Tuscan wine (Toscana in Italian) is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are primarily made with the Sangiovese grape whereas the Vernaccia grape is the basis of the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
Tuscany is also known for the dessert wine Vin Santo, made from a variety of the region's grapes. Tuscany has thirty-three Denominazioni di origine controllata (DOC) and nine Denominazioni di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). In the 1970s a new class of wines known in the trade as "Super Tuscans" emerged.
Tuscan Wines from the Toscana Wine Region
The Toscana wine region, better known as Tuscany, is one of the largest and most prestigious producers of wine in the world. Located in central Italy, Tuscany’s picturesque landscape provides the ideal conditions for a variety of wine grapes to flourish.
Environmental contributing factors include dry and well-drained soils rich in clay and sand, coastal climates as well as mountainous climates, hillsides and excellent typography. Idyllic location and thousands of years of winemaking experience has positioned Toscana wine producers as some of the best the world has ever known.
Tuscany also has sub-regions, which are just as well known. Among these Chianti is possibly the most prestigious and productive, yielding more wine than any other Italian DOC. Today the best Chianti wines are at least 80% Sangiovese.
Grape Varieties of the Best Tuscan Wines
Sangiovese is the wine that Tuscany is best known for. Brunello wines, from the Brunello di Montalcino region, exclusively use Sangiovese grapes and a winemaking method that is all its own. Though the Sangiovese grape has reigned supreme for centuries, recently a new grape is giving it competition.
“Super Tuscans” have gained in popularity the world over, elevating the Cabernet Sauvignon grape to a new level of importance in Tuscan wine production. Despite these two heavy hitters, lesser-known but nonetheless impressive native grapes like Aleatico and Canaiolo also make their way into Tuscan wine blends.
