Tuscan Wine

"No poem was ever written by a drinker of water," said the great Roman poet Horace in the first century BC. A wise statement that may have been read and understood by the English poet Elizabeth Barratt Browning who, while living in Florence in the mid 19th Century, downed glass after glass of Chianti to write her finest poetry. Equally enthusiastic was Francesco Redi personal physician to Ferdinand II, Grand Duke of Tuscany who celebrated the magnificence of the region's wine in the 1600s with his wildly enthusiastic eulogy, Bacchus in Tuscany, therefore confirming Tuscany's reputation as Italy's finest wine-producing region.

The Tuscan wine-making tradition began with the Etruscans who settled in the area around 800 BC and brought their skills with them from Northern Turkey. But, as the population exploded and the call for wine grew, it was the Romans who fully exploited the region's potential. They implemented the props and trellises that still litter the Tuscan hills today, improved the Etruscan presses used for extracting juice, classified which grapes grew best in which climate and discovered that wine kept in tightly closed wooden barrels bettered with age.

After the fall of the Roman Empire wine production fell into the hands of the Roman Catholic monks who liked a drink and perfected the art until wine drinking became a popular pastime in the Renaissance period. In the nineteenth century strict guidelines were introduced to bring Italian wine up to scratch.

Italian Wine Labels
DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllato) means that the wine comes from a designated area and was produced according to traditional wine-making methods: DOCG (the G stands for Grantita) guarantees a high quality and is a badge worn only by the finest wines. Classico means that the wine comes from the oldest part of the production zone. Riserva or Superiore means that the wine has been aged longer.

Tuscany produces some 19 DOC and DOCG wines. Here are five of the finest that will cost but a fraction of what you might pay in any other country.

Chianti
A government controlled wine designation area, meaning any wine called Chianti has to be made in the Chianti area, of which Vercenni is at the centre. Produced primarily from Sangiovese grapes, sometimes combined with a little Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti is a subtle and elegant wine grown all around Vercenni, and is far more sophisticated than a Zinfandel or a Syrah.

San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico 2000 Made by one of Tuscany's most respected winemaking families, the Martini di Cigala brothers. Just 10 minutes drive from Vercenni Ricasoli Chianti Classico DOCG Castello Di Brolio Just fifteen minutes from Vercenni Brolio in Gaiole is one of the world's oldest wine makers, which produces a ruby red coloured wine with intense aromas a wine to savour. It was Bettino Ricasoli who wrote the original recipe for Chianti back in 1874. Badia di Coltibuono 2000 Again very close to Vercenni. This is a gorgeous local wine with a great heritage. An easy drink but not at all simple.

Brunello di Montalcino
After Chianti, Montalcino is Tuscany's most famous wine-making area, while the Brunello is fast becoming renowned as the region's finest wine. Brunello hails from outside Montalcino a small medieval town outside of Siena and is created entirely from Sangiovese grapes. Brunello, "the nice, dark one" in local dialect, is Tuscany's most expensive, rarest and longest-lived wine, which by Italian wine law must be aged a minimum of four years. Brunello is a ravishingly smooth and deliciously subtle wine. Piancornello 2001 Riserva is a good buy that perfectly complements a hearty Tuscan meal of Italian sausage chopped into a tomato sauce with penne and parmesan .

Sesti Brunello di Montalcino 2001
An amazingly warm, dense, velvety wine that should be opened, decanted and left at room temperature for an hour or so, just so you can fully appreciate what is not just a bottle of wine but a heavenly experience.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Tuscany) comes from the Sangiovese grape. It ages about two years (three for "Riserva" version) in wood barrels and is a full-bodied juicy red. Valdipiatta 2001, La Braccesca 2003 and a Lipitiresco 2000 are the names to look out for.

Arcano Colli Senesi
Less respected than any of the above, this is still a good wine that is not only inexpensive but perfect with pasta for lunch as it is not too heavy and the texture is tart.

Vernacchia Di San Gimignano
The speciality of San Gimignano, this is a lovely golden coloured crisp white wine that is the perfect accompaniment to seafood or a hot day around the pool.