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Brief Description of Siena and its Territory :
Siena, once an important republic, is a wonderfully preserved renaissance city South of the Tuscany’s capital Florence. Art and renaissance echo in the corridors of Siena’s edifices, as you can witness paintings, statues and superb architecture from the 14th to 18th centuries. Just feel history permeate from the cobble stone streets and red brick buildings.  Listen to the sound of beating hooves on the yellow turf laid in the city’s center, Piazza del Campo, as the square rings with energy, tension and passion during the biannual Palio horse race. The unfinished Duomo resonates the turmoil of the people’s past with the plague when 90% of the population died in the 14th century.
 Incredibly still, as you take a few steps past the main fortressed walls, you’ll find yourself immersed in the Sienese countryside where generations of experience and survival grow around you. The agriculturally groomed rolling hills lined with Cyprus trees and Mediterranean pines, the various shades of soil (grey, yellow or red), the flowing olive trees, fields of sunflowers, grain and corn, and hectares of majestically lined vineyards just capture your artistic and naturalistic soul. Neighbouring woods are full of wild boar, small deer, pheasants and porcini mushrooms. ‘All’ make up the magnificent terrain and ‘all’ influence the flavours of Tuscan wines
Brief Tuscan wine history :
Prehistoric man discovered wine probably only by chance. Seeing that the accidental fermentation of grape sugars created this new flavour and relaxing effect led to the almost deification of the vineyard and its by-product. The word ‘wine’ gets its roots from ‘vino’ and the Sanskrit word ‘ven’. The same word root was given to the goddess of love Venus. Though the first traces of vineyard cultivation seems to be near the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in old Mesopotamia (present day Iraq), mankind has slowly taken grape varieties and wine throughout the world. Vines thrived in Tuscany long before even the Etruscans dominated around 7th century b.c. During the expansion of the Roman Empire throughout the Mediterranean, cultivation techniques quickly were upgraded.
Through time, historical documentation has revealed the importance of Tuscan wines:
- In a 1404 a.d. letter from a wine producer and a Sienese merchant we have the first references to Chianti.
- In 1716, Cosimo III de’ Medici, Granduke of Tuscany, made the first wine decrees: defining zoning, vineyard of origin and the first regulations that govern the Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and Valdarno di Sopra wines, thus establishing the first theoretical geographically controlled wines (wines of quality that can be made only in that one geographic area).
- In 1896 the Minister of Agriculture declared Tuscany’s excellence in producing red wines with flavour and character, that can enhance any meal.
A quick note before Tuscany’s list of merits continues on.
Due to a parasite called Phylloxera, brought over to Europe from the Americas, and due to other vine sicknesses, in the late 1800s, 90 percent of all European vineyards were destroyed. Today, European vineyards are grafted onto robust American vine roots. New harvesting techniques, specialized studies and cultivation of grapes (viticulture) have become prevalent in order to control damage, increase yield and guarantee quality.
In 1966 the first actual D.O.C. label (Denominazione d’Origine Controllata) in Italy was made for the Tuscan Vernaccia di San Gimignano white wine.
In 1980, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Tuscany) became Italy’s first D.O.C.G. (controlled and guaranteed).
Even the Tuscan Cabernet Sauvignon, Bolgheri Sassicaia, became the first D.O.C. wine made from an international grape, not native to Italian soil.
Tuscany is a region of quality wines. There are 7 DOCG and 35 DOC wines.
What does D.O.C. and D.O.C.G. actually mean?
These categories have been created to differentiate between table wines, quality wines and specialized wines. D.O.C. wines are of fine quality and have to follow specific regulations that establish and reflect which vines (grape types) can be used, cultural experiences, the harvesting yield allowed, aging terms and certain analytical and organoleptic characteristics that should be found in the wine.
D.O.C.G. is a higher classification for highly esteemed quality wines. The state not only controls the production but guarantees the integrity of the wine with ‘Seals of Guarantee’
Discovering Wine! Now come and learn more !!
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