TOSCANA
From the rolling hills of Chianti in the eastern part of the region to Montalcino and the seaside vineyards of Bolgheri and Maremma to the west, Tuscany has been a center for wine production since the Bronze Era when the Etruscans developed sophisticated techniques for vine training there. By the 17th century, Florence, the
region’s capital, was already home to one of Europe’s largest wine markets and a major European hub for the international wine trade. In the decades that followed the Second World War, Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino — both made using Tuscany quintessential red grape, Sangiovese — became some of the most highly coveted
fine wines throughout the world. And by the 1990s, another game-changing wine category had emerged from Tuscany: The so-called “Super Tuscans,” made with international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, and aged in small-format French casks (barriques).
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