Top of Tuscany
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SPECIAL 2021 TOP OF TUSCANY BIG WINE GUIDE: THE TOP 400 TUSCAN WINES BRUNELLO, CHIANTI CLASSICO, BOLGHERI AND MORE COOL TIPS FOR WHERE TO EAT, DRINK AND STAY Contents 05 Trends & facts 2020/2021 08 The three tenors Legends that have made history 14 The magnificent seven Talents of the year 19 Top 5 white wines The best white wines of the year 20 Top 10 red wines Editorial The best red wines of the year 22 Best buys 2020 10 wines offering top value for money ow that our lives are centred primarily on our own gardens and our own wine cellars (where time and finances allow), we have much more leisure 24 Vernaccia San Gimignano to do what we wish. COVID-19 has affected many things, including our N 28 Maremma view of ourselves as wine connoisseurs and quasi-globetrotters. The majority of our tours of Italy and Tuscany planned for spring and summer 32 Morellino die Scansano DOCG 2020 were limited to the works of Fruttero & Lucentini (especially their ’The Pal- io of Dead Riders’, the best Siena book of all) and to exploring the depths of var- 35 Montecucco ious bottles of mature Brunello, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile or Bolgheri Supe- 38 Brunello di Montalcino riore. However, things will eventually change, and if you should find the time to flick through this edition of Top of Tuscany as you rekindle your wanderlust with 46 Vino Nobile die Montepulciano a glass of Tignanello or Masseto, we would be delighted. The following pages offer a colourful mix of wine stories, and above all a wealth 50 Chianti Classico DOCG of bottles tasted: we have selected more than 400 from all over Tuscany, with 145 granted the ’Top of Tuscany’ accolade. 56 Chianti DOCG Lagenweine 60 Bolgheri Enjoy reading! 64 Various Christian Eder 68 Travel & tourism 74 Vertical tasting 77 Vertical tasting 78 Food pairing Read VINUM Extra ’Top of Tuscany 2021’ on your tablet: 82 A winemaker through and through download the app for free now. Further information: Thomas Bär www.vinum.eu/app EDITOR DESIGN AND PRODUCTION ADVERTISING/PUBLICITY Roland Köhler Graphic design and layout: Cyril Rutishauser and Back office: Manuela Deganello Philippe Rérat Italy: Alberto Giraudo, [email protected] PUBLISHER / PUBLISHING HOUSE Cover image: gettyimages.ch/mixformdesign WELLCOM, Via Rio Misureto 8, I-12051 Alba (CN) Intervinum AG, Thurgauerstr. 66, CH-8050 Zürich Editing: Anne Fries, D-Düsseldorf Switzerland and international: Tel. +41 (0)44 268 52 40, Fax +41 (0)44 268 52 65 Translation: Hancock Hutton, Bordeaux Peter Heer, [email protected] [email protected], www.vinum.eu Production/sales management: Intervinum AG, Thurgauerstr. 66, 8050 Zürich The VINUM special edition ’Top of Tuscany Nicola Montemarano, publishing management Agentur Graf, CH-9001 St. Gallen Germany and Austria: 2021’ is a special supplement from VINUM, Michèle Meissner, reader marketing [email protected] Markus Lutz, publishing representative, markus.lutz@ Europe’s Wine Magazine, ISSN 1663-2567, Miriam Schönenberger, event marketing vinum.de, published November 2020 Raffaela Köhler, publisher marketing READER SERVICE Falkenburgstr. 41 a, 97250 Erlabrunn Eva Pensel, online marketing Switzerland: AVD Goldach AG, Sulzstr. 10–12, VERLEGER 9403 Goldach, Tel. +41 (0)71 844 91 53, All copyright and publishing rights for this publication, in Roland Köhler EDITORIAL STAFF Fax +41 (0)71 844 93 45, [email protected] whole or in part, are reserved. Any use or exploitation of VINUM editorial board, PO Box 5961, CH-8050 Zurich this, such as reprinting, duplication, microfilming, storage or Tel. +41 (0)44 268 52 60, Fax +41 (0)44 268 52 65 VINUM READER SERVICE use on optical or electronic data carriers, requires written [email protected] Vinum, Postfach 729, 77649 Offenburg permission from the publisher. All contents have been care- Christian Eder, responsible editor Tel. +49 (0)781 639 4530, Fax +49 (0)781 639 4618 fully checked. However, the authors, editors and publishers Inès C. De Boel, managing editor [email protected], www.vinum.de/abo accept no responsibility for its accuracy. EDITORIAL TOP OF TUSCANY 2021 VINUM 03 Vertrieben von: - Schweiz, TERRAVIGNA - Deutschland, WEINTRESOR - Deutschland, NAGEL & HOFFBAUR www.terredelmarchesato.com Trends & Facts Old and new Artistic label 1 faces Tomás Saraceno has offered his There are changes afoot for interpretation of the Bolgheri Vernaccia and Brunello: Superiore DOC Ornellaia 2017 long-standing director Stefano Solare (’sunny’). As part of the Campatelli has left the Consor- winery’s traditional Vendemmia zio Vernaccia di San Gimigna- d’Artista project, the artist has no after six years of working not only created a personal together to devote his time to masterpiece for the estate, but new activities in Tuscan wine- also created an artistic design making. There has also been a for a limited series of 111 change at the Consorzio large-format bottles and devel- Brunello di Montalcino: Giaco- oped a special label that can be mo Pondini, who was similarly found on every Ornellaia wine director for six years, left the in a case of six 750ml bottles. consortium for Piedmont and The work of this contemporary has been succeeded in the post artist, born in Argentina in 1973, by Michele Fontana. Fontana is shaped by the conceptual was previously director of the intertwining of art, science and Chianti Classico winery Castel- the social sciences. lo di Meleto. Unity is strength Message in a bottle The Consorzio Vino Chianti and According to rumour, Riccardo the Consorzio di Tutela del Morel- Cotarella – one of Italy’s most lino di Scansano have joined forc- legendary winemakers – is taking es to create the As.Co.T., l’Associ- charge of Sting’s cellar. Together azione Consorzi Toscani with his wife Trudie Styler, the (’Association of Tuscan Consorti- popstar owns the Il Palagio win- ums’) and plan to appear jointly at ery in Valdarno and has been future trade fairs and events. The producing primarily Sangiovese two consortiums have previously wines there for around 20 years. organised joint vintage presenta- tions such as Chianti Lovers and Anteprima Morellino. 2021 plans already include Vinexpo Paris and of course Chianti Lovers on 7 February 2021 in Florence, as Marco Alessandro Bani, director of Consorzio Vino Chianti, ex- plains. TRENDS & FACTS TOP OF TUSCANY 2021 VINUM 05 Inserat-Vinum-220x297.qxp_Layout 1 07.10.20 15:24 Seite 1 Italienische Weinkultur Mit allen von uns handverlesenen italieni- schen Weingütern arbeiten wir seit vielen Jahren vertrauensvoll zusammen. Dass die internationale Weinkritik unsere Meinung teilt und die feine Qualität der von uns vertretenen Weine ebenfalls schätzt, freut uns ungemein. Wir sind der festen Überzeugung, dass Auszeich- nungen eine Folge von harter, kenntnis- reicher Arbeit sind. Der Name CARATELLO steht für höch- ste Weinqualität. Wir verstehen uns als Vermittler der italienischen Weinkultur. Im kleinen Kreis von Kennerinnen und Geniessern wohl bekannt, sind unsere italienischen Weine auch in empfehlens- werten Restaurants und Hotels zu fin- den, die der Küche und dem Weinkeller grösste Aufmerksamkeit schenken. Piemonte Lombardia Azelia Ca’ del Bosco Montevertine Veneto Domenico Clerico Buglioni Le Macchiole Aldo Conterno Silvano Follador Mastrojanni Friuli Conterno Fantino Venica & Venica Poggio Antico Toscana Puglia Moccagatta Castellare Castel di Salve Sardegna Monchiero Carbone Fontodi Santadi Caratello Weine AG Zürcher Strasse 204E, CH-9014 St.Gallen T 071 244 88 55, F 071 244 63 80 [email protected], www.caratello.ch Artistic label 2 Artistic labels and tissue paper have been adorning Chianti Clas- sico di Nittardi for 37 years, and have since become a who’s who of art. This year, the label and tissue paper wrapping every bot- tle of Chianti Classico Vigna Doghessa were created by the composer, musician, politician, theorist, philosopher and free- dom fighter Mikis Theodorakis. Born on the island of Chios in 1925, this Greek native is a living symbol of Europe. Nittardi’s imag- es present his musical cosmos: the label is decorated with a melo- dy, the tissue paper with a star chart of the maestro’s creative universe. New website for UNESCO World Heritage Site Wine and Tuscan cuisine are key parts of www.toscanapatrimoniomondiale.it, a plat- form covering Tuscany’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include the city centres of Florence and Siena (the two capi- tals of Chianti Classico) as well as the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, Val d’Orcia and Montalci- no with their vineyards, Pienza San Gimigna- no (the home of Vernaccia), and the twelve Medici villas and two gardens. The ’Photo- graphs of Tuscany: viewpoints for breathtak- ing shots’ itinerary offers specific tips for pho- tograph locations – often with vineyards and olive trees in the background, of course. Chil- dren can use the Dante’s Journey app to take a virtual trip through the World Heritage Sites. Olympic Annata 2019 ’Toscana’ featured on The five Olympic rings have become Brunello di the Nobile label Montalcino’s five stars, the top rating awarded to Vino Nobile, Rosso und Vinsanto di the 2019 vintage by the expert committee that Montepulciano are becoming the first met in Montalcino in February. Five Olympic DOCG and DOC appellations in the stars also adorn the vintage tile on the wall of the region to feature the name ’Toscana’ Palazzo Comunale (standing alongside tiles for on their labels. This decision by the every vintage since 1992), and herald the 2026 consortium is also designed to empha- Winter Olympics that will be held in Milan and sise the unique selling points of wines Cortina d’Ampezzo. 2019 was also a classic vin- from these geographical designations tage in the Chianti Classico region: spring rains of origin and prevent them from being were followed by an averagely warm summer confused with the Abruzzan grape with hardly any rain.