Tuscany has Chianti Classico more or less as its centre, the famous wine district that was recently named Wine Capital of the Year, but that is not the only thing they have. Åsa, our person on site among the Tuscan vineyards, says that “Tuscany has everything”! She takes you on a short virtual tour through the wines and food of the region.
In Tuscany you can find everything you can wish for. It is difficult to imagine any other place that can offer some much good things all at once.
There is excellent food, beautiful sites and culture to last you a lifetime and more. You can go swimming in the summer and go skiing in winter. Tuscany is home to some of the world’s most famous museums and also to some of the most respected haut couture houses, like Gucci and Ferragamo. You have the landscape with its rolling hills and well-preserved medieval villages, filled to the brim with charm, on top of every other hill you see.
Tuscany has (of course!) excellent food and wines ranging from basic everyday wines to top class bottles that can rival any other district. Chianti Classico, Brunello, Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Super Tuscans are just a few of the many wines that the wineries of the region produce.
The Tuscan people are famous for their swearing and their rough jokes. You have to be born and bred here to be able to take the jokes they tell without flinching. The visitor is often taken aback by the foul language that frequently colours everyday conversation in Tuscany.
It is much easier to get used to the other pleasures of everyday life in Tuscany. People are proud of maintaining the wonderful old traditions in food and wine. Lucky thing! The juicy vegetables, always according to season, are put on the Tuscan tables, tender beef from the local butcher, freshly baked bread in copious quantities and, need I say it, a glass of wine to the meal is never missing. Red wine is what is most frequently drunk. Preferably it should come from the sangiovese grape variety that goes perfectly with the Tuscan food with its slightly acidic edge. The white wines are brought out on hot summer days, either a chardonnay from the coast or the most famous of the Tuscan whites, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
One thing that the Tuscan people are particularly proud of is the olive oil. It is one of the most peppery and spicy in all of Italy. They use the olive oil for everything, from making bread to frying and everything in between.
Geographically Tuscany is located between the north of Italy, with its somewhat northern European character, and the more chaotic South. In Tuscany they have, quite simply, taken the best from both sides. It is a mix of order & organisation, that has given Tuscany one of the highest standards of living in Italy, and a dash of chaos from the south – it would not be Italy without it – a blend that makes life in Tuscany colourful and exciting, but not too much.
Can we tempt you with a wine (and inevitably also food) tour to Tuscany? BKWine organises several wine tours to Tuscany in 2012, with many vineyard visits, gastronomic lunches, wine tastings and much more. We have one Tuscan wine tour on our English scheduled program in October.
