Tuscan red wines have a style and character all of their own, and stand tall with the worldвЂ™s other great wine regions.

The panel was chaired by Alistair Cooper MW, with top-notch assistance from fellow Master of Wine David Round, Master Sommeliers Svetoslav Manolev and Eric Zwiebel, Majestic Wine buyer Nadia Williamson and Waitrose buyer Victoria Mason. Or for a more elegant example, Rocca delle Macie Famiglia Zingarelli 2018 offered notes of spice and cedar wood with ripe tannins and excellent balance and length.Д®ach Tuscan red wine in this yearвЂ™s IWSC was tasted blind by some of the finest palates in the business.

Brunellos from Piccini and Banfi were not far behind, both scoring 95/100pts.ДЄmong the quartet of Chianti Gold medals were Castello Vicchiomaggio La Prima 2017, another 96pt Tuscan red that displays a вЂbrooding nose of dark cassis, black cherry and rich mochaвЂ™. The judges loved its aromas of ceylon tea, red cherry, cedar and cranberry, as well as its powerful tannins and excellent length. This yearвЂ™s IWSC selection of award-winning Tuscan reds includes four Brunellos, one of which вЂ“ La Togata Dei Togati 2016 вЂ“ was the joint-top-scoring wine in this category, achieving 96/100pts. A few feathers were ruffled in the 1970s with the arrival of вЂ super-TuscansвЂ™ вЂ“ Tuscan red wines that saw Sangiovese blended with the likes of Cabernet Sauvigon, Merlot and Syrah вЂ“ but other than that, Tuscany simply rolls on, creating food-friendly reds to suit all budgets, from weekday quaffers all the way up to the very best Brunellos. Tuscany is one of the most traditional wine regions youвЂ™ll find, with Sangiovese the star red grape. TheyвЂ™ve been making wine in Tuscany longer than most вЂ“ remains of amphorae dating to the Etruscan era in the 7 th century BC have been found вЂ“ and when the Greeks arrived in 3BC and found the region was covered in vines, they named it вЂEnotrisвЂ™ (вЂland of wineвЂ™). Tuscany not only has some of ItalyвЂ™s most famous and prestigious appellations, such as Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, but it features an enviable line-up of estates, including Antinori, Fontodi and Castello di Ama, to name but three.

Lovers of Barolo may disagree, but to many, Tuscan reds are unrivalled when it comes to Italian wine.

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