MAPPING TUSCANY

In the wine world the Tuscan coast equals Bolgheri and Sassicaia. No other wine has done as much to turn the lay-back beach side paradise south of Livorno into a famous wine growing region as the prestigious Sassicaia from Tenuta San Guido. But whilst the rise of Supertuscans blended from French grape varieties may resemble a fairy tale story, it shouldn't keep you fro m drinking Sangiovese wines in the smaller and lesser known wineries along the Tuscan shore. 

It's still summer, but temperatures have dropped (thank god!) and a lot of Italians start to move back into town after their time at the beach. Not just summer but also the Tuscan festival season is coming to a close. And just  before curtains are drawn and stages dismantled, the ColleMassari winery hosts Dionisus, the last of the three cycles of the Amiata Piano festival . Four concerts will take place from the 29th of August in the midst of barrels and barriques, and with the backdrop of the contemporary architecture of one of Italy's biggest organic wineries. F amous Italian violist Salvatore Accardo will open the cycle dedicated to the Greek wine god together with the Orchestra da Camera Italiana. The concert has been sold out for weeks, but a few tickets are still available for the following events, which stretch from classical music to jazz.  The wine cellar of the ColleMassari estate (designed by Edoardo Millesi)

On top of a green hill Campagnatico seen from the South - East When approaching Campagnatico during stormy weather, one isn't surprised that the Tuscan village got a mention in the book of books: Dante's Divine Comedy . 700 years later, Campagnatico doesn't look too different from what Dante must have imagined - but probably never saw in person - as the ideal backdrop for a scene in the purgatory: a Maremma nobleman's repentance over the errors he committed during his life (too much haughtiness was already an issue in Dante's time!).  Campagnatico seen from Villa Bellaria Picture perfect (probably more so now than in the Middle Ages), the hill town in the Maremma has a lay-back atmosphere. Cats and the elderly sit on benches and the town's only bar tender is busy making Cappuccino, preparing Campari or selling newspapers. Population is low, but still high enough to allow for the survival of two  alimentari (small food stores), a post office, a p...

No better way to understand a wine you love, than by meeting the winemaker behind it. This interview with Giovan Battista Basile from the Basile winery in Southern Tuscany's Montecucco DOCG  is the start of a series of articles, which will map out some of the best organic wineries in Tuscany. Other people are into banking, sailing or shoemaking. Which winds blew you on top of a Tuscan hill?   My sister. She owns a beautiful property ( Le Pianore ) in a valley surrounded by untouched nature at the foot of Mount Amiata. I lived with her for four years until my brother Domenico and I decided to buy a piece of land that had been abandoned for years. We immediately decided to plant vineyards so as to produce our own wine. Why Montecucco DOCG? Any interesting facts and figures about your Tuscan wine making region? Montecucco is a fascinating area. When we started out, the DOC had just been born a year before. It was an interesting challenge – new producers in a new DO...

America's Indian Summer is what we call Estate di San Martino in Italy. But not just surprisingly warm autumn temperatures are related to St. Martin's day on the 11th of November. This is also the time of the year the fermentation of new wines has come to an end, a process described by another Italian proverb related to St. Martin: A San Martino ogni mosto diventa vino (by St. Martin every must has turned into wine).  And with the beach and festival season long gone and the weather forecast for Sunday looking wet and unfriendly, what better time to visit some of Tuscany's finest wineries . San Martino in Cantina is one of five national winery visit days the Italian Wine Tourism Movement organizes every year. Three dozens of wineries in the provinces of Siena and Grosseto adhere to the initiative and welcome visitors for a free autumn tasting in their wine cellars. On my quest to discover Tuscany's  vineyards with a calling for architecture , I'll be tasting...

Southern Tuscany is home to a handful of wineries, which are often described as wine cathedrals.  The Petra vineyard near Suvereto (by architect Mario Botta) is an interesting example of this new approach in winery architecture. At Petra the world-class architect went beyond designing an impressive wine cellar, but also included the outlay of the vineyards in his aim to form a contemporary agricultural landscape.  Main building of the Petra Winery in Suvereto If it is true that the way to good wine starts in the he vineyard, it is also true that only the quality of the cork,  the design of the label,  and the beauty of the bottle shape will bring the consumer's experience to full circle.  Taking this thought further it's obvious that the birthplace of a good or even fantastic wine, is yes the vine and its grapes, but also the winery building in particular and the whole estate in general.  If you know any of Botta's works,  you'll recog...

On the way to Castello Banfi - Montalcino If you love Italian wine as much as classical music , with the  the 2012 edition of the  Melodia del Vino  festival being in full swing,  this is the time to cruise Southern Tuscany . All concerts of the second part of the festival will take place in the fabulous locations of some of Tuscany's most prestigious wineries in the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. Tenuta Rocca di Frassinello,  June 30: Sayaka Shoji (violin), Marc Laforet (piano).  The Japanese violinist and Premio Paganini  winner and  the French pianist will play works of Janacek, Beethoven, Debussy and Brahms at Rocca di Frassinello . The winery has been designed by Italian star architect Renzo Piano and sports a marvelous  barric aia (a wine cellar dedicated to French barrique barrels only), which makes for a fantastic concert space.  Tenuta Rocca di Montemassi, July 3: Laure Favre-Kahn (violin), Nemanja Radulovic (...

Trekking in Cinigiano: beautiful views, lovely tracks and - oh boy -  plenty of Tuscan wine and food. SATURDAY, MAY 5 - "TREKKING DE' CITTI" . Kids' trekking ('citti' means 'bambino' in Tuscan dialect) 3pm registration at Cinigiano's tourist office. The children's trekking is for free, but registration is necessary (for insurance reasons). Apart of insurance for the day, the kids will get a nice gadget to take home. 3.30pm Start of the trekking in Castello di Porrona (a lovely medieval hamlet five minutes from Cinigiano by car). From Porrona the kids will be taken on a  guided walk trough the Tuscan countryside with animal watching and flower picking. Once back on Porrona's beautiful piazza there will be a snack and lots of fun games waiting for everybody.  Kids from 6 to 12 years of age. Younger children can join if accompanied by their parents. Older ones may want to join the trekking on Sunday morning. 

Petra Winery by Mario Botta - one of the venues of the Melodia del Vino Festival Waiting for Montalcino's Jazz & Wine 2012? Nope, the program isn't out yet - Banfi  obviously likes suspense. All we know so far is that it's going to happen in the second half of July, so book your room anyway. Nevertheless there are good news on Southern Tuscany's festival front. Three prestigious classical music festivals have already presented their rich program for the summer 2012.  AMIATA PIANO FESTIVAL  - three cycles of classical music in July, August and at the beginning of September.  The jazz lover in you will rejoice, as one of the concerts in Collemassari's stunning wine cellar is going to host wonderful Italian jazz pianist  Danilo Rea ,  who will play a tribute to Fabrizio de André . Poggi del Sasso/Montecucco near Cinigiano (half an hour from Montalcino and Grosseto): Baccus July 19 - 22 , Euterpe August 2 - 5 , Dionisus August 30 - September 2...