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Tuscany
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Sangiovese through Chianti, Brunello and Vino Nobile, then Bolgheri, the Super Tuscans, Maremma, Vernaccia and Vin Santo.
All levels 123 min 15 steps About Tuscan Wine Regions
Part of Italy
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Start with Tuscany: 11 DOCG and 41 DOC classifications, with red wines built on Sangiovese.
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Meet Sangiovese, a late-ripening grape with vibrant acidity and firm tannins, the backbone of Chianti Classico, Brunello and Vino Nobile.
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Begin the zones with Chianti DOCG: six provinces, at least 70 percent Sangiovese and seven subzones.
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Then Chianti Classico, its own DOCG since 1996, between Florence and Siena, with at least 80 percent Sangiovese.
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Go south of Siena to Montalcino for Brunello, 100 percent Sangiovese released no earlier than January 1 of the fifth year after harvest.
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Chianti Classico vs Brunello di Montalcino
Chianti Classico DOCG vs Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
Set Chianti Classico and Brunello side by side: climate, soils, blending rules, aging requirements and style.
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Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Next, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, made mainly from Prugnolo Gentile, the local Sangiovese clone, on the hills around Montepulciano.
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Bolgheri DOC: Italy's Super Tuscan Heartland
Cross to the coast at Bolgheri, where Sassicaia from the 1968 vintage started the Super Tuscan movement.
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Read the Super Tuscan story: Bordeaux varieties grown outside DOC rules, labeled Vino da Tavola, which pushed Italy to create IGT Toscana in 1992.
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Then Maremma Toscana DOC, covering the whole province of Grosseto and permitting both native and international varieties.
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Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG
Turn to white wine with Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Tuscany's only white DOCG, known for a bitter almond finish.
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Vin Santo del Chianti Classico Tradition
Close the wines with Vin Santo, a sweet wine from dried grapes aged at least 3 years in small caratelli barrels.
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Now producers: a family estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga, at the southeastern edge of Chianti Classico, making 100 percent Sangiovese reds.
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In Montepulciano, a family estate in Cervognano whose flagship Il Nocio comes from a single vineyard.
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Finish in the Maremma with the estate that launched Saffredi in 1987.
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