Cortona
Styles
Principal grape varieties
SyrahMerlotChardonnayGrechetto B. (Pignoletto)SauvignonCabernet-SauvignonSangioveseUgni Blanc (Trebbiano Toscano)Malvasia Bianca (Malvasia Bianca Lunga)Malvasia Nera Di Basilicata N. — Malvasia (Malvasia Nera Di Basilicata)
Terroir
Natural factors
- Soils formed from Pliocene marine deposits (argille) followed by continental deposits (sands, silts, and loose fine argille) within a tectonic depression.
- The tectonic depression of the Val di Chiana originated during the Apennine compressive phase in the late Miocene.
- Continental summer climate with marked diurnal temperature variations and mean annual rainfall between 700 and 900 mm.
- Vineyards are concentrated on the hilly terrain surrounding Cortona (approximately 600 m above sea level), distinct from the reclaimed plain of the Val di Chiana.
Human factors
- Land-reclamation schemes in the Val di Chiana were coordinated by the Medici after 1554 and subsequently by the Lorraine from 1737, with contributions from Leonardo da Vinci and Antonio da Sangallo.
Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.
Sources
- eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1518
- Official trade body site — Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini DOC Cortona