| Arriving in Tuscany is like plunging into the pages of a fairy tale.
Rolling hills surround the medieval villages that fill the valleys and riversides. Majestic castles perch on rises with their immaculate vineyards before them, soaking up the warm Tuscan sun.
Looking out on these magnificent vineyards with their manicured cypress trees and ancient olive groves, one can truly appreciate the unique passion these people have for food and wine. Few places in the world have married traditional cuisine and their local wines with as much success as Tuscany. The wonderful fresh dishes from such simple ingredients as beans, sausage, fresh tomatoes and olive oils create the perfect canvas for winemakers to practice their ancient art. And the omnipresent smiles on the faces of the people are a great testimonial to their accomplishments. The fancy stemware and extensive wine lists are left to the tourists, while the locals opt for a rustic tumbler of a simple, fresh red. In Tuscany, wine is not a drink for the wealthy or something to be enjoyed only on special occasions – it’s an integral part of everyday life.
Despite the breadth of wines made in Tuscany it is surprising to discover that the bulk of wine is composed primarily from one grape called sangiovese. Despite the enormous success of this grape within the bounds of Tuscany itself, few producers have tried their hand with it on foreign soil. Good examples of sangiovese are delicate balances of sour cherry, subtle spice and underbrush, all framed by a wonderful but potent acidity, which must be tamed and balanced by the sweeter fruit components. This has proven to be a difficult task overseas, leaving most new world examples looking clumsy and homesick. Unlike Cabernet and Merlot, you can’t just extract the life out of the grapes, slap some wood on them and have something worth drinking. The special challenge of sangiovese has led many producers away form this noble if finicky grape.
Yet sangiovese remains the heart and soul of Tuscany and a great many of the region’s most prized and cherished wines are focused on it, even if some French stowaways have found their way into the mix. The tiny villages that make up Tuscany produce an enormous array of wines, most of which fall within the Italian D.O.C. (wine law) system. This means the wines carry along with them the names of the villages from which they reside, with the more notable ones becoming household names.
Leading the charge has been Chianti, made famous in the ’60s and ’70s by its notorious straw bottle or fiasco. As the popularity of Chianti grew, so did the popularity of the region it came from, but the original area now referred to as Classico is still the home of the best wines, save a few from Rufina.
As the bulk of production moved to less favourable sites where the wines were thin, diluted and over-cropped, Chianti met her demise. Troubled years followed and demand started to drop in the ’80s as large producers of second-rate wine were trying to make a quick buck off of Chianti’s popularity. But, happily, the region has been restored to its former glory and far beyond. Today the average quality of Chianti is enormously high, with several producers making world-class wines.
The region received a big boost with the ’97 vintage which American journalists touted as the finest on record. Interest in the area was at an all-time high and many great names were once again restored in the public eye.
Despite the high quality of the ’97 Chianti, much of the interest in Tuscan wines shifted elsewhere. International buyers and collectors bypassed the traditional wines in favour of more modern selections. The Super Tuscans or I.G.T. wines were the focus of much of the hype – these wines are products of foreign devils such as Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah produced in tiny amounts, aged in French barrique and released at frightfully high prices. Some of Italy’s finest and most expensive wines now reside in this newly created category and they are the biggest reason the international community has once again started to revere the wines of Tuscany.
Today the modernists and the traditionalists must live in harmony despite their differences, promoting the wines of Tuscany as a whole. Although the super-sleek and polished wines receive most of the attention today, savvy buyers know great examples of traditional sangiovese can still deliver enormous pleasure when served beside something as simple as a plate of pasta. |
