Central Italy comprises the heart of the Italian Peninsula, both geographically and historically. Lazio, which houses the capital at Rome, roughly corresponds to the ancient Roman city, while Tuscany equates generally to the older Etruria. Millennia later, Tuscany grew to become a major economic power in Italy, first as the Republics of Florence and Siena and later as the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Before the Risorgimento, much of the rest of centraI Italy was made up of the Papal States, under direct rule of the pope and the Vatican. This guide will consider five regions as central Italy: Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, the Marche, and Lazio.
Central Italy begins south of the Po River basin, and, like much of the country, is defined by the Apennine Mountains at its center. Its climate is varied by not only latitude but, importantly, elevation, with many of the top wines coming from higher sites. With Tuscany, central Italy serves as a powerful driver of the Italian wine industry, home to many of the country’s largest and oldest winemaking families, such as the Antinoris and the Frescobaldis. The initial sparks of Italy’s 20th-century winemaking revolution were lit here, with the first bottling of Sassicaia in 1968 and the Super Tuscans that followed.
Today, central Italy is no less dynamic. Italy’s most planted grape variety, Sangiovese, achieves its finest expressions in Chianti Classico and Montalcino. Nearby, in Umbria, Sagrantino has been reimagined for the production of dry red wines. Further north, Emilia-Romagna cultivates the best-known appellations worldwide for sparkling red wine with its various Lambruscos. White wine, too, finds prominence in central Italy, notably in the bottlings of Orvieto, the Malvasia blends of Lazio, and the Verdicchio wines of the Marche. In addition, winegrowers throughout central Italy continue
I think there is a new sub-zone in Chianti: Terre di Vinci?
And TUFF to understand sometimes! Thanks for the clarification, Jonathan. Cheers!
Hey, Thomas! The trick here is that volcanic soil is TUFF to make, hahaha. Tufa and Tuffeau are of sedimentary origin. Yes, Orvieto has both; the lower elevations have sedimentary soils, and the higher elevations have volcanic soils.
I'm also confused here. Vouvray has no soils of volcanic origins (as far as I know?). So the conclusion is that there are both types of soils in Orvieto? Tuffeau (Vouvray's famous sedimentary chalky limestone) AND Tufo/Tuff (consolidated volcanic ejecta) ?
Hey, Megan! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Though an amazing religious educational institution and a hallowed ground of learning, the space did not function as a university until 1963. That said, it is considered the longest-running space of higher education!
Correction - “The University of Bologna, in the regional capital, is the world’s oldest university, founded in 1088“The world’s oldest university that is still continually operating is in Fes, Morocco. University of al-Qarawiyyin - founded by a woman , Fatima al-Fihiri in 859ce and recognized by UNESCO
The text on Chianti Classico mentions the subzone of Radda as having the highest elevations. I've found other sources mentioning Lamole as having the highest elevation vineyards. Can you clarify?
Hey, Agustin! The text you are referencing is speaking specifically to the historic requirements in 1984, not the current requirements, which are mentioned further down in the paragraph.
Hi,
According to this text "In 1984, Chianti was upgraded to become a DOCG. Relenting to mounting pressure from the success of the Super Tuscans, the new disciplinare allowed for up to 10% French varieties" . What I understand the 10% French varieties only applies for Colli Senesi and up to 15% for the Chianti DOCG.
Hey, Peter! The line is as follows.
"Tufa soils, similar to those found in Vouvray, cover the region, and the Classico subzone has a particularly high tufaceous concentration"
Most vineyards in the DOC sit around 150-250 meters on soils from an ancient seabed that occupied the area before the emergence of the Apennines. Here we have tufaceous soil that is notably high in calcium carbonate content. Some sites here have CaCO₃ content that can exceed 40%. The town of Orvieto itself sits on Tuff, which is at higher elevations within the region. These volcanic areas come from the Vulsini eruption in the Pleistocene.