When you think of Tuscany, you think of wine. As such, when taking a tour of Tuscany, you must stop at a winery that produces Brunello Di Montalinco wine, which is one of the most famous wines in Italy and, as a result, the most expensive. What distinguishes this wine from other Italian wines is the very specific requirements regarding the type of grape used and the aging process.
The governing bodies of Brunello Di Montalcino are the Brunello di Montalcino Wine Consortium, as well as the Denominazione di Orgine Controllata (DOC) and the Denominazione di Orgine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). DOC and DOCG are the Italian wine laws that protect consumers and guarantee quality. If a bottle of wine has any of these letters on the label, you can be sure of the specific region the wine was produced in and, more importantly, that the wine was produced according to specific guidelines. Currently, there are 316 DOCs and 37 DOCGs in Italy.
The Brunello di Montalcino Wine Consortium, and the specific DOCG law, set the guidelines for this famous wine. To begin with, this spectacular wine is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. But the requirements to be labeled as Brunello Di Montalcino do not end there. The requirements for a wine to have this special label are as follows:
- The wine must be produced in the municipality of Montalcino;
- A maximum yield of 8 quintals per hectare;
- 60& yield of wine from grapes;
- Minimum two (2) years in oak barrels and four (4) months (six (6) months for Riserva) in bottle before release;
- Bottling must be done in the production area;
- Use only Bordeaux-style bottles; Y
- Available for purchase at least five (5) years after harvest (six (6) years for Reserves.
The typical Brunello Di Montalcino wine has an intense ruby red color, which turns garnet with aging. The taste of the wine is very dry, balsamic, somewhat tannic, abundant and harmonious, and the aroma is intense.
While there are many wineries in Tuscany, you should consider visiting any of the following wineries:
- Poggio Antico
- uccelliera
- The Poggione
- Abbey Ardenga
- The Fortune
- altesin
- Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona
- Col d’Orcia
- banfi
- MastroJanni
- Syro Pacenti
- talentsi
- argian
To finish, our tour of Tuscany is complete without a visit to a winery that produces Brunello Di Montalcino wine.