The overriding fact is the people involved in producing wines are dedicated, passionate, resourceful and welcoming.
Would I have written those words forty plus years ago? I do not think so.
The main difference between then and now, is that the landowners are the winemakers.
The ethos has changed from quantity to quality.
Some wine regions managed to get their act together early, such as Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont, and with agreed guidelines, individual flair coupled with marketing skill, they elevated their wines into the world’s wine market with huge acclaim and growing demand.
The reader would be hugely mistaken if you thought, that point made, case closed!
Winemakers from all over Italy are producing wines of such character, balance and drinkability that do not yet enjoy the same publicity and share of the market they deserve, a large percentage do not get exported or commented on.
As well as the better known wines I will endeavour to bring those wines to your attention and, where possible make them available to you.
The largest of these wine areas deserving close scrutiny lies between Florence and Siena in Tuscany which is referred to as Chianti Classico and is the the heartland of the Chianti wine region.
