifs, with light appetizers, fish and delicate dishes. Terre di Casole Riserva can also be paired with soups, especially bean soups and bread soups such as pappa col pomodoro. The reds go well with red meats, game, pigeon in particular but also wild boar or partridge. Terre di Casole Passito is well suited to cheeses but also to foie gras dishes, and as a meditation wine.
Terre di Casole Bianco: color straw yellow, with fruity aroma and dry flavor. Minimum alcohol content 11% vol. Terre di Casole Bianco Riserva: color straw yellow with intense, highly characteristic aroma. Taste dry and harmonic. Minimum alcohol content 11% vol.
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VAL DARBIA DOC

It has been called the modern vine with an ancient tradition, and while it is true that Bianco Val dArbia is a product of our own times, produced through up-to-date techniques of vinification and preservation, it is also true that the origin of this wine is to be found in what was once white Chianti. Most of the territory of this DOC extends in fact over the slopes of both Chianti Classico and those of the so-called Chianti Senese. A name and an environment, Val dArbia, with a wealth of historical significance. This was the tragic site of the battle of 1260, mentioned by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy, where the Sienese Ghibellines defeated the Florentine Guelphs in such a bloody battle that the waters of the Arbia stream were dyed red. Today we can say that the battle theater consists of the vineyards and wineries where competent producers, each interpreting his wine in his one way, confront one another, this time in friendship. On one side remain those faithful only to the traditional grapes, on the other those who combine them with the so-called noble varietals.
Val dArbia DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
This is a vast territory, with a wide variety of soil types and microclimates. It includes the municipalities of Siena (as a whole), Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Monteriggioni, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Sovicille, Asciano, Monteroni dArbia, Murlo and Buonconvento. Consorzio Vino Bianco Val dArbia c/o Province of Siena Assessorato Agricoltura Via Massetana, 106 53100 Siena (SI) tel. +39-0577.241111 fax +39-0577.241601 e-mail: bucelli@provincia.siena.it
GRAPE VARIETIES
Val dArbia is produced from the varieties Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia del Chianti (70-90%) and Chardonnay (10-30%). Other non-aromatic white grapes may be added (up to a maximum del 15%). The maximum yield is 110 quintals per hectare. There is also a Val dArbia Vin Santo, sweet, dry or demi-sec,
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VAL DARBIA DOC
which is made of the same grapes according to traditional methods and aged in the small barrels called caratelli for at least three years.
Val dArbia is pale straw yellow in color with greenish reflections; aroma delicate, fine, fruity; flavor dry, fresh, harmonic; minimum alcohol content 10.5% vol. The Vin Santo has a color ranging from straw yellow to more or less deep amber; aroma intense, ethereal, characteristic; flavor ranging from dry to sweet, harmonic, mellow, with a characteristic bitter aftertaste; minimum alcohol content 17% vol.
CUISINE
Fresh, fine and lively, Val dArbia is excellent served as aperitif. It is also good with soups and vegetables, fish and white meat; with chicken stew is another good combination. The Vin Santo amabile pairs well with Senese pastry, starting with panforte (hard candied fruit cake) and continuing with ricciarelli (almond cake), while the dry type is suitable also as a meditation wine.
Valdichiana DOC
AREA OF PRODUCTION
The Valdichiana wines are produced over a vast territory that includes, in part, the municipalities of Arezzo, Castiglion Fiorentino, Cortona, Foiano della Chiana, Marciano, Monte San Savino, Civitella, Sinalunga, Torrita di Siena, Chiusi, Montepulciano and Lucignano. Different soils and climates give origin to wines of varying characteristics. Consorzio Vini Valdichiana Viale Giotto, 4 52100 Arezzo (AR) tel. +39-0575.27229 fax +39-0575.27229 e-mail: vinivaldichianadoc@virgilio.it
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VALDICHIANA DOC
VALDICHIANA DOC

In Etruscan times this area was known as the granary of Etruria, but its hillsides were already dotted with vineyards. At a later time Pliny the Elder described the excellence of these wines: Talpone (red) and Ethesiaca (white). Wine production orbited around the major Etruscan centres of the Valdichiana, from Arezzo to Montepulciano, and was practised on the slopes around them. The importance of this economic activity is confirmed more than once in the documents of the Bishopric of Arezzo, which record parish churches with ample land planted to grapevines, so that the ministers of the cult do not live in poverty. In the 19th century the merchants of Burgundy and Champagne utilised the white wines of Valdichiana as sparkling wines after the Phyloxera had destroyed the vineyards in these French regions. The winemaking tradition has been enriched and promoted in recent years with the DOC, first as Bianco Vergine and then as Valdichiana, for the white as well as the red and ros types. Valdichiana is famous also as the homeland of Italys most famous breed of cattle, from which come the finest Florentine steaks.
Bianco or Bianco Vergine: color straw yellow, also with greenish reflections; aroma neutral, characteristic, rich in delicate, pleasant scent; flavor dry, also with slight aftertaste of bitter almonds; alcohol content 10% vol. (11% vol. for the sparkling type). A naturally sparking type, slightly amabile in flavour, is also produced. Chardonnay: color straw yellow tinged with green; aroma delicate, characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic, mellow; alcohol content 10.5% vol. Grechetto: color straw yellow with greenish reflections; aroma delicate, characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic, sapid; alcohol content 10.5% vol. Rosso: color brilliant ruby red, verging on garnet with ageing; aroma winy, fruity, fragrant, fresh when consumed young; alcohol content 11% vol. Rosato: color more or less deep pink; aroma winy, fresh, fragrant; flavor harmonic, fresh; alcohol content 10.5% vol. Sangiovese: color brilliant ruby red, verging on garnet; aroma winy, fruity, fragrant; flavor sapid, lively, harmonic; alcohol content 11% vol. Vin Santo and Vin Santo Riserva: color ranging from straw yellow, to amber, to brown; aroma ethereal, warm, characteristic; flavor harmonic, velvety from dry to amabile; alcohol content 15% vol.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Bianco or Bianco Vergine: Trebbiano Toscano (minimum 20%); Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Grechetto, Pinot Grigio either alone or in combination (up to 80%); other non-aromatic white grapes can be used in producing this wine up to a maximum of 15%. Rosso and Rosato: Sangiovese (minimum 50%); Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah either alone or in combination (maximum 50%); other non-aromatic grapes may be used in producing this wine up to a maximum of 15%. The specifications Chardonnay, Grechetto and Sangiovese are also produced, when at least 85% of the grapes come from the variety of the same name. Vin Santo and Vin Santo Riserva (dry and amabile): Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Bianca either alone or in combination (minimum 50%); other non-aromatic white grapes up to a maximum of 50%.
CUISINE
The white wines, for their freshness and liveliness, are excellent served as an aperitif. They pair well with soups and boiled poultry, goose in particular, and with the soups made from the broth, as was once customary on the tables of the Valdichiana farmers, on the occasion of the great agricultural operations of summer. They are particularly good with appetizers, suitable with all cooked vegetables, and are magnificent with all fish dishes. The reds are a good accompaniment to roasted white meats, grilled dishes, all red meats and roasts, game, aged and spicy cheeses. The Vin Santo is excellent as a dessert wine.
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VAL DI CORNIA DOC

Splendid landscapes, medieval villages, churches and castles, hills where the Romans planted grapevines. Already by the mid 19th-century the Val di Cornia was called rich in vineyards, olive groves and well-cultivated fields. The evolution in its wines began in the Nineties. Careful selection of grapes and expert work in the wineries have assured high quality. Originally the DOC included red (also Riserva), ros and white wines. The latest modifications have introduced numerous single-varietal types and the Suvereto sub-area, where red wine, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon are Sangiovese are produced.
Val di Cornia DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The grapes used to produce the wines of Val di Cornia grow in the municipalities of Suvereto, Sassetta, Piombino, San Vincenzo, Campiglia Marittima and Monteverdi Marittimo. The Suvereto sub-area lies within the borders of the municipality of Suvereto. Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini DOC Val di Cornia c/o Cevalco SpA Via della Fiera, 3 57029 Venturina (LI) tel. +39-0565.852210 fax +39-0565.852266 e-mail: cevalco@etruscan.li.it
GRAPE VARIETIES
Val di Cornia Rosso (including Riserva and Superiore) and Rosato are made from Sangiovese (minimum 50%), Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot (maximum 50%), with the possible addition of other red grapes (maximum 20%). The types include Cabernet Sauvignon (also Riserva and Superiore), Ciliegiolo, Merlot (also Riserva and Superiore) and Sangiovese (also Riserva and Superiore) when the variety of the same name is present for at least 85%. Val di Cornia Bianco: Trebbiano Toscano (minimum 50%), Vermentino Bianco (up to 50%), other white grapes up to 20%. Vermentino and Ansonica are also produced, when the relevant grape varieties account for at least 85%. The DOC also includes Aleatico Passito (Aleatico 100%) and Ansonica Passito (Ansonica 100%). The Suvereto sub-area wine is made of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the possible addition of other non-aromatic red grapes (max 10%). When the Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties are present for at least 85%, and non-aromatic red grapes up to 15%, the respective specifications are produced. The yield per hectare ranges from 60 quintals for Val di Cornia
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VAL DI CORNIA DOC
Aleatico Passito to 70 for Val di Cornia Ansonica Passito and from 100 for red and ros wines to 120 for Val di Cornia Bianco.
Val di Cornia Bianco: color brilliant, limpid straw yellow; aroma delicate, more or less fruity; flavor dry, fresh; 11% vol. Val di Cornia Ansonica: color brilliant straw yellow; aroma intense, characteristic; flavor dry, harmonic; 11.5% vol. Val di Cornia Rosato: color ros, pale ros, brilliant and limpid; aroma winy, delicate, more or less fruity; flavor dry, fresh and pleasant; 11% vol. Val di Cornia Rosso: color ruby red of good intensity, brilliant, limpid; aroma winy, delicate; flavor dry, velvety, harmonic, well-bodied; 12% vol. Val di Cornia Ciliegiolo: color ruby red; aroma winy, delicate; flavor dry, velvety, harmonic, well-bodied; 12% vol. Val di Cornia Merlot, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon: color ruby red tending toward garnet with ageing, brilliant, limpid; aroma winy, delicate; flavor dry, velvety, harmonic, well-bodied; 12% vol. Val di Cornia Aleatico Passito: color deep ruby red, brilliant, limpid; aroma intense, winy; flavor slightly sweet, full-bodied; 16% vol. Val di Cornia Ansonica Passito: color deep straw yellow, brilliant, limpid; aroma characteristic intense; flavor amabile; 17% vol. Val di Cornia Suvereto: color ruby red, even deep, brilliant, limpid; aroma winy, delicate; flavor dry, harmonic, well-bodied; 12.5% vol. Val di Cornia Suvereto Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese: color deep ruby red or garnet, also brilliant in the Sangiovese; aroma delicate and characteristic in the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Sangiovese; flavor dry, harmonic, well-bodied in the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Sangiovese; 12.5% vol.
Vin Santo del Chianti DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The area of production of Vin Santo del Chianti DOC coincides with that of the Chianti DOCG.
CUISINE
The reds adapt to meat dishes and game in general, as well as to cheeses. The ros is excellent with the whole meal, or with pasta dishes, eggs and souffls; the white with soup, boiled fish, and boiled meats. The dessert wines pair with a vast assortment of sweets; the Passito is best with soft desserts and puddings.
Consorzio Vino Chianti Viale Belfiore, 9 50144 Firenze (FI) tel. +39-055.333600 fax +39-055.333601 e-mail: c.chianti@chiantisuperiore.it
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VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI DOC
VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI DOC

In Tuscan winemaking, Vin Santo has occupied an important place and enjoyed high status since the Middle Ages. Many explanations for the name have been given. A Sienese legend tells of a monk who in 1348 distributed the wine used by his fellow monks to celebrate Mass to the sick, who were restored to health after drinking it, giving rise to the belief that it was a miraculous, or santo, wine. When in 1349, on the occasion of the Ecumenical Council held in Florence, the Greek patriarch Bessarione drank vin pretto (pure wine), he exclaimed, This is Xantos wine!, probably alluding to the famous Greek Passito of Thrace. His fellow diners thought he had found such virtues in that wine as to proclaim it santo, or holy, and since then vin pretto has been known as Vin Santo. Lastly, the name santo may derive from the fact that it has always been used in celebrating Mass. Recognition of the Vin Santo del Chianti DOC (August 1997) marked an important stage in the promotion of a product so traditional to Tuscan winemaking. Vin Santo del Chianti can be supplemented by the specifications Occhio di Pernice and Riserva.
vety dry or more rounded for the abboccato, amabile, and sweet types. The minimum alcohol content is 15.5% vol. (16% vol. for the relevant sub-areas), of which, for the dry type, a maximum of 3% vol. still to be developed and for the amabile type a minimum of 3% vol. still to be developed. For the Occhio di Pernice type, the color ranges from deep pink to pale pink; the aroma is warm, intense, and the flavor amabile or sweet, mellow, velvety, rounded; alcohol content is 16.5% vol. (17% vol. for the relevant sub-areas), of which at least 14% vol. fully developed.
CUISINE
In line with tradition, Vin Santo pairs with and enhances dry pastry, pies in general and the sweets of Siena in particular. It is delicious with Prato cookies, which are quite different from the Tuscan cantucci produced on a larger scale. Vin Santo can also be served with other courses: the abboccato type is good with fresh marzolino cheese, the dry type with raveggiolo. When very dry, it is delicious with chicken liver pt.
GRAPE VARIETIES
The varieties include Trebbiano Toscano and/or Malvasia (minimum 70%) with the possible addition of complementary white and red grapes. The Occhio di Pernice type instead, is made of Sangiovese (minimum 50%) and possible complementary white and red grapes (not over 50%). The maximum yield of grapes per hectare is 110 quintals, lowered to 100 for the additional and geographic Chianti specifications, which can be utilized for the Vin Santo del Chianti and Vin Santo del Chianti Occhio di Pernice produced in the relevant sub-areas.
For both the amabile and the dry type, the color ranges from straw yellow to golden, to deep amber, with an ethereal, intense, characteristic aroma and a flavor that is harmonic, vel-
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VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI CLASSICO DOC
Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
Coincides with the Chianti Classico territory and includes all of the municipalities of Castellina, Gaiole, Radda and Greve in Chianti and part of those of Barberino Val dElsa, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Poggibonsi and Castelnuovo Berardenga. Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC Via Scopeti, 155 SantAndrea in Percussina 50026 San Casciano V.P. (FI) tel. +39-055.8228245/6 fax +39-055.8228173 e-mail: marketing@chianticlassico.com

This is a DOC entirely reserved to the Vin Santo type, one of the most traditional products of Tuscan winemaking, considering that a wine of this name has been produced since the middle of the 14th century. But already before then, a similar vine was produced, called vin pretto, which means pure wine, with no additions or corrections. Vin Santo has always been the wine of hospitality, of friendship, the wine never missing from any home, from those of the lords and ladies to those of the peasants. It is a wine to be drunk at any time of day, but preferably at the end of a meal. Still today, Vin Santo is the wine of tradition, since it is produced by the methods of the past, from selecting the best bunches of grapes to drying them on mats or grates; from the storage places where it is preserved (in general, under sheds well ventilated at all seasons) to the long maturing in the small barrels called caratelli. It is significant that the first specific DOC was assigned to the Vin Santo of the classic area of Chianti, a territory uniquely emblematic of Tuscan viticulture.
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VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI CLASSICO DOC
GRAPE VARIETIES
Vin Santo del Chianti Classico: Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia, either alone or in combination (minimum 70%); with the possible addition of other white or red grapes (maximum 30%). Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice: Sangiovese (minimum 50%); with the possible addition of other white or red grapes (maximum 50%). The yield cannot exceed 100 quintals per hectare.
Vin Santo del Chianti Classico: color ranging from straw yellow to golden, to deep amber; aroma ethereal, intense, characteristic; flavor harmonic, velvety, more rounded in the amabile type; 16% vol. Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Occhio di Pernice: color ranging from deep pink to pale pink; aroma warm, intense; flavor sweet, mellow, velvety and rounded; 17% vol. There is also a Riserva type. The minimum time of maturing in wood is three years for the normal type and four years for the Riserva, calculated starting from the year when the grapes are harvested.
Vin Santo di Montepulciano DOC

AREA OF PRODUCTION
The area of production for the Normale, Riserva and Occhio di Pernice types coincides with the areas most suited to the production of quality wines in the municipality of Montepulciano. All of the areas with advantageous exposure and climatic conditions are thus included, with the exclusion of deep valleys and of altitudes lower than 260 or higher than 600 meters above sea level. Consorzio Vin Santo di Montepulciano Piazza Grande, 7 53045 Montepulciano (SI) tel. +39-0578.757812 fax +39-0578.758213 e-mail: nobile@bccmp.com
CUISINE
Vin Santo is traditionally served at the end of a meal, as accompaniment (especially the amabile type) to dry pastry, Tuscan cantucci, pies and sweets in general. But this wine, very hard to produce and to appreciate, can be served at any time of day and on the most diverse occasions. The dry type is more suited for drinking apart from meals, either as aperitif or meditation wine. It is occasionally served with chocolate, in a daring combination.
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VIN SANTO DI MONTEPULCIANO DOC
VIN SANTO DI MONTEPULCIANO DOC

Since time immemorial, the splendid territory of Montepulciano, with its gentle hills stretching between the Val dOrcia and the Valdichiana, has produced wines of the highest quality. Among these, the most famous is undoubtedly Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which, not without reason, has earned the name King of wines. Another pearl of local winemaking, whose tradition is lost in the night of time, is Vin Santo: the wine of hospitality and friendship. It was produced in small quantities through careful selection of the grapes, a long period of drying and long vinification in caratelli, small oak or chestnut wood barrels. The high sugar concentration deriving from the long drying of the grapes on grates gave a wine that was both highly alcoholic and sweet, resulting in the tradition of a Vin Santo tending toward sweet. Today, as then, Vin Santo is produced in total respect for tradition. As in the past, it is the wine of hospitality and friendship, normally offered on great occasions. The gift of a bottle of Vin Santo should be considered a gesture of great friendship, but even more, of great respect and esteem for the person to whom it is given.
fruit; flavor full and velvety, intensely rounded; 17% vol. of which at least 2% still to be developed. Vin Santo di Montepulciano Riserva: color ranging from golden yellow to deep amber; aroma intense, ethereal, characteristic of ripe fruit; flavor full and velvety, intensely rounded; 17% vol. of which a minimum of 2.5% still to be developed. Vin Santo di Montepulciano Occhio di Pernice: color between amber and topaz with ample reddish rim that deepens to brown with age; aroma intense, rich and complex, with the scent of ripe fruit and other tones; flavor fine, persistent, with sweet aftertaste; 18% vol. of which at least 3% still to be developed.
CUISINE
Other than as a dessert wine, Vin Santo di Montepulciano can be served at any time of day as a meditation wine, pouring small amounts into large wineglasses in order to fully appreciate its characteristics.
GRAPE VARIETIES
The grape varieties used to produce Vin Santo di Montepulciano and Vin Santo di Montepulciano Riserva are: Malvasia Bianca, Grechetto Bianco and Trebbiano Toscano which, either alone or in combination, must account for at least 70%; other non-aromatic white grapes can be added (maximum 30%). For the production of Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice, the use of Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese) is allowed for a minimum of 50% and other grape varieties up to a maximum of 50%. The maximum yield of grapes per hectare must not exceed 80 quintals.
Vin Santo di Montepulciano: color ranging from golden yellow to deep amber; aroma intense, ethereal, characteristic of ripe
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PRODUCTION REGULATIONS
CURRENTLY IN FORCE DOCG WINES (VINI A DENOMINAZIONE DI ORIGINE CONTROLLATA E GARANTITA)
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
OR
executive order 19 May 1998, published in G.U. no. 133 of 10 June 1998 CARMIGNANO executive order 9 July 1998, published in G.U. no. 172 of 25 July 1998 CHIANTI AND CHIANTI CLASSICO decree 10 March 2003, published in G.U. no. 73 of 28 March 2003 as regards Chianti; directorial order 15 September 2005, published in G.U. no. 227 of 29 September 2005 as regards Chianti Classico MORELLINO DI SCANSANO directorial order 14 November 2006, published in G.U. no. 278 of 29 November 2006 VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO ministerial order 9 July 1993, published in G.U. no. 169 of 21 July 1993 VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO executive order 27 July 1999, published in G.U. no. 185 of 9 August 1999
DOC WINES (VINI A DENOMINAZIONE DI ORIGINE CONTROLLATA)

ANSONICA COSTA DELLARGENTARIO ministerial order 28 April 1995, published in G.U. no. 125 of 31 May 1995 154
BARCO REALE DI CARMIGNANO OR ROSATO DI CARMIGNANO VIN SANTO DI CARMIGNANO OR VIN SANTO DI CARMIGNANO OCCHIO DI PERNICE executive order 14 July 1998, published in G.U. no. 171 of 24 July 1998 BIANCO DELLA VALDINIEVOLE decree of President of the Republic 9 January 1976, published in G.U. no. 140 of 29 May 1976 BIANCO DELLEMPOLESE decree of President of the Republic 18 April 1989, published in G.U. no. 256 of 2 November 1989 BIANCO DI PITIGLIANO decree of President of the Republic 17 April 1990, published in G.U. no. 244 of 18 October 1990 BIANCO PISANO DI SAN TORP executive order 14 July 1997, published in G.U. no. 170 of 23 July 1997 BOLGHERI AND SASSICAIA SUB-AREA ministerial order 5 November 1994, published in G.U. no. 265 of 12 November 1994 CANDIA DEI COLLI APUANI executive order 14 April 1997, published in G.U. no. 102 of 5 May 1997 CAPALBIO executive order 21 May 1999, published in G.U. no. 127 of 2 June 1999 COLLI DELLETRURIA CENTRALE executive order 24 May 1997, published in G.U. no. 156 of 7 July 1997 COLLI DI LUNI (inter-regional Liguria-Toscana) ministerial order of 1 December 1995, published in G.U. no. 26 of 1 February 1996 COLLINE LUCCHESI executive order 8 July 1997, published in G.U. no. 164 of 16 July 1997 CORTONA executive order 1 September 1999, published in G.U. no. 210 of 7 September 1999 ELBA executive order 15 September 1999, published in G.U. no. 224 of 23 September 1999 155
MONTECARLO ministerial order 17 October 1994, published in G.U. no. 253 of 28 October 1994 MONTECUCCO executive order 30 July 1998, published in G.U. no. 185 of 10 August 1998 MONTEREGIO DI MASSA MARITTIMA ministerial order 3 October 1994, published in G.U. no. 242 of 15 October 1994 MONTESCUDAIO executive order 25 October 1999, published in G.U. no. 261 of 6 November 1999 MOSCADELLO DI MONTALCINO ministerial order 28 September 1995, published in G.U. no. 2 of 3 January 1996 ORCIA decree of Direttore Generale 14 February 2000, published in G.U. no. 51 of 2 March 2000 PARRINA ministerial order 2 August 1993, published in G.U. no. 200 of 26 August 1993, amended by ministerial order 12 January 1994 and by executive order 8 September 1997, rectified in G.U. no. 276 of 26 November 1997 PIETRAVIVA ministerial order 14 July 2005, published in G.U. no. 146 of 25 June 2005 POMINO ministerial order 7 February 2005, published in G.U. no. 40 of 18 February 2005, rectified by directorial order 12 June 2006 published in G.U. no. 147 of 27 June 2006 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO ministerial order 7 June 1996, published in G.U. no. 148 of 26 June 1996 ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO executive order 26 July 1999, published in G.U. no. 185 of 9 August 1999 SAN GIMIGNANO general managerial order 7 August 2003, published in G.U. no. 194 of 22 August 2003, partially amended by directorial order 21 March 2006, published in G.U. no. 75 of 30 March 2006 156
SANTANTIMO ministerial order 18 January 1996, published in G.U. no. 26 of 1 February 1996 SOVANA executive order 20 May 1999, published in G.U. no. 126 of 1 June 1999, supplemented and amended by executive order 12 November, 1999 published in G.U. no. 276 of 24 November 1999 TERRATICO DI BIBBONA directorial order 28 June 2006 published in G.U. no. 163 of 15 July 2006 TERRE DI CASOLE directorial order 28 May 2007, published in G.U. no. 129 of 6 June 2007 VAL DARBIA order of the Prime Minister of 4 November 1991, published in G.U. no. 83 of 8 April 1992 VALDICHIANA ministerial order of 9 March 1999, published in G.U. no. 64 of 18 March 1999 VAL DI CORNIA general managerial order 21 February 2000 published in G.U. no. 52 of 3 March 2000 VIN SANTO OF CHIANTI executive order 28 August 1997, published in G.U. no. 226 of 27 September 1997 VIN SANTO OF CHIANTI CLASSICO ministerial order 24 October 1995, published in G.U. no. 271 of 20 November 1995, nullified and replaced by Notice of rectification of 9 December 1995, published in G.U. no. 287 of 9 December 1995 VIN SANTO DI MONTEPULCIANO ministerial order 21 October 1996, published in G.U. no. 269 of 16 November 1996
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THE WINE AND FOOD ROADS

STRADA DEL VINO E DELLOLIO DI LUCCA E MONTECARLO VERSILIA Associazione Strada del vino e dellolio di Lucca e Montecarlo Versilia Registered office: Via di Celli, 52 55010 San Gennaro Capannori (LU) Secretariat: Vinolia scrl tel. +39-0583.909034, +39-348.0368293 fax +39-0583.978742 info@stradavinoeoliolucca.it www.stradavinoeoliolucca.it STRADA DEI VINI CHIANTI RUFINA E POMINO Villa di Poggioreale Viale Duca della Vittoria, 7 50068 Rufina (FI) tel. +39-055.8399944 fax +39-055.8396154 info@chiantirufina.com www.chiantirufina.com STRADA DEL VINO E DEI SAPORI DI MONTEREGIO DI MASSA
MARITTIMA
Via San Leonardo, 492 54037 Marina di Massa (MS) tel. +39-338.8853067 fax +39-0585.865539 info@stradadelvino.ms.it www.stradadelvino.ms.it STRADA DEL VINO DELLE COLLINE PISANE Operational headquarters: c/o Comune di Terricciola Via Roma, 37 56030 Terricciola (PI) tel. +39-0587.656540 fax +39-0587.655205 segreteria@vinocollinepisane.it www.stradadelvinocollinepisane.it Administrative headquarters: c/o Amministrazione Provinciale di Pisa Settore Agricoltura Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, 14 56125 Pisa STRADA MEDICEA DEI VINI DI CARMIGNANO Associazione c/o Museo della Vite e of Vino Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, 1 59100 Carmignano (PO) Secretariat: tel. +39-055.8712468 Andrea Bassini tel. +39-055.8750265 strada.medicea@associazioni.prato.it www.carmignanodivino.prato.it STRADA DEL VINO VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO Villa della Rocca San Gimignano (SI) stradadelvinovernaccia@sangimignano.com Information and booking: San Gimignano Tourist Information Office Piazza Duomo 1 53037 San Gimignano (SI) tel. +39-0577.940008 fax +39-0577.940903 proloco@tino.it STRADA DEL VINO E DEI SAPORI COLLI DI MAREMMA Associazione Strada del vino e dei sapori Colli di Maremma Registered office: Palazzo of Pretorio, 4 58054 Scansano (GR) tel. and fax +39-0564.507381 Operational headquarters: c/o Comune di Scansano Via XX Settembre 58054 Scansano (GR) tel. +39-0564.593056 collidimaremma@tiscali.it www.stradavinimaremma.it 159
Associazione Strada del vino e dei sapori Monteregio di Massa Marittima c/o Comune di Massa Marittima Via Garibaldi, 10 58024 Massa Marittima (GR) tel. +39-0566.902756 fax +39-0566.940095 Information and sampling: Wine Bar of Monteregio Via Todini, 1/3/5 58024 Massa Marittima (GR) info@stradavino.it www.stradavino.it STRADA DEL VINO COSTA DEGLI ETRUSCHI Consorzio Strada del vino Costa degli Etruschi localit San Guido, 45 57022 Bolgheri (LI) tel. for information and tours +39-0565.749768 tel. and fax management and secretary +39-0565.749705 info@lastradadelvino.com www.lastradadelvino.com STRADA DEL VINO COLLI DI CANDIA E DI LUNIGIANA Associazione Strada del vino dei Colli di Candia e di Lunigiana 158
STRADA DEL VINO DI MONTEPULCIANO Associazione Strada del vino di Montepulciano Piazza Grande, 7 53045 Montepulciano (SI) tel. +39-0578.717484 fax +39-0578.752749 info@stradavinonobile.it www.stradavinonobile.it STRADA DEL VINO DI MONTESPERTOLI Via Sonnino, 19 50025 Montespertoli (FI) tel. +39-0571.657579 fax +39-0571.658877 info@chianti-montespertoli.it www.chianti-montespertoli.it STRADA DEL VINO TERRE DI AREZZO Via Ricasoli, 38/40 52100 Arezzo (AR) tel. and fax +39-0575.294066 info@stradadelvino.arezzo.it www.stradadelvino.arezzo.it STRADA DEL VINO DI MONTECUCCO E DEI SAPORI DELLAMIATA Associazione Strada del vino di Montecucco e dei sapori dellAmiata Piazzale Cap. Bruchi, 3 58044 Cinigiano (GR) tel. +39-0564.994630 fax +39-0564.994898 info@stradadelvinomontecucco.it www.stradadelvinomontecucco.it STRADA DEL VINO DORCIA Via Borgo Maestro, 90 53023 Rocca dOrcia (SI) tel. and fax: +39-0577.898199 info@stradavinorcia.it www.stradavinorcia.it STRADA DEI SAPORI DI CASENTINO Via Roma, 203 52013 Ponte a Poppi (AR) tel. +39-0575.3354241/+39-0575.520511 fax +39-0575.3354248 stradasapori@casentino.toscana.it STRADA DEI SAPORI DELLA VALTIBERINA Via Matteotti, 8 52037 San Sepolcro (AR) saporivaltiberina@libero.it www.stradasaporivaltiberina.it 160
STRADA DELLOLIO MONTI PISANI Soc. Coop. a r.l. Oleif. Soc. Monti Pisani Via Provinciale Vicarese, 28 56010 Caprona Vicopisano (PI) tel. +39-050.788079 fax +39-050.788692 frantoiosociale@tiscali.it STRADA DELLOLIO E DEL VINO MONTALBANO Le Colline di Leonardo Piazza Fra Giuseppino Giraldi, 6 51035 San Baronto Lamporecchio (PT) tel. +39-0573.803064 fax +39-0573.81427 v.bechelli@comune.lamporecchio.pt.it info@comune.lamporecchio.pt.it ASSOCIAZIONE STRADA DEI SAPORI E DEI COLORI
DELLAPPENNINO PISTOIESE
Via Tigri, 24 51024 Cutigliano (PT) tel. +39-0573.688009 (Ilvo Ducci) leader_appennino@tiscali.it Registered office: Viale Villa Vittoria, 1 51028 San Marcello Pistoiese (PT) ASSOCIAZIONE STRADA DEL MARRONE MUGELLO DI MARRADI Registered office: Piazza Scalelle, 1 50034 Marradi (FI) Operational headquarters: Palazzo Torriani, Via Fabroni, 58 tel. +39-055.8042363/+39-335.6926512/+39-328.8127597 fax +39-055.8042835 www.stradadelmarrone.it stradadelmarrone@libero.it Tourist Office tel. +39-055/8045170 www.sagradellecastagne.it info@pro-marradi.it www.pro-marradi.it www.comune.marradi.fi.it
DEL
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PHOTOGRAPHS Archivi Alinari, Florence: p. 35. Atlantide PhotoTravel, Florence: Massimo Borchi pp. 64, 67, 142, 151; Guido Cozzi pp. 70, 77. Corbis: Roland Gerth/zefa p. 46; Wolfgang Meier/zefa p. 28; Atlantide PhotoTravel p. 55; John and Lisa Merrill p. 79; Dennis Marsico p. 97. Giunti archives: Stefano Amantini p. 73; Massimo Borchi pp. 56, 122; Anna Bini, Gilles de Chabaneix, Catherine de Chabaneix pp. 44, 145; Guido Cozzi pp. 37, 101; Cristian Sarti pp. 17 (upper left), 18 (upper right); Antonio Sferlazzo pp. 17 (upper right), 51, 54, 63, 112, 116, 150. Courtesy of Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino pp. 8, 20, 22, 23, 102, 117, 124, 154. Courtesy of Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini Cortona Doc pp. 82, 163. Courtesy of Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico pp. 30, 31, 32, 33 (lower left), 33 (lower right), 41, 147, 148, 149. Courtesy of Ella Studio pp. 85, 153 (R. Ridi). Courtesy of Archivio Toscana Promozione pp. 7, 16, 25, 43, 91 (M. Beldramme). Where not otherwise indicated, the photos belong to the Giunti archives. The Publisher is willing to settle any royalties that may be due for the publication of pictures from unascertained sources.
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The Wines of Tuscany Complete guide to DOC and DOCG wines. History, territory, characteristics and food pairing.
CM 92083B
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The Wines of Tuscany

Complete guide to DOC and DOCG wines

The Wines of Tuscany

Complete guide to DOC and DOCG wines

Printed by Giunti Industrie Grafiche S.p.A. Prato, Italy

THE FRUIT OF THE GRAPE

WINE, A SYMBOL OF TUSCANY

The fruit of the grape

THE FRUIT OF THE GRAPE

THE LONG HISTORY OF A GREAT WINE

The long history of a great wine

THE LONG HISTORY OF A GREAT WINE

LABOR AND LOVE

Labor and love

LABOR AND LOVE

LABOR AND LOVE

FROM THE LANDSCAPE TO THE BOTTLE

FROM THE LANDSCAPE TO THE BOTTLE

From the landscape to the bottle

DOC AND DOCG: GUARANTEED QUALITY

DOC AND DOCG: GUARANTEED QUALITY

DOC and DOCG: guaranteed quality

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

Chianti and Chianti Classico DOCG

Chianti Classico DOCG

CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG

CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

MORELLINO DI SCANSANO DOCG

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

Morellino di Scansano DOCG

MORELLINO DI SCANSANO DOCG

Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG

VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO DOCG

VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO DOCG

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG

VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG

ANSONICA COSTA DELLARGENTARIO DOC

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

Ansonica Costa dellArgentario DOC

ANSONICA COSTA DELLARGENTARIO DOC

BARCO REALE DI CARMIGNANO DOC

BARCO REALE DI CARMIGNANO DOC

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

BIANCO DELLA VALDINIEVOLE DOC

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

Bianco della Valdinievole DOC

BIANCO DELLA VALDINIEVOLE DOC

Bianco dellEmpolese DOC

BIANCO DELLEMPOLESE DOC

BIANCO DELLEMPOLESE DOC

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

BIANCO DI PITIGLIANO DOC

HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

Bianco di Pitigliano DOC