Tuscany is known for its beautiful landscape, medieval castles, and hamlets, as well as art, culture, history, and, of course, its world-renowned wine production. Tuscany is located in central Italy and is indeed one of the most significant wine-producing areas in the country. Many are the internationally well-known wine areas and appellations in Tuscany, such as Chianti Classico DOCG, Chianti DOCG, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Bolgheri DOC, Suvereto with its two DOCG designations, Montecucco, Val d’Orcia, and more. 

Sangiovese is the king of grapes in Tuscany and is used in most of the different regional appellations. Often, you can find Sangiovese in blends with other local varieties such as Canaiolo, Colorino, or Ciliegiolo or with international grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Monovarietal Sangiovese wines have become more prevalent in expressing the local territory better.

The Tuscan landscape, with its rolling hills where vineyards often dominate, has both higher (the Tosco-Romagnolo Appenines, Apuane mountains, Monte del Chianti) and lower altitudes, closeness to the Mediterranean Sea, a temperate climate, and the characteristic alberese (calcareous sandstone and limestone) and galestro (schistous clay soil) soil in many parts of the region.

Chianti & Chianti Classico Walk hand in Hand

Chianti and Chianti Classico are two main wine areas in Tuscany that are historically intertwined and often quite confusing for a more international audience to understand. Chianti and Chianti Classico have, as mentioned, a shared history that dates to Medieval times. The word Chianti is believed to have been mentioned for the first time in documents in the 12th century; the Lega del Chianti - the political and military alliance of the Republic of Florence - was founded at the end of the 14th century. The Lega del Chianti chose the Gallo Nero (Black Rooster) as the ‘brand” of their alliance. Today, the Gallo Nero is the brand symbol and logo of the Chianti Classico consortium.

In the early 18th century, Cosimo III of Medici defined the best production areas for wine production in Chianti by applicable law, including Chianti (Classico), Pomino, Carmignano, and Val d’Arno di Sopra. Then, about a century later, Barone Ricasoli (of today’s Ricasoli1141 winery) developed his now-famous recipe for Chianti wine. The two areas would start to walk their own ways in the early 20th century, with Chianti Classico becoming the historical area defined in the Legend of the Black Rooster, the 70 km long district between Florence and Siena. The roosters chosen by the two knights, respectively from Florence (black rooster, starved) and Siena (white rooster, well fed), their crowing and the Florentine knight arriving close to the current Fonterutoli estate, is but a fictitious story. However, it serves as a Chianti Classico brand story today to explain the setting of the Chianti Classico border.

The Chianti DOCG area is now the “outer” area stretching from Rufina and Chianti Colli Fiorentini towards Pisa, Arezzo, and Siena. 

Tenuta Bossi, a winery in Chianti Rufina with a long history

The Marchesi Gondi family have owned Tenuta Bossi in the Rufina area just north of Florence, close to Pontassieve, since 1592. Their impressive family history stems from their ancestor, Braccio Filippi, who was appointed knight by Charlemagne in 787. They further hail from the Consorteria dei Filippi, mentioned by Dante in his Divine Comedy as one of the oldest families in Florence. Today, Marquis Bernardo Gondi runs the estate with his wife, Vittoria, their sons Gerardo and Lapo, and his sister, Donatella.

The estate comprises 315 hectares of which 18 are vineyards at 200-400 meters altitude. They are known for having introduced 10% of Cabernet Sauvignon in their Villa Bossi Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG in 1986. Marquis Bernardo Gondi wanted to make a wine similar to the Bordeaux style. Today, the trend is going back (or forward) towards monovarietal Sangiovese wines with a terroir-driven character. 

In 2022, the Chianti Rufina consortium introduced the project Terraelectae, a collective brand that the Rufina producers can adhere to voluntarily. It is a ‘cru’ project where the Terraelectae Chianti Rufina DOCG wines must be made with Sangiovese grapes from the best estate vineyard, and they must be in the category Riserva. Vigneto Poggio Diamante, Terraelectae, Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG, 2019 from Tenuta Bossi is a fresh and elegant Sangiovese wine where notes of forest floor, maquis, citrus, and spices are more dominant than the red fruit.

Arillo in Terrabianca, a joint Italo-Swiss Venture in Radda in Chianti

Adriana and Urs Burkard dreamed about owning a house in Tuscany, which resulted in them acquiring three different estates in 2019: La Tenuta di Terrabianca in Radda in Chianti Classico, where the selling owner also had land in Maremma, which turned into Tenuta Il Tesoro. The third estate, Colle Brezza, is in Val d’Orcia, near Pienza. 

Adriana, originally from Emilia-Romagna, fondly recalls how, as a little girl, she often accompanied her grandparents to the Lambrusco vineyards and fields near Modena. This affinity for her roots and her passion for agriculture and viticulture motivated her and her husband to invest in sustainable viticulture and winemaking.

Image:  Adriana and Urs Burkard

The Tenuta di Terrabianca in Radda comprises 12,5 hectares of vineyard plots at 350-470 meters altitude. It is surrounded by about 120 hectares of forest, contributing to the unique biodiversity. The name Terrabianca of the Radda estate alludes to the whitish soil in the locality. The soil in the higher-located vineyard plots is more rocks (alberese and galestro). In contrast, soil in the vineyards at lower altitudes is more dominated by clay, contributing to the elegance and structure of the Arillo in Terrabianca wines. 

The Sacello Chianti Classico Annata DOCG 2021 has fermented in steel tanks for 6-8 months and done maturation in concrete vats followed by 6 months in the bottle. The varietal character of Sangiovese shines through with its fruit-forwardness, herbal notes, spices, minerality, smooth tannins, and overall elegance.

Two wineries from the ‘Other’ Tuscany

Focus is often on Tuscany’s usual areas and appellations, such as Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, or Bolgheri. Still, there are several other wine areas with just as fascinating wineries. Below, I will highlight two wineries from two different areas, more off the beaten track but still just as worth exploring as any other.

Podernuovo a Palazzone

The owner of Podernuovo a Palazzone is Giovanni Bulgari – yes, from the well-known Bulgari family and their luxury fashion house – who in 2004 decided to branch out on his own in a completely different sector by buying the Podernuovo estate in southern Tuscany. Giovanni Bulgari was looking for a peaceful place far from crowds and the city buzz; he found it in the Palazzone locality in San Casciano dei Bagni, close to the border between Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. It was love at first sight.

Giovanni Bulgari 

Giovanni Bulgari began from scratch by completely replanting all the vineyards at an altitude of about 400 meters. Step by step, he built a new sustainable winery, which was completed in 2012. He was particularly fascinated by the untouched area outside DOC and DOCG designations, which allowed him to interpret local grape varieties, such as Sangiovese, more freely as IGT wine.

The organic winery Podernuovo a Palazzone is committed to sustainability and aims to minimize its environmental impact. For instance, the winery building is partially situated on the hillside, which helps utilize geothermal energy for natural temperature regulation. Additionally, solar panels are installed on the roof to enhance energy efficiency further.

In this small corner of paradise, they make, for example, Sotirio Igt Rosso Toscana 2018, a monovarietal Sangiovese wine that they consider their very own cru wine. The fermentation and maturation are carried out in larger oak barrels, which helps smooth out the Sangiovese and gives it its unique varietal character. Slim, yet with structure and notes of sour cherry, spices, tobacco, a herbal touch, silky tannins, and a nice length. Argirio Igt Rosso Toscana 2018 is their 100% Cabernet Franc wine in a more international style, having a stronger oak influence doing 12 months in barrique, and 4 months in concrete vats after that help to settle the oak. Its complexity shines through, making it into a powerful wine.

Cantina Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano

In the medieval town of Scansano in Maremma, more precisely in the Saragiolo locality, we find the cooperative Cantina Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano. This was the land of the Etruscans, known for their vine-growing and winemaking techniques, which the Romans would develop further. The Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano was founded in 1972 by a few dynamic local vintners, and the cooperative was also a driving force for the institution of the Morellino di Scansano Doc in 1978, which later in 2005 became Docg.

The Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano is a cooperative of 170 vintners who cultivate vineyards across 700 hectares in the scenic inland region of Tuscany. This area includes the municipalities of Scansano, Campagnatico, Magliano, Manciano, Roccalbegna, and Semproniano, all within the province of Grosseto. On average, each member has about 3 hectares of vineyard.

The cooperative is committed to sustainability, achieving Carbon Footprint certification in 2014 and VIVA certification in 2015. They installed solar panels in 2014 and later adopted eco-friendly packaging solutions to enhance their environmental efforts.

Maremma, located in southwestern Tuscany, is known for its rustic charm and untouched beauty. This region stretches from Mount Amiata in the inland to the coast south of Livorno. The Morellino di Scansano area enjoys a Mediterranean climate characterized by hot summers and mild winters along the coast. In contrast, the inland areas experience a more continental climate, resulting in colder winters.

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The Morellino di Scansano cooperative’s vintners primarily cultivate local grape varieties such as Vermentino, Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, and Alicante. They also produce extraordinary selections and cru wines from those vineyards, which stand out due to distinct soil characteristics or unique microclimates.

Earlier this year, I tasted their Ciliegiolo Maremma Toscana Doc Capoccia 2023 at the yearly Ciliegiolo di Maremma e d’Italia event that took place at Fortezza Orsini in Sorano in Maremma. It is a fresh red wine with juicy red fruit, spices, and a hint of floral and herbal notes. It has a great drinkability.

This article is written by Katarina Andersson for the London Wine Competition. Katarina is a wine writer, wine educator, social media strategist, and translator. She is the founder of WinesOfItaly.

Header image source: Arillo in Terrabianca

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