Tuscany

Midway between Milan and Rome, Tuscany is bordered on the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Apennines mountain range on the east.

First inhabited by the Etruscans, in the Middle Ages and continuing through the Renaissance, Tuscany developed into a center of the Arts and Learning under the control of the Medici clan. And no art was more developed here than that of winemaking.

Even before the Etruscans migrated to the area, wild vines grew in abundances around Tuscany's sun-drenched hills. Those early settlers developed those early grapes into the world-famous Sangiovese and Lambrusco.

Combined with these are the Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo that go to make Montalcino, Scansano, Carmginano, along with the more well-known Chianti. Adding to the variety are plentiful Mammolo, Malvasia, Colorino, Raspirosso, Gamay, Moscatello and others. Not limited to reds, there are the delightful whites of Elba Island, Vermentino, Bolgheri and Val di Nievole.

Tuscany boasts four of Italy's nine top-rated DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) classified zones. At only one shop in Tuscany the number of available labels has grown from 1,000 a few years ago to over 5,000 today. Small wonder Italy now vies with France for the world leader in wine production.

Produced by vineyards that range from the Castello di Fonterutoli owned by the same family since 1435 to ones founded only a few years ago, Tuscan wines are experiencing an all-time high in quality and popularity.

The importance of quality is nowhere more evident than at Rocca delle Maccie. Organic fertilization, careful pruning and hand harvesting, and the use of oak barriques for aging are just some of the practices instituted at this estate. An active member of a consortium of Chianti Classico growers, they produce one of the best selling wines in Italy.

As another example, the Fassati Nobile di Montepulciano, made from a blend of Prugnolo Gentile (a clone of Sangiovese Grosso), Canaiolo Nero and Mammolo, was praised as far back as the 18th century by Voltaire.

Wines produced here range from the simple Chiantis to the complex super Tuscan reds, with fruity aromas. Beginning with the change in vineyards and viticultural methods of the 1970s the 1996-on vintages have entered world class.

The 'super Tuscans' became popular as more international style reds began to be produced from Bordeaux-style blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot along with the Sangiovese. Labeled 'table wine' to circumvent counter-productive government regulations, they are now anything but. Among these outstanding new reds are the Brusco dei Barbi, celebrated among wine connoisseurs.

Not to be outdone by makers of red, the Bolgheri Vermentino is a delightful, fruity white which pairs perfectly with shrimp. And once the province of France only, the Cabreo Chardonnay competes on equal footing.

The Renaissance lives on in Tuscany.