From the hilltop vineyards of Montalcino to the coastal estates of Bolgheri, Tuscany produces wines that speak equally of ancient tradition and bold reinvention — a landscape where every ridge holds a new appellation.
Tuscany is Italy's most celebrated wine region — a rolling landscape of cypress-lined hills, medieval towns, and vineyards that have been producing wine since the Etruscans. Today it is home to some of Italy's most iconic appellations and to the bold, internationally-influenced Super Tuscans that transformed the perception of Italian wine in the 1970s and '80s.
Tuscany's wines are shaped by a combination of Mediterranean climate, varied soils, and the ancient Sangiovese grape — interpreted differently across each of the region's major zones.
The fragmented limestone-schist and dense clay soils of Chianti Classico — poor, well-drained, and utterly suited to Sangiovese. The vines struggle, concentrate, and produce wines of uncommon complexity.
Long, dry summers provide consistent ripeness. Sea breezes from the Tyrrhenian coast temper the heat in coastal appellations like Bolgheri, while higher altitudes ensure freshness in Montalcino and Montepulciano.
The volcanic soils of Pitigliano and the southern Maremma produce wines of distinctive mineral complexity — an entirely different expression of Tuscan terroir from the limestone-dominated north.
Montalcino's hilltop vineyards sit at 300-500 metres. The temperature differential between day and night preserves acidity and aromatic freshness — essential for the extraordinary longevity of Brunello.
Brunello di Montalcino is Italy's most prestigious red wine — a single-variety expression of Sangiovese Grosso aged for a minimum of five years before release, capable of developing in bottle for half a century. At its finest, from producers such as Biondi-Santi, Soldera, and Salvioni, it achieves a complexity and longevity that places it among the greatest wines on earth.
Chianti Classico — the historic heartland between Florence and Siena — produces Sangiovese of elegant structure and vibrant acidity. The Gran Selezione category, introduced in 2014, marks the appellation's finest single-vineyard expressions. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, from the hilltop town above the Val di Chiana, produces wines of quiet authority and considerable age-worthiness.
In 1968, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon on his Bolgheri estate and produced a wine he named Sassicaia — entirely outside the DOC system, classified only as a humble Vino da Tavola. When it was released commercially in 1975, it was immediately recognised as one of Italy's greatest wines. The Super Tuscan era had begun.
Antinori's Tignanello followed — blending Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in small French barriques rather than the traditional large Slavonian oak. Today, the coastal estates of Bolgheri — Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto — are among the most coveted bottles in Italy, commanding prices that rival the finest Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Italy's most age-worthy red wine. Pure Sangiovese Grosso from the hilltop town of Montalcino — mandatory ageing of five years minimum, with the greatest examples requiring two decades to fully open.
The historic heartland between Florence and Siena. The Black Rooster DOCG produces Sangiovese of elegant acidity and cherry-herb complexity — Gran Selezione marks the finest single-vineyard expressions.
Home to Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Masseto. The warm coastal climate and free-draining soils produce powerful, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends of international stature.
From the medieval hilltop town above Val di Chiana. Prugnolo Gentile (a Sangiovese clone) produces wines of quiet authority, dark fruit, and considerable age-worthiness.
The wild, coastal Maremma produces a more immediately accessible, fruit-forward expression of Sangiovese (here called Morellino) — warm, generous, and increasingly acclaimed.
Italy's first ever DOC wine. The indigenous Vernaccia grape produces white wines of almond, citrus, and mineral character beneath the famous towers of San Gimignano.
Tuscany's sovereign grape. High acidity, firm tannin, and flavours of cherry, dried herbs, tobacco, and leather — it achieves its summit in Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.
The grape of the Super Tuscan revolution. In Bolgheri's warm coastal climate it produces wines of extraordinary concentration and structure — the foundation of Sassicaia and the international varieties at Ornellaia.
Masseto — a single-vineyard Merlot from Bolgheri — is Italy's most expensive wine and one of the world's most sought-after. Rich, velvety, and opulent, it represents the grape's finest Italian expression.
The indigenous white grape of San Gimignano — ancient, aromatic, and distinctly Tuscan. At its best it produces wines of almond kernel, white peach, and a clean, saline mineral finish.
The estate that launched the Super Tuscan revolution. Private visits to the Sassicaia cellar and vertical tastings with the estate team are arranged exclusively for Maison du Vin clients.
One of Italy's most celebrated estates, producing Ornellaia, Masseto, and Le Serre Nuove from coastal Bolgheri. Their annual harvest art label project is among the most collectible in Italian wine culture.
The founding family of Brunello di Montalcino. Their Riserva wines — produced only in the finest vintages — are among the longest-lived and most collected bottles in Italian wine.
Twenty-six generations of Florentine winemaking. Producers of Tignanello — the wine that defined the Super Tuscan concept. Their Badia a Passignano estate in Chianti Classico receives private visitors.
The most uncompromising producer in Montalcino. Gianfranco Soldera's biodynamic estate produces Brunello of almost mythical complexity from old vines and an insistence on perfection at every step.
A pioneering estate combining exceptional single-vineyard Chianti Classico Gran Selezione with an extraordinary contemporary art collection installed permanently throughout the estate.
Every Tuscan experience is designed around access to the people and the places that define the region — from the cellars of Bolgheri's great coastal estates to the ancient vineyards of Montalcino.
The first green shoots on the Sangiovese vines. A tranquil time for cellar visits and barrel tastings of the new vintage, before the summer tourism season begins.
Long, warm Tuscan evenings in the vineyards. The ideal season for exploring Bolgheri's coastal estates and understanding the difference between the sea-influenced west and the hilltop appellations of the interior.
October in Chianti and Montalcino is the finest time to visit Tuscany — the harvest brings colour, activity, and an extraordinary generosity of spirit to the estates that few other seasons can match.
After harvest, the olive oil harvest follows. November in Tuscany — truffles, newly pressed olive oil, open cellars, and the first tastings of the new vintage alongside the cellar master.
From the legendary cellars of Bolgheri to the ancient hilltop vineyards of Montalcino — every Tuscan itinerary is designed around your palate, your curiosity, and the access that only Maison du Vin can provide.