Tuscany, Northern Coastal Wine Growing Areas: Colli Apuani, Colline Lucchesi, Collina di Montecarlo, Bolgheri, Montescudaio, Terratico di Bibbona, Val di Cornia, San Torpè, Terre di Pisa, Elba. Northern Coastal Area This includes the Colli Apuani and the Lucchesia, the latter takes in the Colli Lucchesi and the hillsRead more →
The Chianti Wine Region In Central Tuscany The term Chianti has been around since 1398 but the original wine produced in the Chianti area was white. By 1716 the area now known as Chianti Classico was officially established. In 1870 Barone Riccasoli wrote a recipe for ChiantiRead more →
Vines & Grapes Grown In Tuscany There are around 58000 hectares of vineyard in Tuscany, vines are mainly planted in hilly areas, 85% of the vines are red grape varieties with sangiovese the main grape. 69% of wines are classified as DOP (DOCG and DOC) and 25% IGPRead more →
Tuscan Wine, A Quick Introduction In Tuscany the sangiovese grape is king, the famous wine growing areas of Montepulciano (Vino Nobile di Montepulciano), Montalcino (Brunello di Montalcino), Chianti and Scansano (Morellino di Scansano) all base their wines on this grape. Sangiovese is one of world's great grapes.Read more →
Umbria & Wine - An Overview The region of Umbria is located right in the centre of Italy, the landscape comprises hills, valleys and mountains as well as Lake Trasimeno. Most of the wine growing areas follow the Tiber and other river valleys or are found around theRead more →
In the last year I have met Elena Vezzoli of Azienda Agricola Biologica Preggio at several local wine tastings. Elena has a two hectare vineyard with her husband Bruno and make around 9000 bottles of wine a year, two thirds of the production is red and oneRead more →
A couple of weeks ago I took Robert Hammond of RH wine to visit some of my favourite wineries in Montefalco. Robert was familiar with the Sangiovese based wines of Tuscany such as Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello. However, he had never tried the winesRead more →