Historical hints

Italy's wine heritage dates back some 4,000 years to when prehistoric peoples pressed wild grapes into juice which, as if by magic, fermented into wine. The ancient Greeks, expanding into Italy's southern reaches dubbed the colonies Oenotria, the land of wine. Also the Etruscans were subtle and serene practitioners of the art of winemaking in the hills of Tuscany and Latium, as attested by their paintings and pottery decorations. However the commerce of wine had a big impulse with the Romans who brought the cult of Bacchus to all corners of the empire, developing a flourishing trade in wine throughout the Mediterranean lands and beyond. They were the first to introduce the concept of “vintage” and “aging” and to use oak barrels and glass bottles to preserve their wines. So sophisticated was their knowledge of viticulture and oenology that their techniques were not equalled again until the 17th or 18th centuries, when Italians and other Europeans began to consider the making of wine as science rather than mystique.

Thanks to its history and its unique geographical characteristics Italy boasts an immense variety of grapes and types of wines. Italian wines are in fact the result of a mix of local traditions and different microclimates: ranging from the rigid temperatures up in the Alps (Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto-Adige, Veneto and Friuli) , going through the mild central regions( Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria,  Marches and Latium), down to the hottest and sunniest southern regions ( Campania, Apulia,  Calabria , Sicily and Sardinia).

Each of these Italian regions produce fine quality wines that are classified into DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin), DOC (Controlled Denomination of Origin) and IGT( Typical Geographical Provenance). In order to obtain this kind of recognitions wines must follow strict rules that involve all production aspects such as the kind and percentages of grapes used, the origin of the grapes, the quantity produced, the barrels used and the time for the aging before the wine can be put into the market.

Among the most well known of them that are produced in the Northern regions you have the powerful reds Barolo, Barbaresco( both from Piedmont), Amarone Recioto della Valpolicella ( Veneto) and the dry whites Soave( Veneto), Tocai( Friuli Venezia Gulia), Gewuerztraminer ( Trentino-Alto-Adige), the sparkling Prosecco( Veneto) and  Franciacorta  (Lombardy),  the sweet  Moscato d'Asti( Piedmont) just to quote some of the most popular.

Central Italy is mainly represented by the Tuscany wines that have conquered a high reputation all over the world like the dry reds Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the dry white Vernaccia di San Gimignano (first wine in Italy to get the DOC certification in 1960) and the traditional dessert wine Vin Santo (“Holy Wine”).

1- Central Tuscany: Fiesole, the Chianti district and San Gimignano

Let's start from Fiesole, just a few kilometres from the centre of Florence, where the amphitheatre and the archaeological site are worth a visit. From here we drive in the direction of Molin del Piano, we follow the river Arno till Rignano and then go up till Reggello: along the way we will find several little ancient churches like the one in Cascia where you find a wonderful triptych by Masaccio. Taking the direction of Siena we enter the Chianti district, passing through San Pancrazio, Bacchiano,and Ginestra and we visit Montelupo, with its historical tradition for the production of ceramics.
Then, driving less than half an hour in the direction of Pisa we reach Vinci, land of Leonardo.  Leonardo's birth house and the 2 museums dedicated to his genius are surely a very special stop for everyone.
But if we want to enjoy the typical Chianti Classico landscape we now have to drive down to Empoli and then to Montespertoli, where we can visit the Romanesque Saint Peter's church, and then go on till Tavarnelle Val di Pesa and reach  Barberino val d'Elsa.

Driving South in the direction of Siena we will pass through Poggibonsi and then, in about 10 minutes we will finally reach San Gimignano. Here we can go for an unforgettable walk through the small roads inside the ancient city walls and the very well known medieval towers. Inside the Cathedral (called Collegiata) dating back to 1148, there are 3 fantastic frescoes by Taddeo Bartolo and in the Santa Fina Chapel you can find some of the most splendid works of Domenico Ghirlandaio.
After having tasted a good glass of Vernaccia di San Gimignano, one of the most typical and ancient Italian white wines (it was already mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy)  we now have to drive back down to Poggibonsi and then go up for about 10 km till Castellina in Chianti, wonderful stone village of Etruscan and Roman origins.
In 15 minutes drive around the woods and vineyards we can then reach the silent small hamlet of Radda in Chianti where the Castello di Volpaia is worth a visit.
Back on the Chiantigiana we take the direction of Florence and in about 20 minutes we find Greve in Chianti, our last stop in the very heart of the Chianti Classico area:  its very nice square is full of restaurants, little shops and wine bars where we can choose among the best Chianti Classicos. And if we want to buy and cook our own Fiorentina steak we can't miss a stop at Falorni, one of the best butchers in the whole Tuscany.

Wine cellars that can be visited in this area:

-Cantine Leonardo - Via Provinciale di Mercatale 53 - Vinci   Tel.:0571902444
-Center for wine culture  “ I Lecci”- Museum, Wine shop and bar- Via Lucardese 74- Montespertoli  Tel. 0571606068
-Tenute Guicciardini Strozzi- Località Cusona, 5- San Gimignano Tel. 0577950028
-Castellare di Castellina- Loc. Castellare di S. Niccolò- Castellina in Chianti-Tel.0577740272
-Castello di Volpaia- Loc. Volpaia- Radda in Chianti-Tel. 0577738066
-Castello di Verrazzano- Via San Martino in Valle 12- Greve in Chianti –Tel. 055854243

2- Southern Tuscany: from Montepulciano through the Orcia valley, Montalcino and the hills of Maremma

Montepulciano, Sout East of Siena, is an ancient town with marvellous buildings, churches and squares. Due to its unique beauty it has been called “the pearl of the 16th  century” as some of the most important architects of the Renaissance such as Peruzzi, Sangallo and Michelozzo were asked by Cosimo I ( belonging to the Medici family)  to carry out the main construction works.
Montepulciano is also famous for its Vino Nobile (one of the best Italian red wines) whose origins date back to the 14th Century. In the 16th century Mr. Sante Lancerio was considered the most important oenologist of his time and in one of his reports to the Pope Paul III he suggested to buy the Vino Nobile as it had a wonderful colour, smell and a perfect taste.

From Montepulciano we can leave for Pienza, another architectural jewel of the 16th century with splendid views on the Orcia valley and its very special landscape made of clay hills, cypresses and beautiful farmhouses. After a short stop in Pienza, where we cannot miss trying its famous “pecorino” cheese, we can drive through San Quirico d'Orcia and then, in about 20 minutes, we will reach Montalcino. Here we can walk and admire its buildings and churches that were build between the 13th and 16th century. An absolute must is a visit to the 14th century fortress that dominates the countryside all around. Inside the fortress there is a real paradise for those who love quality wine: we are in the land of Brunello di Montalcino and here you can find and taste hundreds of different labels and vintages of this precious wine that is considered by many as the best Italian red wine.

From Montalcino we now drive west till we reach the opposite side of Mount Amiata: so we are leaving the Province of Siena and entering the Province of Grosseto. We head for Pitigliano, Sovana and Sorano, wonderful Etruscan villages one close to the other that are surely worth a stop. If we continue our trip driving North for about half an hour we reach Scansano, nice hamlet on the top of a hill where the very popular Morellino is produced (since 2006 it is one of the few Italian DOCG wines) whose main grape is Sangiovese, which is used for all Tuscan quality wines like Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Carmignano and also for the so called “supertuscans”.

Wine cellars that can be visited in this area:

Cantina Contucci- Via del Teatro 1- Montepulciano- tel. 0578 757005
Cantina del Redi- Via di Collazzi 5- Montepulciano- tel. 0578757166
Azienda Agricola San Filippo- Località San Filippo 134 FGA- Montalcino- tel. 0577847176
Castello Banfi- Loc. Poggio alle Mura- Sant’Angelo Scalo( Montalcino)-tel-0577840111
Fattoria dei Barbi- Località Podernovi 170- Montalcino-tel. 0577841111
Azienda Agricola Val delle Rose- Località Poggio alla Mozza-( Grosseto)-tel.0564409062
Poggio Morino-Località Preselle 10- Frazione Montorgiali- Scansano- tel. 0564585908