I am planning a trip to Florence, Italy in October 2007. I will be focusing on wines from Tuscany and Florence area over the coming months. Part of the plan is learning to speak Italian. I have started this process as of August 2006. I have some wine distributor friends in Dallas who know a great deal about Italian wines. Hopefully, I can impart some of that education here. I will be focusing on Central Italy.

I also want to share a link to Italy's wine region I found. If you are learning Italian wines, this link will be very helpful. The Wine Regions of Italy

Because this page is growing, I am going to add links to certain wines.

Barolo (actually from the Piedmont Region, not Tuscany), but hey, this is The Wine of Kings and the King of Wines.

1998 Terra Di Ripanera from the estate of Maria Grazia Guerrieri

This is a Super Tuscan Wine that was recommended to me. Tasted March 10, 2007. I think there are better Super Tuscans, but for the price (I got at a discount of $25), normally around $40 which is still inexpensive for a Super Tuscan.

I thought the tannins were smooth and not harsh. The acidity nicely balanced. It had a good mid palette, but very short on the finish in my opinion. I would rate it an 88 points.

Tasted December 24, 2006. This is a Super Tuscan. We had this with a 1996 Barolo (see my notes) and this completely different in taste. I have included some notes above I found which fit very well into what I experienced. Excellent wine. Paid around $42.

2001 Guido Porro Barolo Vigna - Nebbiolo WS:93

Tasted November 26, 2006. Enjoyed with Filet Mignon and a special Merlot sauce. This is a big Italian wine. I have not had a Barolo before this, but the Wine Spectator rated it a 93 - WOW! We will see if my palette is sophisticated enough. Barolo is from the Piedmont Region of Italy. Nebbiolo grape dates back to the time of Dante, the greatest poet ever.

My tasting notes: This wine was a huge success with everyone. Most of the guest were not wine drinkers, but this Barolo really opened up their palettes to wine. The tannins were perfect. The nose licorice and tobacco were there, as stated below. The mid-palette and finish were just as wonderful as the beginning. I would not mind having a case of this wine.

A description of the flavors I found on the Internet:
This is a masculine, full-bodied wine with aromas and flavors of ripe strawberries, tar, licorice, tobacco, chocolate, roses, and Asian spices - just to name a few. This complex wine best displays its depth with proper ageing.

If you would like to know more about Barolo, click here. Also, this is very interesting site, I believe they are still working on this site from Barolo, Italy; it is a museum about Barolo Wine. I suspect this site will be great as they add to it.

2003 Rosso Di Montalcino

Tasted November 4, 2006. This is an excellent Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Brunello di Montalcino is considered by many to be Italy's greatest wine. It is grotesquely overpriced. Brunello producers make lots of Rosso di Montalcino. It's the overproduction that doesn't go into the main wine of the estate. The irony is that in many cases the Rosso di Montalcino is the better wine. And the Rosso di Montalcino I tasted recently blow away most of the Chiantis in the price range. While Brunello di Montalcino is a great wine, it is at its core a Chianti. It is made from the same grape, the Sangiovese (San-joe-Vay-say).

I have really been reading and learning a lot about this wine region because I intend to visit Tuscany in October 2007. It has been a real pleasure tasting and learning about some of the wines from there.

Unlike Brunello, they are made without excessive oak aging (required by law for Brunello, despite recent changes that have improved the situation somewhat), are less brutally tannic and have much more luxuriant fruit. In short, they have adopted the philosophy of the best Bordeaux, Burgundy and California Cabernet - if you got it, flaunt it - lol

2004 Chianti Colli Senesi

Tasted this November 7, 2006. This is a dark garnet wine with a reddish-purple glint, a little more shaded toward blue-violet than Chianti's usual reddish highlights, perhaps signaling its youth. Spicy black-cherry aromas are typical of basic Chianti, as are its fresh and bright flavors, simple black fruit nicely balanced by crisp acidity, making for a fine food wine.

I drank it with a smoked beef brisket, but this wine has no complexity or finish. As some other reviewers have said, it is one dimensional. They food was nicely offset by this wine. The heavy tannins were not there that I enjoy. The nose is very nice, though not overwhelming. I agree with the 'soft acidity', something else I lean towards, like in a Syrah or Rhone wine. I have now had two bottles, tasted at separate times and it just does nothing for me. I bought this on a high recommendation from someone in the know, so it is probably just me. [edit 11/12/06: evidently, I am not the only one who doesn't care for this Chianti - click on labels to see some other reviews.] Because this is from the Tuscany region, I bought it because I am really trying to understand these wines in that Region. Here are a couple of reviews I found on the web. Notice their rating. This suggest they didn't like it that much, but hey, what do expect for $7 :

Tasted by ChillyWino on 10/25/2006 & rated 85 points: I'm impressed. Ruby red color. Great nose of red fruits, anise, violet and spice. There is a slight dusty feel to the wine, but it still has a great feel. Nice depth and complexity. (82 views) Tasted by Bin242 on 5/27/2006 & rated 84 points: Dusty spice, raspberry and fairly bright cherry on a moderate nose. A youthful structure dominated the palate and somewhat closed down on the fruit. Soft acidity. The tannins, while fairly fine grained, clamped down and shortened the finish. Back label says to decant for 1/2 hour. Sounds good.

Now, to link to what some others who bought this wine the same time I did have to say, click on the picture of the wine label above. Evidently, I am not the only one who feels this way. Here is a link to WineTV reviews about this wine.

A-mano Primitivo IGT, Puglia 2003

A stunning example of a chewy, jam-packed, rich, deep, dark purple wine. There is an incredible concentration of black currant and ripe raspberry scents that go on forever along with a rainbow of plum, blueberry, tar, leather, anise and cedar. The complexity of aromas and the soft, velvety tannins linger on the long, long finish. I bought this on a strong recommendation from a store owner I trust. For $13, this was a very good wine to just sip on and enjoy without expecting too much. I would buy this wine again. Somewhat reminiscent of a Zinfandel, A-Mano Primitivo is a bold red wine from Puglia, Italy. This wine is from what is called the heel of Italy. Its not from Tuscany, but it is worth buying.

Teruzzi & Puthod Peperino

My own description was a nice nose, filled with cherry and plums as stated below. The taste was smooth and fruity, yet balanced with the dry tannins. I tasted this October 14, 2006 and my vintage was a 2002.

A bright clear red on the edges and a darker purple in the middle. Aromas of cedar, vanilla, volatile plums and a little cherry fill the nose. A funk of old wet leaves mixed with black currant is also very evident as a very annoying background aroma. Tastes follow the nose generally. Acidity is less as I would have hoped for but sufficient to hold up the good amount of fruit this wine has. Heavy bodied with mouth drying tannins and a pretty long, although not enjoyable, finish.

Here is a little history/knowledge I copied from the web about Tuscany Wines:

This should be old news to most wine enthusiasts, but let's recap briefly in case you're rusty: The Chianti region spans a broad swath of Tuscany in Northern Italy, from Florence to Siena and from Umbria to the sea. Its blend or "recipe," altered a bit from tradition in modern times, must include from 75 percent to 100 percent Sangiovese, and up to 10 percent each of Canaiolo, other local red varieties, and/or the white Trebbiano or Malvasia.

Grapes grown anywhere in the region may go into basic Chianti, but only grapes from the traditional central region, between Florence and Siena, may qualify for the "Chianti Classico" designation, which also calls for slightly longer aging before release. Higher alcohol levels qualify for the title "Superiore," and longer aging - 24 months, compared with six for Classico and five for regular Chianti - adds the title "Riserva."

Pick up a bottle of Chianti Classico Riserva, and you're dealing with (and paying for) something with a lot more gravitas than a simple pizza or spaghetti wine. These are serious, world-class wines that demand cellar time to show at their mature best.

Some of the sub-regions are fairly widely available, while a few are rare enough that I have yet to see them sold outside Italy. Here's a quick field guide to help you recognize these rare birds if you see them:

From Arezzo, Chianti Colli Aretini

From Pisa (yes, the place with the Leaning Tower), Chianti Colline Pisane

From the region near Florence, Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Chianti Montespertoli and Chianti Rufina

From near Florence and the villages Pistoia and Prato, Chianti Montalbano

And from the historic region around the city of Siena on the south end of Chianti, Chianti Colli Senesi, "Chianti from the Siena hills." (The words "Colli" and "Colline," seen in several of the regional names, simply mean "hills.")

Consistent terroir distinctions among the sub-regions of Chianti. Perhaps that will come as Chianti's modern reputation continues to grow. For now, suffice it to say that I find the sub-regional Chiantis often provide excellent quality for price. That's certainly true of today's tasting, a 2004 Chianti Colli Senesi from Fattoria della Vitae.

Map of Tuscany Region