Guides

Articles

Media

E-Learning

Resources

Community

Explore

Central and Southern Italy

Table of Contents
  1. Tuscany (Toscana)
  2. Umbria
  3. Marches (Marche)
  4. Abruzzo
  5. Latium (Lazio)
  6. Molise
  7. Campania
  8. Apulia (Puglia)
  9. Basilicata
  10. Calabria
  11. Siciliy (Sicilia)
  12. Sardinia (Sardegna)
  13. Review Quizzes

BACK TO TOP

Tuscany (Toscana)

On the Tyrrhenian Coast of Italy, the region of Tuscany has become a byword for Italian culture. A famous artistic legacy and rich history match the natural beauty of the Tuscan countryside, unfolding in waves of golden and green hills that ebb and flow between the Apennine Mountains and the sea.



Wine is deeply embedded in Tuscany’s cultural heritage—the famous medieval Florentine poet Dante Alighieri praised the Vernaccia of San Gimignano, and legislation delimiting the Chianti zone dates to 1716. The first DOC and DOCG zones to be authorized in Italy were Tuscan. Wine and commercial agriculture are big business in Tuscany, and the hills are a patchwork of olive tree groves, vineyards, and wheat fields—a natural evolution of the “promiscuous” agriculture that ancient Romans practiced, wherein these three staple crops of Tuscany were planted side by side in the same fields. In the past, Chianti was synonymous with Italian wine—and a reminder, not unfairly, of its troubled quality. Historically bottled in a fiasco due to the inferior quality of Italian glass, the squat, straw-covered Chianti bottles came to epitomize the rustic, cheap nature of Italian wine in the late 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. Tuscany’s winemakers have responded with a surge in quality over the last quarter century, slashing vineyard yields and building on the successes of the “Super-Tuscan” trailblazers Marquis Mario Rocchetta, who released the first commercial vintage of Sassicaia in 1968, and his nephew Piero Antinori, whose Tignanello bottling soon followed. While the benchmark for quality has been raised significantly, it may be at the expense of typicity—the Bordeaux grapes and model of winemaking extend great influence over the modern Tuscan
Comments
  • in reply to Gabriella Magnani

    Hi Gabriella — Chianti Classico was originally established as a subzone of the Chianti DOC in 1967 (elevated to Chianti DOCG in 1984). Chianti Classico was separated out from Chianti, however, in 1996, and became its own independent DOCG. So Chianti Classico represents the historic part of the Chianti area, but is separate from the Chianti DOCG. 

  • I am confused by Chianti sub-regions, specifically Classico. In this guide, it says "Although Chianti was not elevated to DOCG until 1984, the limits of the modern Chianti zone were established in 1932, and seven subzones were created for the region: Classico, Rùfina, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Colli Aretini, and Montalbano. Another subzone, Montespertoli, was added in a 1997 decree." But in The Wine Bible, MacNeil says "Chianti is made up of seven subzones, one of which is not Chianti Classico (although it seems like it ought to be). Rather, Chianti and Chianti Classico are two separate types of wine, and each has its own DOCG. This means that you can't make Chianti in Chianti Classico, and you can't make Chianti Classico in Chianti." Even if MacNeil has outdated information (which doesn't make much sense, since even the original came out in 2001, and I have the 3rd edition from 2022), your guide here is saying that Classico was an original subregion created in 1932, and that the only more recent change is adding Montespertoli. Is MacNeil just mistaken here, and Classico is both a subregion of Chianti and is its own DOCG? She seems to be specifically pointing out that Classico ISN'T a subregion of Chianti. Thank you!!

  • In the section on Tuscany, the mention of Trebbiano Toscano as Italy’s most planted white variety is no longer true. Glera has surpassed it in plantings by a few thousand hectares. 

  • in reply to Evan White

    Hey Evan -- The numbers will fluctuate year to year, but as of 2023, Sicily was fourth in total wine production by volume, behind Veneto, Puglia, and Emilia-Romagna. 

  • The section on Sicily implies that the region is usually the 2nd most productive "surpassed in volume only by Veneto," but Mark's more recently published Expert Guide on Southern Italy indicates that it is the 4th most productive region. Which is correct?

App Store Google Play
© 2025 GuildSomm

Join to continue reading.

GuildSomm members enjoy exclusive access to educational content, classes, and a robust professional network. If you're a wine professional, GuildSomm is for you! Our members represent every facet of the industry and stage of a beverage career.

Join now