Tuscany LIVE tasting with Libiamo
We joined wine expert, Mike Turner, live via Zoom to explore one of Italy’s most renowned wine regions, Tuscany. Mike talked through the intricacies of the region, whilst we tasted three interesting & surprising wines from specialist Italian retailer, Libiamo.
Tuscany is a stunning region in central Italy with rolling hills, lots of sunshine & glorious views! It’s home to the Sangiovese based wines of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the Super Tuscans - iconic & pricey wines, which come under the Toscana IGT appellation, allowing them to use non-indigenous grape varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot.
Our first wine was from San Gimignano, a medieval Tuscan hill town southwest of Florence, followed by a Chianti Classico & finally a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - not to be confused with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, a grape variety from the Abruzzo region, east of Rome!
What we learnt…
Vernaccia is a white Italian grape & Vernaccia di San Gimignano is produced in & around the town of San Gimignano
DOCG is the highest quality level of Italian wine
Chianti is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape
Chianti Classico is the name given to wines from the original historical boundaries of the region - you’ll probably have noticed bottles featuring the Black Rooster, which is used to help identify these wines
If you’ve ever watched people swirling a wine, it’s to get oxygen in the glass to open up the aromas & flavours. Top Tip! If you have difficultly swirling, use a hard surface for balance such as a table, or even your hand.
Mike’s style is super-fun & informative, so it really doesn’t matter what stage you’re at on your wine adventures, you’ll learn something new without feeling intimidated. Perfect for the wine curious! Libiamo run monthly tastings, the next one is on 26th March exploring the wines of Southern Italy. Use code GRAPE10 to save £10. Find out more here.
The wines
Vernaccia di San Gimignano by Cesani
A super-interesting & unusual white wine. Savoury on the nose & palate, with delicious notes of green veg, artichokes & almonds with high acidity & a deliciously long finish. This was my favourite wine of the three.
£TBC - so popular it’s already out of stock!
Chianti Classico DOCG Le Corti by Principe Corsini
Sangiovese 95%, Colorino 5%
A classic Chianti with redcurrant jam balanced by spice & leather, with high tannin & acidity. We used a Coravin to pour a couple of glasses and enjoyed with steak at a later date!
£20.06 from Libiamo
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano by Salcheto
100% Sangiovese
A beautiful earthy wine with lots of dark red fruit & spices. It’s powerful & complex but balanced by acidity, maintained by the grapes being grown at an altitude of 650 metres. The wine is certified organic but is made using biodynamic practices. The label is also very cool & includes braille, which is a really inclusive idea & not something I’ve seen before.
