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 and, as a result, most expensive types of wine in Italy. What distinguishes this wine from other Italian wines are 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, and also 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 ensure quality. If a bottle of wine has any of these letters on the label, you can be sure of the specific region in which the wine was produced and, more importantly, that the wine was produced according to specific guidelines. Currently, there are 316 DOCs and 37 DOCGs in Italy.
The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino and the specific DOCG law set the standards for this famous wine. For starters, this spectacular wine is made 100% with Sangiovese grapes. But the requirements to be labeled Brunello Di Montalcino don’t stop there. The requirements for a wine to have this special label are the following:
- The wine must be made in the municipality of Montalcino;
- A maximum yield of 8 quintals per hectare;
- 60 & grape wine yield;
- Minimum two (2) years in oak barrels and four (4) months (six (6) months for Riserva) in bottle before its launch;
- Bottling must take place in the production area;
- Use only Bordeaux style bottles; and
- Available for purchase at least five (5) years after harvest (six (6) years for Riservas.
The typical Brunello Di Montalcino wine has an intense ruby red color, which will turn 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 a visit to any of the following wineries:
- Poggio antico
- Uccelliera
- He Poggione
- Abbadia Ardenga
- The Fortune
- Altesino
- Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona
- Col d’Orcia
- Banfi
- MastroJanni
- Siro Pacenti
- Talent
- Argian
Finally, no tour of Tuscany is complete without a visit to a winery that produces Brunello Di Montalcino wine.