Toscano

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Tuscan Archipelago, formed by seven islands facing the coastal zone, has the Isola d'Elba as its epicentre — the most significant testimony from a viticultural standpoint.
• The inland zone, hilly in character, is interrupted in its normal orientation and conformation by the Monti Pisani, the Colline Metallifere and, further north, the Monti del Chianti.
• The heights of the northern and eastern mountain rim average around 1,000 metres above sea level, reaching up to 2,000 metres above sea level.
• The flat areas of the region, such as the alluvial Piana dell'Arno, have elevations ranging from 200 to 50 metres above sea level.
• The rivers of Tuscany — among them the Magra, Serchio and Arno, rising in the Apennines; the Cecina and Cornia from the Colline Metallifere; the Ombrone from the Monti del Chianti; and the Albegna from Monte Amiata — define the boundaries of numerous hilly areas.

• In 1716, the Grand-Ducal edicts established the territorial delimitation of certain Tuscan wines valued on the market, together with provisions against fraud in the wine trade.
• The Accademia dei Georgofili, founded in Florence in 1753, developed studies on land management, grape varieties and vine-training systems in Tuscany.
• The governo all'uso toscano for red wines consists of a re-fermentation after pressing-off, with the addition of approximately 5% of lightly dried and crushed grapes.
• Baron Bettino Ricasoli studied, around 1870, the inter-varietal blending formula for Chianti, a practice characteristic of Tuscan assemblages.
• Among the traditional indigenous Tuscan grape varieties are Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, Mammolo, Colorino, Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia lunga del Chianti, Ansonica, Aleatico and Vermentino.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-IT-A1517
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Vino Toscana