Tuscany Wine – Chianti and Others

If Tuscany is known for just one thing, it would be Tuscany wine. Just about anywhere you travel in Tuscany, will land you among the vineyards producing Tuscany wines. The climate, soil and culture of Italy make it the largest producer of wine. The Etruscans left the wine-making process in Italy, and it was the Greeks who gave the area the name of Enotria, which means land of wine.

You can tell the origin of your bottle of wine by looking at the label. The "IGT" on the wine label refers to the region of origin, such as Tuscany. IGT also refers to the type of wine, such as Sangiovese, and the year. After this is either "DOC" or "DOCG", which means either a wine of controlled origin or wine of controlled and guaranteed origin.

Perhaps the most famous wine to come from Tuscany is Chianti, named for the city in Tuscany. All of the Tuscan area producing Chianti wine is DOCG. This is a dry red wine, with a fruity character, and is usually made from the Sangiovese grape. A good vintage of Chianti wine can be aged ten or more years.

Another Tuscan DOCG red wine is Brunello di Montalcino, produced south of the chianti wine district. "Brunello" is a word that refers back to the Sangiovese variety of grape. This wine is a superior quality, and production is very limited, with the required aging usually twenty years or more A cheaper version of this wine that ages more quickly is Rosso di Motalcino.

With the wine called "Super Tuscan," it means the wine was produced outside the Chianti zone, involved a grape blend of different varieties, or was 100% Sangiovese. Despite differing in content, these wines are expensive. The style of these wines varies between Chianti, Bordeaux, and California Cabernet wines. The most known Super Tuscans are the Sassiscaia and Solaia wines.