Aoife Carrigy | Castello ColleMassari, Montecucco, Riserva, 2020

Traditional and innovative new Tuscan wines to try 

Tuscany has long fostered both tradition and innovation in its wines. Nestled in central Italy around medieval jewels like Florence and Siena, this is a region rolling with wooded hills and bounded by Mediterranean coastline, where vines and olive trees are central to local life. 

With its Morello cherry character and food-friendly acidity, Sangiovese remains queen as Tuscany's key grape variety, notably in tradition-bound appellations like Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino, and upcoming neighbours like Montecucco. A focus on quality in the vineyards and cellars from better selection of vine clones to tighter regulations and practices around yields and oak ageing has dramatically improved the output from DOCGs like Chianti Classico, which is the hilly heartland of the broader Chianti region 

Sangiovese also stars in the 'Super Tuscan' styles exemplified by Tignanello, Sassicaia and Ornellaia in southern Tuscany's Maremma. These emerged in the 1980s when ambitious winemakers bolstered local Sangiovese with international heavyweights like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, reclassifying as Toscana IGT to side-step appellation rules. 

Castello ColleMassari Montecucco Riserva, 2020

"Made close to Brunello de Montalcino from organic Sangiovese with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Ciliegiolo, with spiced morello cherry, cranberry, raspberry and balsamic aromas, medium-bodied, tangy and bright with rustic tannins. Think roast duck or turkey and cranberries."