Wine Whisperer
To Tuscany … and Beyond
Many first- time visitors to Tuscany head straight for Florence. And why not? There’s the Uffizi Gallery, great food all over the place and vineyards in every direction. Plus, it’s a good place to start appreciating Italian wine.
Any American who has ever eaten a pizza knows about Chianti: It’s the heart of the Tuscan wine region. And thankfully, the quality of those wines has improved enormously since the days when we used to choke the stuff down out of a bottle wrapped in straw. A bit more obscure— but well worth knowing— are the wines from the regions outside the area. Umbria. Abruzzo. So if we can tear ourselves away from the attractions of Florence and Siena, there are delights to discover.
Why not start with Montefalco? It’s right next door to Tuscany, in Umbria, where the signature grape is a big, bold red called sagrantino. Like the neighboring regions, they also grow a ton of sangiovese, which is the main component of the Chianti wines we all know and love. But there’s a twist.
They also make a wine called Rosso di Montefalco, which is a blend of sangiovese, sagrantino and … whatever else they have sitting around. Could be cabernet sauvignon, merlot or even syrah. That means producers are free to blend these wines in any proportion, so every Rosso you sample will taste a bit different. That’s a good thing.
Or, you could travel in the opposite direction, to the west of Florence, and climb up to the utterly charming hill town of San Gimignano. It’s just about the only place in Italy where the original tower structures survive, and it’s breathtaking.
Delightful, too, is the white wine that’s most characteristic of the area: vernaccia. Light, zippy and slightly bitter, it’s the perfect complement to seafood, shellfish and even sushi.
So this month’s favorites are, for me, Romanelli Montefalco Rosso 2010 with a nice earthy nose and fresh berries and cherry on the palate; and Sono Montenidoli Tradizionale, Vernaccia, 2011, a straightforward wine for everyday drinking that treats you to nice acidity and citrus flavors.
Sample widely! Jerry Greenfield is known as The Wine Whisperer. He serves as the creative director for a Florida- based advertising agency and is the former wine director of the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Festival. Read more at thewinewhisperer.com.
THEY ALSO MAKE A WINE CALLED ROSSO DI MONTEFALCO, WHICH IS A BLEND OF SANGIOVESE, SAGRANTINO AND … WHATEVER ELSE THEY HAVE SITTING AROUND.