An introduction to

Tuscany Wines Baby Wine Group, May 2015

“A Nation within a Nation”

Tuscany

Toscany is located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast"known for the production of high quality wines such as Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino

Florence

!Ruled for centuries by the powerful medici family"! Served as financial capital of the world from the middle ages and through the rise of the ottoman empire."!

Center for Art, Thought, and Business

Birth place of renaissance, home to Uffizi gallery and Duomo

Home to 3 out of the 4 Ninja Turtles:"Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo. Also Dante!

 It is this setting of rich history and lifestyle that created the great Tuscan wines.

Wine History of Tuscany

❖ Viticulture Dates back to 8th Century BC"

❖ By 3rd century BC, Greek literature references to the quality of Tuscan wine"

❖ monasteries, aristocratic and merchant were the main purveyors of wines in the region

The Wine Guild

❖ 12 century The Arte dei Vinattieri guild established"

❖ Strict regulations on how the Florentine wine merchants could conduct business"

❖ No wine was to be sold within 100 yards of a church, to children under 15, prostitutes and thieves

Renaissance❖ By 14th century, an average of

7.9 million US gallons of wine was sold every year in Florence"

❖ By 17th Century, Bettino Ricasoli traveled throughout Germany and France, studying the grape varieties and viticultural practices. "

❖ After experimenting with several imported grapes, he discovered that three local varieties: Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Malvasia produced the best wine.

Sangiovese is the main red grape variety of Tuscany

Grape Variety

Thin skinned grape, produces a wide range of styles of wines, and is the main component of Tuscany’s famous Trio - Chianti Classico, Brunello and the Super Tuscans"

Characterized by high acidity and light body - often blended with heavier body grapes."

Sangiovese is a grape of medium to long term aging capacity. if used in high percentages, results in wines of sufficient complexity to withstand many years in bottle.

 The glory of the tuscan kitchen rests on local ingredients, seasonal variety, and above all freshness

PairingTuscany’s simple, flavorful cuisine is the secret for enjoying, and ultimately, understanding, the great tuscan wines.

Terroir❖ Over 68% Hilly - ideal for

growing Sangiovese grapes which performs better when exposed to direct sunlight"

❖ high altitude produces the ideal diurnal temperature variations that maintain the balance of sugars and acidity"

❖ On the hill, soil is thinner, and the vine must send its roots deep into the ground for water

Appellation System ❖ Many IGP wines are actually top level products,

mainly due to the special skills of their producers (e.g. so called "Super Tuscan")"

❖ DOC wines must have been IGP wines for at least 5 years. They generally come from smaller regions, within a certain IGP territory, that are particularly vocated for their climatic and geological characteristics and for the quality and originality of the local winemaking traditions. "

❖ A DOC wine can be promoted to DOCG if it has been a DOC for at least 10 years. In addition to fulfilling the requisites for DOC wines, including stricter analyses, and a tasting by a specifically appointed committee. DOCG wines have also demonstrated a superior commercial success

'Classico' is a wine produced in the historically oldest part of the protected territory.  'Superiore' is a wine with at least 0.5 more alc%/vol than its correspondent regular DOP wine and produced using a smaller allowed quantity of grapes per hectare, generally yielding a higher quality. 'Riserva' is a wine that has been aged for a minimum period of time, depending on the typology (red, white, Traditional-method sparkling, Charmat-method sparkling). 

Regions

ChiantiMost prolific and largest wine region in Tuscany primarily using Sangiovese grapes

Chianti Classico❖ Classic wine of Tuscany, and probably Italy"

❖ Easy to recognize by the black rooster - guarantees the wine is authentic and meets the top DOCG classification."

❖ Made from a bland of grapes, but Sangiovese is the heart, and by law must make up the majority of the blend."

❖ In first years of life, tastes of  sour cherries, violets, prunes - which makes for fairly easy drinking."

❖ Reserve wine ages in oak for minimum of two years, allowing the flavors to merry and develop. bursting with spices and wild berries, these medium bodied wines are italy’s answer to red beurdeux,

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Brunello is a local variety of Sangiovese grapes, Located south of the Chianti Classico zone.

Brunello di Montalcino

Brunellos tend to be very tight and tannic in their youth, needing at least a decade or two before they start to soften with wines from excellent vintages having the potential to do well past 50 years

BIONDI-SANTI

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Super Tuscans!

❖ In the 1970’s, Tuscan Winemakers began mixing ‘unsanctioned’ wine varieties (like Merlot) into their blends to make high quality wines. "

❖ The Term “Super Tuscan” describes red wines from Tuscany that may include the use of non-indigenous grapes, particularly Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah"

❖ Over the years, this category produced wines of elegance and finesse that have captured the imagination of wine collectors around the world "

❖ IGT category formed in 1992

Tignanello estate, Antinory

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Other Notables❖ vino nobili de montepolciano - The variety of Sangiovese in

Montepulciano is known as Prugnolo Gentile and is required to account for at least 80% of the wine. The wines are required to age two years prior to release, with an additional year if it is to be a riserva."

❖ Bolgheri – DOC region of the Livorno province is home to one of the original Super Tuscan wines Sassicaia, first made in 1944 produced by the marchesi Incisa della Rochetta, cousin of the Antinori family."

❖ San Gimignano (Vernaccia) - “White ambassador of Tuscany” a white wine grape which is one of the oldest grape variety and known to be the best Tuscan white wine. It was the first italian wine to be awarded  DOC status, and is favored over Pinot Grigio.

Cin Cin!