Tag Archives: Toscana

April 9, 2012 · 7:00 pm

Travel to Tuscany’s Wine Regions in Italy

: Image via Wikipedia

Tuscany is Italy’s quintessential wine region and the birthplace of three important red wines: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. These wines are made from Sangiovese grapes but have distinctively different flavors in Tuscany’s diverse microclimates.

Vineyard growing in the Italian wine region of Tuscany, home of the Sangiovese-based Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wine. The photo also demonstrates the viticultural technique of clear (or bare) cultivation that leaves bare soil between the vines and rows with no cover crops. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chianti is produced in seven subzones in Tuscany. The Chianti Classico zone has DOCG status. The other six Chianti subzones are: Chianti Rufina, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Aretini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane and Chianti Montalbano. The “Chiantigiana” is the scenic road that twists and turns through the Chianti zones between Florence and Siena.

Brunello is Tuscany’s rarest and most expensive wine. It is produced in the walled medieval village of Montalcino, south of the Chianti Classico zone. The climate is warmer and the hills are steeper. The wine is aged longer and it must be aged in oak barrels.

Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino 2003 Italian wine from Tuscany made from Sangiovese (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has been made in the town of Montepulciano since Etruscan times. This wine is made from prugnolo grapes a sangiovese clone and was granted DOCG status in 1980.

Here’s Wine Spectator’s detailed overview map of Tuscany . The map includes: Chianti, Bolgheri, Brunello di Montalcino, Maremma and the Montepulciano appellations.

Click here to view the map: http://assets.winespectator.com/wso/Maps/Tuscanymap.pdf

To learn more about Italian food and wine read Vino con Vista Travel guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com

Vino Con Vista Travel Guides can be purchased at these sites

A Tuscan Winery Tour at Captivating Castello Banfi in Montalcino Italy (vinoconvistablog.me)
The Ten Most Seductive Places to Drink Wine in Italy (vinoconvistablog.me)
46th Annual VinItaly 2012 and Italy’s Best Wines (vinoconvistablog.me)

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Filed under Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Florence, Italian Food, Italian Food and Wine, Italian Wine, Italy, Italy Travel Guides, Sangiovese, Sienna, Travel and Tourism, Tuscany, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites

Tagged as Add new tag, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti, Italian wine, Italy, Montalcino, Sangiovese, Toscana, Tuscany, Tuscany's Wine Regions, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Wine, Wine Regions in Tuscany

March 21, 2012 · 10:47 am

A Tuscan Winery Tour at Captivating Castello Banfi in Montalcino Italy

: Image via Wikipedia

Tuscany is Italy’s quintessential wine region. It is the birthplace of one of Italy’s blockbuster red wines, Brunello di Montalcino. This is an opulent wine made entirely from sangiovese grapes. It has an intense ruby-red color and displays the complex aromas of black cherry, rasberry and violets.

English: The Municipality of Montalcino within the Province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy Italiano: Il comune di Montalcino nella Provincia di Siena, Toscana, Italia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Montalcino is surrounded by medieval walls that were built in the 13th century. The Montalcino fortress was built at the highest point of the town in 1361; designed by the Sienese architects Mino Foresi and Domenico di Feo.

Montalcino (Photo credit: littlestar19)

Castle (Fortezza) at Montalcino, Siena, Italy. Photo taken by Type17, 18:50hrs June 24th 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Montalcino is divided into quarters called contrade. They are: Borghetto, Travaglio, Pianello and Ruga. Each contrade has their own colours, songs and distinct drum rhythms. Twice a year they dress in Medieval attire and compete in an archery contest under the walls of the Castel Fortezza.

English: View of Montalcino from the Castle (Fortezza). Taken Sept 8th 2006 by me. Canon EOS 20D, 10mm focal length (16mm effective length) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Montalcino (Photo credit: fondelli.nadia)

Montalcino, Toscana, Italia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Montalcino, take a Winery Tour of Castello Banfi. You will learn about the restrictive government regulations that prescribe wine-making practices in Italy. These rules define areas where specific wines can be made using the acronyms DOCG, DOC, and IGT.

Brunello di Montalcino earned a reputation as one of Italy’s rarest wines. At the end of WWII, the only commercial producer recorded in government documents was the Biondi-Santi. The high price and prestige of there Brunello de Montalcino encouraged other producers to emulate Biondi-Santi’s success. By the 1960s, there were 11 producers making Brunello. By 1980 there were 53 producers in Montalcino. In 1980, the Montalcino region was the first Italian wine region to be awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) designation.

Português: Garrafa de vinho Brunello di Montalcino de Biondi Santi – 1985 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG designation means “Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita” (the most prestigious/elite Italian wines). This means that the wine has the following characteristics:

The location is certified and guaranteed

Provides more stringent government regulations

Requires longer aging periods and lower yields per vine

montalcino fortress (Photo credit: tonyduckles)

The Banfi Winery was the first winery in the world to be awarded international recognition for exceptional environmental, ethical and social responsibility. It won the 2009 VinItaly International Award and has been designated Italy’s Premier Vineyard estate for 11 consecutive years.

The winery is nestled on 7100 acres of land and it is owned by two wine-making brothers from Long Island, New York.

They have a state of the art winery with a glass museum.

Taste their Brunello di Montalcino at the Winery’s Enoteca.

Dine at their Tuscan Taverna

The restaurant is located in the vaulted cellars of the Castello. Enjoy three and five-course tasting menus of traditional Tuscan cooking on rustic wooden tables situated under gorgeous brick arches.

You can even stay in the restored rooms and suites of the Castello Il Borgo.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides to Italy andVino Con Vista Travel Guides can be purchased at these sites

Sangiovese vines of Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To learn more about wine tasting in Tuscany visit www.vino-con-vista.com. Florence and Tuscany now available for iPad. Salute!!

Montalcino (Photo credit: Un ragazzo chiamato Bi)

Montalcino (Photo credit: littlestar19)

The Ten Most Seductive Places to Drink Wine in Italy (vinoconvistablog.me)
46th Annual VinItaly 2012 and Italy’s Best Wines (vinoconvistablog.me)
Brunello di Montalcino (abouttuscany.wordpress.com)

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Tagged as A Tuscan Winery Tour at Castello Banfi in Montalcino Italy, Biondi-Santi, Brunello di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino at Banfi Winery, Chianti, italian food, Italian wine, Italy, italy travel, Montalcino, Toscana, Travel and Tourism, Tuscany, Tuscany Travel Guide, unesco, vino con vista, Wine, Wine tasting in Tuscany, Wine Tourism in Italy, WInery Tours at Banfi in Tuscany, World Heritage Site

October 17, 2011 · 5:45 pm

Morellino di Scansano Wine: Tuscany’s Hidden Gem

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The hilly Morellino di Scansano Wine Production Region of Italy has a colorful history in the Maremma territory of south-western Tuscany in the province of Grosseto. The Maremma includes part of the coast of southern Tuscany. Scansano was aquired by the Grand Duke Cosimo Medici II in 1615. Wine-making in this region can be traced back to the Etruscans.

The region is located south of Montalcino. There are about 200 growers, winemakers and bottlers in this area. The appellation was awarded the prestigous DOCG classification in 2007. About 10 million bottles are produced every year.

On October 17, 2011, Giacomo Pondini, the director of the Consorzio Tutela Morellino di Scansano organized a fabulous wine-tasting seminar at the elegant Hotel Sax in Chicago.

The consortium was founded in the early 1990s. When they leave Chicago, they will travel to New York and then on to Florida to promote these outstanding Italian wines.

For more information about this consortium visit www.consorziomorellino.it and talk to Giacomo Pondini, Direttore.

I had an opportunity to taste some of the wonderful red wines made from mostly sangiovese grapes. The sangiovese grape variety is also the basis of the Tuscan wines: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. “Morellino” is the local name of the Sangiovese grape varietal.

This area is predominantly hilly and lies between the basins of the Ombrone and Albegna Rivers. These wines can be enjoyed a year after the harvest and pair nicely with the regional foods including red meat, game and Pecorino Toscana cheese.