Introduction to Tuscany wines - 15 minutes high lever overview of history, grapes varieties, terrior, appellation system, regions, and most notable wines (Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Super Tuscans, etc.).

1. An introduction to
Tuscany Wines Baby Wine Group, May 2015

2. “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

3. 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

4. Birth place of renaissance, home to Uffizi
gallery and Duomo

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

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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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 Malvasi
a produced the best wine.

10. 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.

11. The glory of the tuscan kitchen rests on local ingredients, seasonal variety, and above all freshness
Pairing
Tuscany’s simple,
flavorful cuisine is the
secret for enjoying, and
ultimately, understanding,
the great tuscan wines.

12. 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

13. 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

14. '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).

15. Regions

16. Chianti
Most prolific and largest wine region in Tuscany primarily
using Sangiovese grapes

17. 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,

18. - Video -

19. 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

20. - Video -

21. 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

22. - Video -

23. 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.

24. Cin Cin!