Brief History Of Wine Making In Tuscany

The wines have a distinct and sumptuous flavor which embody the spirit of Italy and transports anyone drinking them to the hills of Italy. Winemaking in Tuscany dates back many centuries and there are many famous wine producing families that have been instrumental in making wine production in Tuscany what it is today.

Maybe you are interested in Italian wines and would like to know more about the Tuscan region. If this is the case this brief history of wine making in Tuscany is sure to tickle your taste buds. When you understand more about winemaking in Tuscany you can really start to appreciate the fine wines produced their even more. It is also incredibly interesting learning about something that you have a keen interest in. So here is a run down on the history of wine making in Tuscany that takes you back in time to the present day.

Ancient Times

Many centuries ago in Tuscany was inhabited by a race of people known as the Etruscans whose existence was discovered by archaeologists. They were skilled wine makers and there is evidence to suggest that wines from Tuscany were transported to the southernmost tip of Italy and as far as Gaul back in the 7th century BC. From the 3rd century BC onwards Greek writers would write about the fine Tuscan wines that they had sampled. During the 4th century BC the Romans conquered the area and monasteries were well-known for producing excellent wines. Many of the other vineyards suffered during this time as the Romans did their best to put them out of business. Obviously this meant that there were fewer wines being produced during these years however many excellent wines were still produced, as mentioned in the monasteries in and around the Tuscany region.

When the Romans left Tuscany the merchant classes started to take over and many would turn over half of their grape harvests each year to wine makers. This was due to a system of crop sharing where landowners would allow farmers to use part of their land in return for some of their crops. This was a very good way of using the farm of all land in Tuscany and the system flourished for many years. As you would think this meant that a staggering amount of wine was produced in the Tuscany area and much of this was sold on so wine merchants residing in Florence. In fact there is even reference to wine dealers in Florence as early as 1079, which shows just how popular wines from the Tuscan region were even over 1000 years ago. By 1282 a guild of wine merchants was established and this went from strength to strength. This guild was known as the Arte dei Vinattieri and set down clear guidelines on how wine merchant in Florence should go about their business. One of these rules stated that wine was not able to be sold within 91 meters of a church. Other rules stated that wine should not be sold to prostitutes, thieves or children. By having such a guild it meant that winemaking in Tuscany was much more regulated and this helped to maintain the quality of the wine that was produced as well as keeping an eye on who the wine was sold to.

By the 14th century over 7,000,000 gallons of wine produced in Tuscany was being sold in Florence each year, which is an absolutely staggering amount of wine for such a small area of the world to produce. From on in here for many years the wine making industry stayed pretty much the same until the Napoleonic Wars came to an end. When this happened, Bettino Ricasoli, a statesman inherited an ancient family estate that was in the centre of the Chianti Classico area. He went on to study rates and great varieties as well as viticultural practices which he used to create some amazing wines. Unfortunately in 1948 when revolution broke out and Bettino’s wife passed away he lost his passion for wine and by the 1850s many of Tuscany is amazing vineyards had been wiped out due to war.

Modern Times

From the late 1800s Tuscany began to pick itself up and re-establish itself as one of the winemaking centers of the world. Much of this had to do with Mondavi and Frescobaldi families who had been making wine for over 700 years; however it was the latter family who has remained one of the key names in the winemaking business today.

In the late 1950s Tuscany experienced another problem with their grape crops and vineyards went under a drastic reformation. Highly experienced viticulturalists found that vineyards that were in better location and that were less densely populated were much better at producing a good crop. After making these changes winemaking in Tuscany once again picked up and wine production was excellent once again.

Online Information

More information on the Frescobaldi family can be found on this website: http://www.tuscanytonight.com/Pages.php?Page=The-Frescobaldi-History here you can see the family history that dates back over 700 years and spans a staggering 30 generations. It is useful to look at the history of a particular wine producing family as it gives a greater understanding of how winemaking and winemaking families have survived throughout the years in Tuscany.

FoodEditorials.com: http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/ also provides information on winemaking in the Tuscany region. You can also find out why wine tasting in Tuscany is so popular and how the various grapes that have been used in winemaking have changed throughout the years.

For a really useful look at the timeline of wine making in Tuscany take a look here: http://www.google.co.uk/search? as you can see there has been a lot going on in the Tuscany region for many hundreds of years and this looks set to continue into the future.