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. 

Volcano what? Right, Pitigliano, the famous tufa rock town, hosts the 2013 tasting of some of Italy's best volcano DOC wines. Which doesn't meant that the vines are raised on smoky mountain slopes with vignerons constantly watching out for the signs of a new break out. Even though in some cases - most famously mount Etna in Sicily and mount Vesuvius in Naples -  these volcanoes are in fact still bubbling away.  Many of Italy's famous volcanoes - like for an example  Mount Amiata  in Southern Tuscany - have been extinct for thousand or millions of years (ask for the exact number at the tasting). But even though long out of work, they have left behind a deeply colored and mineral rich soil; a true oasis for terroir wines! The color of volcano soil One of the vineyards at the organically run Sassotondo winery near Pitigliano VULCANIA 2013: PITIGLIANO, JUNE 15-17 Hosted by Pitigliano's vintners association (consorzio di tutela bianco di Pitigliano e S...

In its third year the Maremma Wine and Food Shire has changed approach and moved the fair from Braccagni into Grosseto's historic town center. Originally designed for trade, Maremma's wine and food fair is also a great place for any foodies hooked on Southern Tuscany's locally produces delicacies. Taste your way through sheep cheese from the Tuscan hills, organically produced wine, salami and prosciutto, saffron, pickled vegetables and fish egg (bottarga) from the coast.  All of it in the lay-back center of one of Tuscany's lesser known cities. Grosseto may not be able to compete with Siena, Pisa or Florence when it comes to art and culture. But the city makes up for it with a car and tourist free town center,  historic city walls, friendly inhabitants and noteworthy architectural details if you only care to look out for them.  Maoist China? A Tuscan cyclist on Grosseto's main shopping road 

With spring in full swing, first of May isn't just the start of a glorious month in Tuscany, but also a much celebrated national holiday. I've just overlooked the cooking process of this year's sagra  in Sant'Angelo Scalo (one of my favorite village fairs ), and think there's no better way to start the month than with a fork and knife in hand in this little hamlet in Montalcino's south-western corner.  This is what the village ladies have in store for you:  Tuscan village fairs? Examples of female team work  Home-made tomato sauce for everybody

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...

Wondering what kind of place my Tuscan village is? The best time to find out is during the Festa dell'Uva, the wine harvest festival, which takes place every year on the first October weekend. Thinking of a wine festival you're probably expecting to find a bunch of people discussing tannins and barrel aging time. Forget it. You'll be seeing this.

Montalcino Jazz & Wine 2012 Kurt Elling, Derrek Phillips and Charlie Hunter It's a nightmare. Montalcino Jazz & Wine and Southern Tuscany's several summer festivals are passing over me like a road train. Living the life of a countryside bum in the Tuscan hinterland I'm used to ten months of the year during which nothing happens (and I mean nothing). And then, out of that cultural desert, here we are in mid July, when a whole bunch of world-class musicians are thrown at you in one single week.

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 (...