Castello di Gabbiano Classico Chianti 2013

Wines of Tuscany

Tuscany, or Toscana in Italian, is one of the most iconic Italian regions for wine, scenery, and history. Located in central Italy along the west coast, its production of Sangiovese wines is world renowned. Some of Italy’s most famous subregions for Sangiovese such as Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano can be found here.

Tuscany makes both simple and top tier, age worthy Sangiovese wines. At entry-level you have a wine that is pizza and pasta friendly with bright and juicy red fruit. On the other hand, the highest quality representations of Sangiovese are remarkably complex with flavours ranging from sour cherry, balsamic, dried herbs and leather to fresh earth, dried flowers, anise and tobacco.

In evidence of the quality produced, Tuscany produces the third highest volume of DOC and DOCG quality wines in Italy, only trailing Piedmont, and Veneto. DOC and DOCG wines are the highest designation for Italian wines, while you will often see the IGT classification used to represent wines from Toscana that do not reach the standards for DOC/G.

There is another unofficial class of Tuscan wines called Super Tuscans which also command high prices. These wines are often made from international wine varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, with or without Sangiovese.