Tuscan red wine is prized for its rich, fervent winemaking going back thousands of years, the protagonist of a long journey that marks important milestones in the history of Italian wine. These coincide with the birth and spread of Tuscan wines now famous all over the world for their remarkable quality – a quality that cannot be understood without looking at the elements that define what makes them special.
But Tuscan reds are prized also for the characteristics of the land and the climate. Tuscan vines put down their roots on the region’s gentle slopes, where they enjoy good exposure to the sun and a climate suited to the proper ripening of the grapes. However, each production area has particular characteristics that make terroir decisive for the variety of Tuscan wines.
The hot, dry summers lead producers of Tuscan red wines to grow their vines at an altitude of at least 550 metres above sea level. The higher the altitude, the longer the ripening period and the higher the acidity of the Tuscan red wine.
By contrast, Tuscan white wine does not benefit from the same terroir but prefers the cooler hill areas. Although red wines are the most widespread in the region, there are excellent Tuscan white wines that are highly appreciated, such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano, produced mainly in the town of the same name in the province of Siena, and Vermentino, which comes mostly from the coastal area and the slopes of the Apuan Alps.
Some fine Tuscan red wines
Back to the reds: Tuscany is full of fine ones, and the many wines this land has to offer are well worth tasting.
Here are some of the finest Tuscan red wines – the most famous, much sought after online and always appreciated by connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike:
Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido
Solaia
Marchesi Antinori
Tignanello
Marchesi Antinori
Ornellaia
Tenuta dell’Ornellaia
Flaccianello della Pieve
Fontodi
I Sodi San Niccolò
Castellare di Castellina
(Most of the wines linked in the photos are available in several vintages and sizes.)
The best Tuscan red wines: which one to choose?
When talking about fine Tuscan wines, it is impossible not to mention at least Brunello di Montalcino, Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti and Bolgheri.
These wines win the appreciation of connoisseurs worldwide and very often feature in the top guides. Choosing a fine Tuscan red from so many wines is not easy. Being spoilt for choice can only be overcome by personal preference.
Brunello di Montalcino, a Tuscan wine famous all over the world, is made from Sangiovese Grosso grapes; it has unique structure and body, excellent ageing potential and aromas and flavours so pleasant that it cannot be compared with any other wine, however renowned.
Nobile di Montepulciano is made from Prugnolo Gentile grapes and is considered “the king of wines”, as the poet Francesco Redi called it centuries ago. The celebrated Chianti Classico is known for its particularly dry taste and fruity aromas. Bolgheri, on the other hand, has a nose of fruit preserves balanced by notes of black pepper, a refined taste and particularly intense flavours that unfold on the palate in a velvety, enveloping way.
Other typical Tuscan wines are: Rosso di Montalcino, with its lighter concentration of flavour; Morellino di Scansano, dry, warm and slightly tannic; and Barco Reale di Carmignano, more easy-drinking and supple.
The production areas of Tuscan red wines
The main production areas of Tuscan wine are:
- the Chianti hills, in central Tuscany;
- the Mugello, in northern Tuscany;
- the Val di Chiana, in the south;
- the coastal area.
Tuscan DOC red is so widespread that the region ranks third for the number of labels with this appellation. There are in fact 38 Denominazioni di Origine Controllata (DOC), plus 5 areas with Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) and 10 Denominazioni di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), including many famous Tuscan names.
One of the main strengths of Tuscany’s wines is undoubtedly the variety of its production. Besides wines with an appellation, many famous Tuscan wines fall into the category of Super Tuscans. These include all the Tuscan red wines that deliberately do not follow the production rules and use, instead of Tuscan grapes alone, some international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, which is often added to or replaces the traditional Sangiovese. They therefore cannot be classified as DOCG, but they rightly rank among the best Tuscan wines.
Super Tuscans include, for example, Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia and Antinori’s Tignanello, two fine Tuscan wines: Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC in particular is one of the most renowned and expensive Italian wines. Its importance shows how the enterprise and foresight of Tuscan winegrowers were able to create a fine Tuscan wine that started life as a simple table wine and became the first and only wine produced by a single winery that owns an exclusive DOC.
Telling the whole story of Tuscan red wines is almost impossible, as is naming them all. Anyone looking for an excellent Tuscan red wine is truly spoilt for choice!
