Barberino Val d'Elsa, Chiesa di San Bartolomeo
     
   
The Val d’Elsa and Barberino Val d'Elsa
 
   
The Val d’Elsa lies between the provinces of Florence and Siena. Divided by the river Elsa, this area of Tuscany is one of the region’s most beautiful sections of countryside. As well as boasting a vast historical and artistic heritage made up of chapels, churches, ancient monuments and magnificent 15th and 16th century villas such as Collazzi and Tattoli, the Val d’Elsa also abounds in excellent restaurants and fine regional cuisine.
There are many lovely hill villages in Tuscany but San Gimignano attracts most of the tourist traffic. In order to spread this largesse around a collective of six villages has been formed. They include San Gimignano and all are in the area of Val d'Elsa. The others are Poggibonsi, Colle Val d’Elsa, Monteriggioni, Radicondoli, and Casole d’Elsa.
San Gimignano has been called ‘a medieval Manhattan’ and people flock to this tiny village to see the famous ‘skyscrapers’. Building started in 1150 and continued until 72 of them soared into the air. Today only 15 of the original towers remain and they are enormously impressive.
Half way between San Gimignano and Pienza, on a hill that overlooks the Via Cassia-Francigena, is Monteriggioni, a magnificent fortified town that has retained its circle of walls almost completely intact. Colle di Val d'Elsa was originally developed as three independent areas: Borgo di Santa Caterina, Castello di Piticciano and Il Piano. Colle di Val d'Elsa has a small but attractive old town with two important provincial museums, the Museum of Civic and Religious Art and the Archaeological Museum, as well as quite a good Museum of Lead-Crystal Glass. In its history, Colle di Val d'Elsa was the setting for frequent military events. Among the most famous of these we would note the battle of 1269 between the Guelfs and Ghibellines, which had significant repercussions for the political geography of Tuscany. In the 17 C, the Usimbardi family introduced glass production into Colle di Val d'Elsa. The paper industry was replaced by the new iron and glass industries. The production of glass evolved into lead-glass crystal production and this became the principal industrial activity of Colle di Val d'Elsa, which became known as the Bohemia of Italy in the 19 C. Today Colle di Val d'Elsa produces 15% of the world's crystal.
 
   

Barberino Val d'Elsa

 
Halfway between Florence and Siena, on the north-western borders of the Chianti area, a winding hilly road, once the ancient Via Cassia and now State road n° 2, leads up to the town of Barberino Val d'Elsa, situated high up above the valley from which it takes its name. The centre of Barberino Val d'Elsa is still ringed by its original fortifications. The town has retained its mediaeval elliptical shape with a main street running between the two turreted tower gates, the Porta Romana and the Porta Fiorentina. Two other streets run parallel with this main street and meet up with it again near the gates.
Barberino Val d'Elsa is mentioned in a document of 1054 belonging to the Abbey of Passignano as a fortress or village situated in the Parish of San Pietro in Bossolo.
The Piazza Barberi includes the Church of San Bartolomeo which houses a fragment of an annunciation by the school of Giotto (14th-15th century) and a bust in bronze by Pietro Tacca.
The Via Francesco da Barberino leads to the 14th century Porta Senese (Sienese Gate), and the Ospedale dei Pellegrini (Pilgrims' Hospice) dating from 1365.
The Church of Sant'Appiano was built during the 11th century (part in stone) and 12th century (part in brick) and now includes the Antiquarium Museum housing various Etruscan artefacts from the many necropoli in the area, the village of Linari, the Castle of Poppiano at Vico d'Elsa and Petrognano.
The Chapel of San Michele Arcangelo is particularly interesting. Built in 1597 by Santi di Tito, it is a perfect 1:8 scale reproduction of the Cupola or Dome of the Cathedral of Florence.
The Chapel of San Michele Arcangelo was built in 1597 by Santi di Tito as a perfect 1:8 scale reproduction of the Cupola of the Cathedral of Florence. It was constructed on the site of the ancient city of Semifonte, completely razed to the ground by the Florentines in 1202. The site remains a focus for archaeological study.
The noble Barberini family dynasty began at Barberino Val d'Elsa in the 11th century.
 
 

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The Antiquarium of Sant’Appiano is a small archaeological museum located in rooms adjoining the Pieve di Sant’Appiano just a few km from Barberino Val d’Elsa.

La Pieve di Sant’Appiano (The parish church of Sant'Appiano)

The church itself, built in early Romanesque times with a nave and two aisles with apses.

The monumental group of buildings that composes Sant Appiano – the Romanesque Parish Church, the ruins of an octagonal building, the cloisters, the canons' house and the group of houses in the close vicinity forming the village - is situated on a pleasant hill and surrounded by dark cypress trees. The beauty of the landscape blends in perfectly with the sacred atmosphere of this place, which also preserves the remains of the Saint who gave his name to the village, originally called Monteloro.
Etruscan tombs
The remains of a single complex dating from the 8th century B.C., have been discovered near the Parish Church, while two chamber tombs have been found near Podere Piazza.

Parish Church of Sant Appiano Parish Church of Sant Appiano
This suggestive and beautiful Parish Church, mentioned in documents as early as 990, still retains many early Romanesque structural remains, like the part in stone in the left nave, the apse and the crypt.
Antiquarium of Sant’Appiano
The museum occupies two rooms that contain part of the archaeological material found in the surrounding area and unearthed during some of the excavation campaigns.

 
The picturesque castle of Tignano stands on a small and isolated hill directly facing Barberino, with an extensive view that takes in the Elsa Valley and the narrow Drove valley. It is perhaps the finest example of a walled village in the Elsa Valley. Its circular castle-like structure with a central square is particularly original. A steep slope leads up to the Florentine gate of the castle, further defended by a squat and square block of the Keep.
Tower House in Upper Tignano was once part of the ring of defensive walls around the village.
The Church of San Romolo was originally built on a square plan in Romanesque style, and was notably altered and restructured in the 20th century.
Oratory of Sant’Anna
Sixteenth century oratory situated inside the castle walls of Tignano. The interior, on a rectangular plan, has a trussed wooden roof.
The tabernacle of Tignano
This tabernacle, built in a niche in a raised wall, can be found on the road that descends from Tignano to Uliveto and is in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape.

 
Vico d'Elsa is small town of medieval origin situated in a strategic position on a low hill above the Via rancigena (Road to France) and in the vicinity of the bridge of San Galgano, which goes past Semifonte to ink the Volterra road to Florence. This ancient walled castle and town has retained its original oblong design with two central squares and two parallel streets that meet up near the two gates, which no longer exist today.

 
PONETA - PASTINE- POPPIANO
The tiny country village of Poneta stands on a low hill. It is cut through by the road that branches off from the Via Francigena at the bottom of the valley and climbs up to Barberino Val d’Elsa. The Church of Santa Maria at Poneta is extremely old and important. San Martino at Pastine is a small and very pretty church that dates from the 12th century; its original Romanesque structure and layout is substantially intact. The Castle of Poppiano, whose origins are extremely old, is situated on a hill overlooking the medieval towers of San Gimignano. Itwas completely rebuilt in Neo-medieval style with battlemented towers.

 
 
 
Marcialla stands in a wonderful position right in the midst of the countryside, sprawled along the ridge-like hill that acts as a watershed between the Elsa and Pesa Valleys. The village boasts many unusual and unexpected architectural elements, such as old round arches, as well as fine houses in stone with aristocratic entrances. The pentagonal shaped square is extremely interesting. Marcialla is famous in particular for its climate, thanks to its hilltop position, about 400 metres above sea level, and gives on to splendid views over all the surrounding countryside.
Church of San Lorenzo at Vigliano
Various elements within the church date from the 10th-12th century. The building itself, constructed with rows of stone, is designed on a single nave with an apse. It was enlarged and restored in 1928.
Church of Santa Maria
The original structure of the building dates back to the 12th century, even though various alterations were carried out during the 16th century. The interior contains some very interesting 16th century
paintings.
Palazzo Giannozzi
The palace, with the characteristics of an urban villa, has an eighteenth century facade with Spanish influences. It contains a beautiful room with a vaulted Gothic ceiling lined with bricks set edgewise.
Villa San Lorenzo at Vigliano
Originally a convent known as San Lorenzo alle Grotte, the villa contains a small chapel.
 
 
 
PETROGNANO
PETROGNANO
The village of Petrognano sprawls along the green hills cultivated with vineyards that lie on either side of the road leading from Barberino to Certaldo. The tiny hamlet is made up of a series of ancient houses, scattered haphazardly around the Villa Capponi; in actual fact these buildings with their medieval towers resemble city houses more than country cottages, in spite of being deep in the countryside. This is because Petrognano was once a village attached to a city that has long disappeared: Semifonte.
The village of Petrognano
The small hamlet is formed of a cluster of houses built alongside the road, many of which also possess the vestiges of 13th and 14th century towers and elements from a castle.
Chapel of San Pietro
Originally a small church, the chapel contained several paintings, which, for the moment, have been transferred to the Church of San Donnino in the borough of Certaldo.
The Montigliano SS. Annunziata Tower House
A tower house in rural architecture possessing important elements that date from the 12th - 15th centuries. Enlarged several times over the years, it presents important and distinctive typological elements.
The Morello Tower House
A tower house with outbuildings dating from the 13th century, traditionally believed to having been part of the outer perimeter of Semifonte.
Archaeological remains at Petrognano
Remains dating from the Etruscan-Hellenistic and Imperial Roman periods were discovered between 1967 and 1968 after excavations were carried out by the Board of Archaeology of Florence.
 
 

Semifonte was a fortified city in Tuscany, Italy, built during the late 12th century and destroyed after a siege by Florence in 1202. Today, very little remains of the city: one truncated tower of the southern gate (Porta San Niccolò) and a nearby chapel, plus various buried remains. These are to be found on the summit of the hill above the village of Petrognano-Semifonte, which dates back to the time of the city and stood outside the walls.

Petrognano is the village that belonged to a city called Semifonte.

Dante mentions it in the 16th canto of the Divine Comedy and he refers to its strong soldiers and wise craftsmen: “Fiorenza fatti in là, Semifon diven città”. The city was surrounded by moats, barbicans, towers and very solid walls.

Now the centre is no more there, it was razed to the ground in 1202. After an epic siege and the bloody final battle of that war, the city surrendered and disappeared with its inhabitants who were sent into exile.

In the farm there’s the old parish church of Saint Peter, then reduced to mere chapel. Inside there is still the wood crucifix from the 12th century that is now in the parish priest’s residence in Certaldo. A stone with coat of arms is walled up under the alter. This probably belonged to a valorous defender of Semifonte.

 

The town was menacing with its power the supremacy of Florence so that was decided to move war against the town.

As a result the town was conquered and completely destroyed so that was litterally erased from the land. The same destruction was applyed to all the castles of the valley who were allied with Semifonte.

To let the people remember the defeat and state the power of Florence on the land a reproduction of the Dome Chapel in Florence was built where once stood the town of Semifonte.

 
LINARI
LINARI
This is a delightful fortified village of extremely ancient origins and particularly fascinating for its position among the verdant hills of the Elsa Valley. It stands on the road that branches off from the Via Francigena and leads towards Barberino. The little Church of Santa Maria, built on a Romanesque design with a fine eighteenth century bell-tower, stands at the highest point on the site of what was once the ancient Keep. The Castle itself is built around a paved central street that connected up the two gates.
Church of Santo Stefano at Linari
The tiny church, like many other rural churches in the area, is built in brick with typically Gothic decorative elements. The square bell-tower, with its curiously truncated cusp, is also Neo-Gothic in style.
 
 
 
SAN FILIPPO - PONZANO
Stretched along the hill, the country village of San Filippo is composed of various groups of houses set in a particularly beautiful landscape. The central group is more typically urban as it is cut through by a stone-paved road that comes to an end at the church of San Filippo at Ponzano. This 12th-13th century Romanesque church is built on a rectangular plan with an apse.
 
 
 
SAN MARTINO AI COLLI
SAN MARTINO AI COLLI
San Martino ai Colli is a group of very old houses built on either side of the Via Cassia road; many are farmhouses but some were originally built to offer various services to wayfarers, as well as pilgrims of course, on their way to Rome. The cemetery chapel now remains as the local place of worship.
Chapel of San Martino ai Colli
Situated inside the cemetery of San Martino, the chapel has taken on historical importance since the discovery of two Etruscan tombs dating from the 8th-7th centuries B.C. beneath its foundations.
Necropolis of San Martino ai Colli
The excavations of 1960 brought to light a necropolis with chamber tombs and funerary furnishings dating from the end of the 6th century.
 
 
San Martino ai Colli is a group of very old houses built on either side of the Via Cassia road; many are farmhouses but some were originally built to offer various services to wayfarers, as well as pilgrims of course, on their way to Rome. The cemetery chapel now remains as the local place of worship.
The Chapel of San Martino ai Colli
is situated inside the cemetery of San Martino. The chapel has taken on historical importance since the discovery of two Etruscan tombs dating from the 8th-7th centuries B.C. beneath its foundations.
Necropolis of San Martino ai Colli
The excavations of 1960 brought to light a necropolis with chamber tombs and funerary furnishings dating from the end of the 6th century. The large amount and variety of material brought to light leads us to believe that a small necropolis once stood here and that, over the centuries, tombs from various periods had ended up one on top of the other and in communication.
 
TIGNANO - CORTINE
Cortine, a tiny hamlet, surrounded by countryside that still shows signs of the traditional farming methods, is composed of a handful of houses in stone, a church, and a large mansion. The splendid tower house of Torre del Chito, situated in a strategic position for the defence of the road along the boundary between Florence and Siena, the cause of centuries of war, is a really splendid example of medieval defensive architecture.
Villa Cortine
The Villa, built in post-Renaissance style, boasts several important typological elements. Recently renovated, it is today a private residence.
Castle of Cortine
The Castle can be found mentioned in a document concerning a donation to the Abbey of San Salvatore all’Isola as early as 1038.
 
 
Villa Cortine
built in post-Renaissance style, the villa has been recently restructured and it is currently residence of privacies.
Castle of Cortine
The Cortine Villa

This 15th century villa lies at the heart of the Chianti region (yes, that Chianti). It boasts three houses (along with various other buildings), two swimming pools, and a beautiful Renaissance garden.


it has been already remembered in 1038 because here has been found a document concerning a donation in favour of the Abbey of San Salvatore all’Isola.
 
 
 
OLENA - SAN GIORGIO

OLENA - SAN GIORGIO
The tiny hamlet of Olena lies on the edges of the great Chianti woodlands and is formed of a cluster of houses built around the church. It makes a charming and old-fashioned rural scene, with an atmosphere of the past, further enhanced by the unique landscape all around. The surrounding countryside is particularly beautiful thanks to the combination of woods and hills covered in vineyards. The Hospital of San Giorgio is instead an isolated building that was originally constructed in medieval times to assist the poor pilgrims and wayfarers.
 
 
 
MONSANTO - LA PANERETTA
 
 
Monsanto is situated on the ridge among the stream Drove and the suburb Cepperello, in a panoramic position. Earth of frontier between Siena and Florence, is surrounded by woods, among which there are one famous because it’s entirely of cypresses.
Palace Pino
the villa, with high-class architecture, presents structural elements referable to the century XVII-XIX.
Castle of the Paneretta
ancient small fortress, born in the century XV by the amplification of a medieval tower. The square structure, the quarter-deck and the three angular towers still belong to the native construction.
 
 
The Paneretta Castle is situated in the Chianti Classico area on the western slopes of the dominating hills of the Elsa valley, looking towards S. Gimignano. It was built around an ancient sighting tower. The morning after the battle from Montaperti, the “Ghibellini” ordered to leave the castle of Cepparello in 1260. This place was an important suburb and fortress of this area. So the sighting tower becomes bigger and reaches its importance. The first owners of the castle were the family Vettori, the last heir, Maddalena, brought it as dowry to her wedding with
Ludovico Capponi in 1577. The couple restored the castle completely and commissioned Bernardino Poccetti, important manner painter, to fresco the loggia of the court. In this era the Paneretta became a place of passing by for painters and poets, one of those, Gerolamo Muzio, dedicated a poem to the castle and remained here until his death. Also the production of wine is documented from 1596, on. In 1696, Cassandra Capponi brought the castle, an important collection of codex’s, parchments and books into
her marriage with the Marchese Carlo Riccardi Strozzi. This collection formed the nucleus of the Riccardian library in Florence. The Strozzi family remained owner of the castle until 1984, in this year, the family Albisetti took over . With its 309 hectares ( majority wood) the Paneretta is one of the biggest farms of the area, producing 900 hectolitres of wine from 22 hectares of vineyards.

Castello della Paneretta, strada della Paneretta 35, 50021 Barberino Val d’Elsa
www.paneretta.it
 
 
San Gimignano rises on a hill (334m high) dominating the Elsa Valley with its towers. Once the seat of a small Etruscan village of the Hellenistic period (200-300 BC) it began its life as a town in the 10th century taking its name from the Holy Bishop of Modena, St. Gimignano, who is said to have saved the village from the barbarian hordes. The town increased in wealth and developed greatly during the Middle Ages thanks to the "Via Francigena" the trading and pilgrim's route that crossed it. Such prosperity lead to the flourishing of works of art to adorn the churches and monasteries. In 1199 it became a free municipality and fought against the Bishops of Volterra and the surrounding municipalities. Due to internal power struggles it eventually divided into two factions one headed by the Ardinghelli family (Guelphs) and the other by the Salvucci family (Ghibellines). On the 8th May 1300 Dante Alighieri came to San Gimignano as the Ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany. In 1348 San Gimignano's population was drastically reduced by the Black Death Plague throwing the city into a serious crisis which eventually led to its submission to Florence in 1353. In the following centuries San Gimignano overcame its decline and isolation when its beauty and cultural importance together with its agricultural heritage were rediscovered. The construction of the towers dates back to the 11th and 13th centuries. The architecture of the city was influenced by Pisa, Siena and Florence. There are 14th century paintings of the Sienese School to be seen and 15th century paintings of the Florentine School.

Art in Tuscany | San Gimignano
 
 
 
 
The origins of La Suvera go back to the High Middle Ages as the Castle of the Country of Siena ruled by the legendary Countess Ava Matilde dè Franzesi, a relation of the King of France Clovis. It is therefore likely that the ancient name La Suvera derives from the French 'Souveraine', meaning Sovereign.
La Suvera passed, in episodes of alternate good fortune and ill luck, to Pope Julius II. He entrusted La Suvera to the genius of Baldassarre Peruzzi, who blended the severity of the medieval fortress with the sumptuous luxury of the Renaissance to create the villa as we know it today.
Relais La Suvera has 13 suites and 19 rooms all furnished with antiques and historical pieces belonging to the families of the owners, a rare collection made available to guests just as it would in a private home. Each suite has its inventory which guests may consult should they feel inclined to satisfy their curiosità and know more of the furnishings and furniture surrounding them.

Gardens in Tuscany | Villa La Suvera, the formal Italian garden
 

La Suvera, the formal Italian garden
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

Tuscany is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Known for its enchanting landscapes, its fantastic and genuine food and beautiful towns as Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena.
Podere Santa Pia is an enchanting Tuscan farmhouse, nestled in the vineyards and olive groves of the rolling Maremma hills. This privileged location offers a spectacular vista over the charming medieval town of Cinigiano and the entire Ombrone Valley. It is the perfect place for your relaxing holiday with your friends and family. The property consists of 4 large bedrooms furnished in a classic Tuscan style and 2 bathroom with shower, a big full-equipment kitchen with a fireplace and a big living room and dining room. With its original kitchen and the wood burning pizza oven, Podere Santa Pia offers an upbeat atmosphere. The farmhouse has been renovated and provided with all modern comforts (satellite TV, Wi-Fi Internet access, washing machine, dishwasher, and so on), with an eye to preserve the typical and charming elements of these rural lodgings. There you have, then, cosy and warm rooms with traditional terracotta-tiled floors, stone walls and wood-beamed ceilings. And the kitchen, furnished for pleasant meals with traditional Tuscan dishes (bread soup or "ribollita", tomato soup, "fettunta", Florentine-style steak, stewed wild boar, cinta senese cured meat, and other Tuscan specialities).
The impressive garden (9000 square mt.) allows you to enjoy a relaxing holiday and is perfect for taking time out and lounging about while sipping on a glass of local wines, Montecucco DOC and Brunello DOC.
Sitting in the garden, one can enjoy our dawns and dusks, with their jubilee of colours ranging from dark yellow to pink, orange and red. In this scenario, it is often possible to observe the flight of pheasants, falcons and buzzards, great tits, chaffinches and sparrows.
This is an enchanting place far from noise, ideal to regenerate body and mind, where one has the opportunity enjoy pleasant walks or rides on mountain bike. The summer breeze that caresses Podere Santa Pia guarantees "cool" holidays even in the hottest weather.

Tuscan farmhouses | Podere Santa Pia
 
Podere Santa Pia
 
Villa Arceno gardens
 
Podere Santa Pia, southern terrace
         

Monte Oliveto Maggiore abbey

Montalcino
   
Florence, Duomo
   




Siena, duomo
 
Siena, Palazzo Sansedoni
 
Siena, Piazza del Campo



This page uses material from the Wikipedia articles Barberino Val d'Elsa and Chianti, published under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco ("flask"; pl. fiaschi); however, the fiasco is only used by a few makers of the wine now; most Chianti is bottled in traditionally shaped wine bottles. Baron Bettino Ricasoli (later Prime Minister in the Kingdom of Italy) created the Chianti recipe of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia bianca in the middle of the nineteenth century.
The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. It described the area near the villages of Gaiole, Castellina and Radda; the so-called Lega del Chianti and later Provincia del Chianti (Chianti province). In 1932 the Chianti area was completely re-drawn and divided in seven sub-areas: Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montalbano and Rùfina. Most of the villages that in 1932 were suddenly included in the new Chianti Classico area added in Chianti to their name-such as Greve in Chianti which amended its name in 1972. Wines labeled Chianti Classico come from the biggest sub-area of Chianti, that sub-area that includes the old Chianti area. The other variants, with the exception of Rufina from the north-east side of Florence and Montalbano in the south of Pistoia, originate in the respective named provinces: Siena for the Colli Senesi, Florence for the Colli Fiorentini, Arezzo for the Colli Aretini and Pisa for the Colline Pisane. In 1996 part of the Colli Fiorentini sub-area was renamed Montespertoli.

During the 1970s producers started to reduce the quantity of white grapes in Chianti. In 1995 it became legal to produce a Chianti with 100% Sangiovese. For a wine to retain the name of Chianti, it must be produced with at least 80% Sangiovese grapes.[2] A Chianti may have a picture of a black rooster (known in Italian as a gallo nero) on the neck of the bottle, which indicates that the producer of the wine is a member of the Gallo Nero Consortium, an association of producers of the Classico sub-area sharing marketing costs.[3] Since 2005 the black rooster has been the emblem of the Chianti Classico producers association.[4] Aged Chianti (38 months instead of 4-7), may be labelled as Riserva. Chianti that meets more stringent requirements (lower yield, higher alcohol content and dry extract) may be labelled as Chianti Superiore, although Chianti from the "Classico" sub-area is not allowed in any event to be labelled as "Superiore".

The history of Chianti dates back to at least the 13th century with the earliest incarnations of Chianti as a white wine. Today this Tuscan wine is one of Italy's most well known and recognizable wines. In the Middle Ages, the villages of Gaiole, Castellina and Radda located near Florence formed as a Lega del Chianti (League of Chianti) creating an area that would become the spiritual and historical "heart" of the Chianti region and today is located within the Chianti Classico Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). As the wines of Chianti grew in popularity other villages in Tuscany wanted their lands to be called Chianti. The boundaries of the region have seen many expansions and sub-divisions over the centuries. The variable terroir of these different macroclimates contributed to diverging range of quality on the market and by the late 20th century consumer perception of Chianti was often associated with basic mass-market Chianti sold in a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called fiasco.[1]
In addition to changing boundaries, the grape composition for Chianti has changed dramatically over the years. The earliest examples of Chianti were a white wine but gradually evolved into a red. Baron Bettino Ricasoli, the future Prime Minister in the Kingdom of Italy created the first known "Chianti recipe" in 1872, recommending 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia bianca. In 1967, the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) regulation set by the Italian government firmly established the "Ricasoli formula" of a Sangiovese based blend with 10-30% Malvasia and Trebbiano. However some producers desired to make Chianti that did not conform to these standards-such as a 100% varietal Sangiovese wine, or all red wine grape varieties and perhaps with allowance for French grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to be used. A few producers went ahead and made their "chianti" as they desired but, prohibited from labeling, sold them as simple vino da tavola. Despite their low level classifications, these "super Chiantis" became internationally recognized by critics and consumers and were coined as Super Tuscans. The success of these wines encouraged government officials to reconsider the DOCG regulations with many changes made to allow some of these vino da tavola to be labeled as Chiantis.

WXines in Tuscany | Chianti