About the Region of Tuscany:

As unquestionably Italy's most famous wine zone, this region combines its historic foundation (especially in Chianti) with its drive to enter the next millennium at the forefront of the wine world (witness the advent of the "Super Tuscans").

Wines:

Chianti - ever since the Iron Baron, Bettino Ricasoli, created the official "recipe" for Chianti back in the mid-1860s, the wine has undergone many changes.   It can be a very bright, simple red (as served in a straw-covered flask, appropriately named a "fiasco") or a massive, medium to full-bodied wine with earthy, spicy and violet notes.    Composed mainly of Sangiovese and Canaiolo and/or Cabernet with occassional traces of the white grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia, each producer dictates a proprietary style.

Vin Santo - Tuscany's "holy wine," this lush, amber-colored nectar of the gods is made from passito-style Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes.   It can be either dry or sweet, but it always follows a meal, served with the local almond biscuits (cantucci).   The wine generally exhibits a nutty overtone, complimented by rich apricot and dried fruit notes.

Carmignano - a red wine very similar in style and grape composition to Chianti, this was the first Tuscan red allowed to use Cabernet in the blend (up to 10%).

Some of the world famous wines in Italy are Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, vino Nobile di Montepulciano,  Morellino di Scansano and white wine of the Cinque Terre.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano - a white wine made from the Vernaccia grape.   The wine's renown actually lies in the town's towers, and rarely in the simple, clean, light floral and fruity notes of the wine.

Brunello di Montalcino - considered Italy's most powerful red, this thoroughbred is produced with the Sangiovese Grosso grape that Ferruccio Biondi Santi isolated in his "Il Greppo" vineyard back in the 1880s.    By law, the wine must age in cask 3½ years, leaving the wine rich in tannin and secondary aromas and virtually inaccessible in its youth.    The recent introduction of "Rosso di Montalcino" allows for a wine of similar pedigree but with less time in oak, forcing the fruit notes to the forefront.

Morellino di Scansano - from the Maremma, the Sangiovese clone called Morellino produces a medium bodied red with rich fruit overtones. Relatively unknown, this red is making strong in roads.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - similar to Chianti, here Sangiovese is called Prugnolo Gentile. With the addition of Mammolo to the blend, the wine reveals a medium body and effusive notes of violets, spice and earth. "Rosso di Montepulciano" is a younger version, with loads of primary fruit.

	Montepulciano - 'Nobile' 'Wine