A Tuscan Takeover @ Bellota 2023

To many, Tuscany is the quintessential Italy; the seemingly endless rolling hills dotted with cypress and olive trees, the perfectly preserved fortress villages, the food, the wine, the light, the renaissance treasures that seem to inhabit every village. They all conspire to form an indelible and seductive impression on the visitor.

In wine terms too, Tuscany is the quintessential Italian wine region, and most wine lovers have had at least some contact with the region’s most famous wine export, Chianti. Beyond that popular image though, Tuscany has been the staging point for a ‘vinous renaissance’ that has transformed the Italian wine industry and ushered in a new era of quality and innovation that continues to reverberate in every wine producing region in Italy.

It was here, in the late 1960s that producers, led by the legendary oenologist Giacomo Tachis, rebelled against the inflexible D.O.C regulations. Seeing the laws as an impediment to quality wine production, they set about producing wines using innovative, quality oriented practices. What resulted were wines that were international in style but still retained an undeniable sense of place. Instantly seized upon by the international market wines like Sassicaia and Tignanello quickly achieved cult status and became known as ‘Super-Tuscans’.

This initial act of rebellion had far-reaching consequences and in the years that have followed has proved to be the catalyst for widespread modernisation and innovation in both the vineyard and the cellar in every sub-zone of the region. Perhaps more importantly though, it has forced the authorities to change the DOC and DOCG wine laws ensuring that quality and flexibility are the new priorities.

Tonight we celebrate this incredible region and in particular it's diversity and quality in all things wine. We have chosen a group of key quality producers to carry the torch for Toscana.

We hope you enjoy and if you would like to purchase any of the wines on tonight we're offering a 15% discount tongiht only.

Cheers

Michael, Alex and the PWS/Bellota teams.