Tuscan wines amaze
Noble and holy

The region around Montepulciano is an area with a centuries-old wine culture. The first document referring to wine production dates from 789. It tells of a cleric who gave his vineyard to the church. The French too mentioned the existence of Tuscan wine. In his famous Candide, Voltaire described the wine of Montepulciano, just like Alexandre Dumas did in his Count of Montechristo.

Alongside the hills of Montepulciano and surroundings, wine has brought about a new kind of tourism. The city has become a popular destination for agriturismo or farm holidays. The Mediterranean climate gives tourists the opportunity of tasting three laurelled wines and a divine dessert wine.

Due to this large variety, Tuscan wine production can meet the constantly changing taste. Along with the Vino Nobile, the Rosso di Montepulciano and the Chianti dei Collisenesi account for the increasing success of Tuscan wine.

After an eventful past, the Vino Nobile, Tuscany's oldest and also most famous wine, is facing a promising future. Nowadays the Vino Nobile is a close second in the wine competition, right behind the Brunello. The Nobile is slightly more fruity but has a rich and profound flavour. It has a fresh scent and is bright red. It is a soft and elegant wine, which makes it appropriate for special occasions.

Vin Santo
The Rosso di Montepulciano was cultivated on demand of the wine producers of Montepulciano. They wanted a wine with the same kind of grapes as those of the Vino Nobile but without letting it age for two years. Nowadays the farmers use the inferior Nobile grapes to make Rosso di Montepulciano. The label still refers to the noble intention but it must be said that the younger Rosso is not as profound.

The youngest member of the renowned Montepulciano wines is the Vin Santo, a dessert wine. This wine is cultivated with dry grapes, which are matured in wooden barrels. The grapes are dried just before All-Saints, which have given this ‘holy wine' its name.

1963 saw the passing of a law which created order in the Tuscan wine scene. The Vino Nobile was one of the first Tuscan wines to receive a DOC recognition or Denominazione di Origine Controllata. The elite wines later got the DOCG stamp (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) on their label. Again the Vino Nobile was among the chosen ones. Every future kind of Nobile is tested on its chemical and physical features by a committee.

More about wine:
Montepulciano
Cantina innocente

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- This site was realised thanks to the co-operation between the town council and the inhabitants of Torrita di Siena and ten graduated students 2004 from the “Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen”, Belgium, department communication science, campus De Ham. - © Torrita di Siena