Tuscany

An exceptional dessert wine. Local wild cherries are infused with the prior year's vintage (Montepulciano and Sangiovese). Deep red and intense, with cherry aromatics and bright, balanced acidity. 

Here's a great little red blend from Antinori, which is a gorgeous expression of the insanely beautiful Tuscany region, but which is made from an interesting mix of Italian and French grapes. Sangiovese leads the way here with small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, all grown in Tuscany. 

Antinori's winemakers describe this wine as firm bodied on the palate, supple with  velvety tannins and a long, savoury aftertaste.

It?s not often we come across wines that date back to 1398 but Chianti is no everyday wine, especially when it's labelled Isole E Olena. All grapes in this wine were hand picked. It's a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 5% Syrah, which balance each other nicely with their ripe red berry flavours of cherries and raspberries which sit alongside complex notes of spice, smoky leather and a hint of cedar. This wine's lively acidity adds a freshness and gives length to the wine. 

This great red will benefit from ageing thanks to stellar winemaking and viticulture from Paolo di Marchi, one of the kings of the Sangiovese grape, who took over the winemaking in 1976. He ended decades of sharecropping and focussed on fine tuning work in the vineyards and pioneered Tuscan reds made entirely from the Sangiovese grape, such as the great Super Tuscan, Cepparello; now one of the region?s most iconic wines. 

Isole e Olena Chianti Classico is one of the great Tuscan reds.Try it. 

THE CHIANTI CLASSICO APPELLATION

Chianti Classico is the heart of the wider Chianti production zone and its wines are distinguished by a trademarked black rooster on their labels. The wines of Chianti Classico are higher in quality and noticeably so in taste than wines labelled Chianti, which come from a broader area in Tuscany. The wines taste better because the vines are planted on hillsides with a higher degree of  iron rich soils and a greater diurnal temperature range, which provides more powerful, riper fruit flavours, which are balanced by higher acidity thanks to the cooler night time temperatures. 

The Sangiovese grape must make up 80% of all wines labelled Chianti Classico compared to 70% Sangiovese for wines labelled Chianti. 

Chianti was first defined as a wine producing sub region within Tuscany in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III, whose wanted to protect the integrity of the wines and prevent fraud. The Chianti Classico Wine Consortium was formed in 1924 with the distinctive Black Rooster trademark chosen to feature on the labels. 

Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico is a fabulously affordable expression of Tuscany's great Sangiovese grape, which makes up 95% of the blend here with 5% Merlot providing a softness and supple texture to the wine as well as adding smooth plummy flavours. 

This is a savoury little number with bright acidity adding freshness and length to every sip. This is a tasty little number for drinking now or in the next couple of years.

THE CHIANTI CLASSICO APPELLATION

Chianti Classico is the heart of the wider Chianti production zone and its wines are distinguished by a trademarked black rooster on their labels. The wines of Chianti Classico are higher in quality and noticeably so in taste than wines labelled Chianti, which come from a broader area in Tuscany. The wines taste better because the vines are planted on hillsides with a higher degree of  iron rich soils and a greater diurnal temperature range, which provides more powerful, riper fruit flavours, which are balanced by higher acidity thanks to the cooler night time temperatures. 

The Sangiovese grape must make up 80% of all wines labelled Chianti Classico compared to 70% Sangiovese for wines labelled Chianti. 

Chianti was first defined as a wine producing sub region within Tuscany in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III, whose wanted to protect the integrity of the wines and prevent fraud. The Chianti Classico Wine Consortium was formed in 1924 with the distinctive Black Rooster trademark chosen to feature on the labels. 

This complex and affordable Chianti Classico is a full bodied, ripe and powerful wine made from a blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Colorino and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, each grape contributing depth, body and balance to the wine. 

This brand was traditionally produced by a well known cooperative with over 60 different grape growers contributing to the blend but the brand has now been acquired by Tenute Piccini, which employs the highly respected consultant oenologist, Riccardo Cotarella.

THE CHIANTI CLASSICO APPELLATION

Chianti Classico is the heart of the wider Chianti production zone and its wines are distinguished by a trademarked black rooster on their labels. The wines of Chianti Classico are higher in quality and noticeably so in taste than wines labelled Chianti, which come from a broader area in Tuscany. The wines taste better because the vines are planted on hillsides with a higher degree of  iron rich soils and a greater diurnal temperature range, which provides more powerful, riper fruit flavours, which are balanced by higher acidity thanks to the cooler night time temperatures. 

The Sangiovese grape must make up 80% of all wines labelled Chianti Classico compared to 70% Sangiovese for wines labelled Chianti. 

Chianti was first defined as a wine producing sub region within Tuscany in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III, whose wanted to protect the integrity of the wines and prevent fraud. The Chianti Classico Wine Consortium was formed in 1924 with the distinctive Black Rooster trademark chosen to feature on the labels. 

This is one of Marchese Antinori's top Tuscan wines and is made from the Peppoli Vineyard in the Chianti Classico DOCG. This wine was first made in 1985 and is a full bodied Chianti Classico with firm smooth tannins and high acidity, which is balanced by the ripe dark fruit characters and silky finish. 

It was aged in large Slovenian oak barrels with a small portion aged in stainless steel to retain fresh fruit flavours and balance. 

THE CHIANTI CLASSICO APPELLATION

Chianti Classico is the heart of the wider Chianti production zone and its wines are distinguished by a trademarked black rooster on their labels. The wines of Chianti Classico are higher in quality and noticeably so in taste than wines labelled Chianti, which come from a broader area in Tuscany. The wines taste better because the vines are planted on hillsides with a higher degree of  iron rich soils and a greater diurnal temperature range, which provides more powerful, riper fruit flavours, which are balanced by higher acidity thanks to the cooler night time temperatures. 

The Sangiovese grape must make up 80% of all wines labelled Chianti Classico compared to 70% Sangiovese for wines labelled Chianti. 

Chianti was first defined as a wine producing sub region within Tuscany in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III, whose wanted to protect the integrity of the wines and prevent fraud. The Chianti Classico Wine Consortium was formed in 1924 with the distinctive Black Rooster trademark chosen to feature on the labels. 

Once regarded as a renegade wine, Antinori Tignanello has been a trend setter from the start and was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with untraditional varieties (specifically Cabernet) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that didn?t use white grapes. Today it is a blend  of Sangiovese (68%) with the balance being Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Complex floral aromas lead into structured dark fruit, mocha and spice flavours in a wine with a medium body and beautifully balanced long finish. 

The history of Tignanello 

Tignanello was the first Sangiovese on the record to be aged in barriques, the first contemporary red wine blended with non traditional Tuscan grape varieties (specifically Cabernet Sauvignon) and one of the first red wines in the Chianti Classico region that didn?t use white grapes in the blend. All up, a big call. 

Piero Antinori first discovered the use of non indigenous grapes, and more specifically, those used in Bordeaux through his uncle Marchese Mario Incisa della Rochetta who had a vineyard at Tenuta San Guido in Bolgheri, and was making a wine using grapes better known as Bordeaux classics, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot et al. 

At first, this was for his own personal consumption, however was released in 1968 as the legendary Sassicaia.

Piero went off and forged his own path in Tuscany making wines from the local Sangiovese but also a select few made from Bordeaux grapes. This wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc - and as these wines are prohibited in Chianti, the wine is an IGT and not a DOCG. 

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is one of Italy's great reds and comes from Montalcino, a hillside town that's about 42 kilometres from the city of Siena, 150 kilometres from Florence and is 567 metres above sea level. 

Brunello di Montalcino must legally be aged for five years prior to its release in bottle, so when looking at the great wines from this small township, it's important to take that into consideration. 

The name Brunello comes from the Italian word Bruno, which means brown. It was given to the grape variety that Brunello di Montalcino is made from; it's a 100% varietal wine, meaning it is made entirely from only one grape variety. And until 1879, that grape was thought to be a distinctively different variety than the main grape in Tuscany, namely Sangiovese. 

In 1879, it was discovered that the Brunello grape is, in fact, a clone of Sangiovese which happens to produce particularly powerful, velvety smooth reds in this little highly prized hillside appellation. So, Brunello is one of Tuscany's few red wines that is made 100% from the Sangiovese grape and it is one of Italy's great red wines. 

Bright and deep garnet color. The nose is rich and concentrated with hints of blueberries, licorice and cocoa. The palate is fresh and juicy. Balsamic and appealing scents of graphite lead to mellow notes of rhubarb. Fine-grained and silky tannins. The 2018 Promis perfectly mirrors the Mediterranean scrubland of which it is surrounded.

Blend: 55% Merlot, 35% Syrah, 10% Sangiovese

Chianti Classico with a modern twist; Merlot makes up a small portion of this smooth, full bodied Tuscan red, giving it approachability and softness to complement the spicy, red cherry zing of the great Sangiovese grape. 

A Tuscan classic made in a modern style with beauty in every sip. Sensational now and will age superbly for up to a decade. 

This complex and affordable Chianti Classico is a full bodied, ripe and powerful wine made from a blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Colorino and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, each grape contributing depth, body and balance to the wine. 

This brand was traditionally produced by a well known cooperative with over 60 different grape growers contributing to the blend but the brand has now been acquired by Tenute Piccini, which employs the highly respected consultant oenologist, Riccardo Cotarella.

THE CHIANTI CLASSICO APPELLATION

Chianti Classico is the heart of the wider Chianti production zone and its wines are distinguished by a trademarked black rooster on their labels. The wines of Chianti Classico are higher in quality and noticeably so in taste than wines labelled Chianti, which come from a broader area in Tuscany. The wines taste better because the vines are planted on hillsides with a higher degree of  iron rich soils and a greater diurnal temperature range, which provides more powerful, riper fruit flavours, which are balanced by higher acidity thanks to the cooler night time temperatures. 

The Sangiovese grape must make up 80% of all wines labelled Chianti Classico compared to 70% Sangiovese for wines labelled Chianti. 

Chianti was first defined as a wine producing sub region within Tuscany in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III, whose wanted to protect the integrity of the wines and prevent fraud. The Chianti Classico Wine Consortium was formed in 1924 with the distinctive Black Rooster trademark chosen to feature on the labels. 

If you're looking for Italy in a glass, here it is - a complex Chianti Classico (90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot) from  a hillside vineyard in Tuscany called Poggio Teo. This 10 hectare site is situated about 400 metres above sea level where its vines gain maximum sunshine and benefit from cool nights, both of which enhance this wine's deep velvet smooth mouthfeel and complex, dry savoury aromas. Fleshy black plum flavours and a soft textured mid palate are followed by a lingering flavoursome finish. 

A great wine for drinking now (must be decanted to show at its best) and to save for another five to six years. 

Earthy red made from the Sangiovese grape and a wine that represents Central Italy at its best, expressing this elegant grape's great structure thanks to being made from 20 to 30 year old vines, hand picked grapes and a wild ferment in concrete and stainless steel for 12 to 15 days. The wine was aged for six months in concrete and three months in bottle, pre release. 

It's a wow red, both for drinking now and for aging. The beautiful firm smooth tannin structure, high but balanced acidity and the purity of red fruit all make it an exceptional red wine. 

Tasty Tuscan rosso with ripe lush red berry flavours in a soft, smooth and succulent, blend, made mostly of Tuscany's great Sangiovese with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon to add structure and a commanding presence. Affordably delicious wine for drinking now and over the next two years. 

It's named after the Villa di Remole in Tuscany, which has been owned by the Fresobaldi family for over 700 years. 

The wine is aged four months in stainless steel and two months in bottle, prior to release.

Frescobaldi's Nipozzano Riserva Rufina Chianta is named after the Castello Nipozzano and is a delicious complex Riserva Chianti with extended aging time and made from vineyards in Rufina. Wild berries and cherry flavours are flattered by spicy undertones of pepper, nutmeg and roasted coffee. It has a silky texture and layers of depth and interest.