Tuscany
Sangiovese and tomato were made for each other.
What Tuscany teaches: food and place
Tuscany's wines are inseparable from its table. Chianti's bright acidity exists to cut through ragù; Brunello's depth was built for bistecca alla fiorentina. The region teaches the lesson most wine education forgets: wine and food are not separate decisions. They grew up together.
The wines
Sangiovese in three registers: everyday Chianti, age-worthy Chianti Classico Riserva, and monumental Brunello di Montalcino. Then the Super Tuscans of the coast, where Cabernet rewrote Italian wine law.
Where to go
The Chianti Classico hills between Florence and Siena are the postcard: Antinori nel Chianti Classico is a winery built into a hillside like a Bond villain's cellar, and Castello di Ama pairs grand cru Sangiovese with world-class contemporary art. Further south, Montalcino's fortress town comes with Brunello tastings on its walls. Biondi-Santi, the estate that invented Brunello, receives by appointment.
Eat
Dario Cecchini's butcher shop in Panzano serves bistecca with Dante recitations. In Florence, any trattoria with a handwritten menu and Chianti in a flask will feed you better than it has any right to.
Getting there
Fly into Florence or Pisa. Rent a car. The joy of Tuscany is the road between the towns, cypress by cypress.
Know the wine before you go.
The app teaches you Sangiovese in five minutes, then helps you order it with confidence. Learn the grape, then come back and plan the trip.
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Tuscany, quick answers.
What wine is Tuscany known for?
Sangiovese reds: Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and the Super Tuscans.
What is a Super Tuscan?
A high-quality red that broke the old rules by blending in Cabernet or Merlot. Once labelled humble table wine, now some of Italy's most prized bottles.
When is the best time to visit Tuscany?
May, June or September, warm but short of peak-summer heat.
