Tuscany is where wine and beauty conspire. Cypress-lined roads, hilltop towns, and in the glass a red that tastes of sunshine and warm stone. It is also far more varied than its postcards suggest.

This is the spiritual home of Italian wine, and a region that ranges from strict tradition to full-blooded rebellion, sometimes on neighbouring hillsides.

The Sangiovese Heartland

At its core, Tuscany is Sangiovese country. It gives us the savoury freshness of Chianti, the grandeur of Brunello di Montalcino (Sangiovese at its most serious and age-worthy), and the elegant Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. One grape, several very different accents.

The Super-Tuscan Rebellion

In the 1970s, a handful of producers on the coast started blending in Cabernet and Merlot, breaking the local rulebook and creating richer, internationally styled reds. The wine world called them Super-Tuscans, and Bolgheri has been a first-division address ever since.

From Coast to Hills

The inland hills give structure, freshness and that classic Tuscan savouriness; the warmer coast around Bolgheri gives plusher, riper reds. Between them they cover almost every mood, which is exactly why Tuscany rewards a proper grand tour, glass in hand.