Full Description
"... will satisfy every lover of this famous wine region." — Bloomberg
"The publishers have hit upon a winning formula, with Susan Keevil compiling an informative, eclectic, but always enjoyable, collection of beautifully written pieces from some 30 contributors." — The Sun
"The accumulated effect is thoughtful and intriguing, inspiring readers to open up a Chianti Classico or Brunello and take a trip to Tuscany via wine glasses." — NY Times
"...this enjoyable book compiles articles about the evolution of Tuscan vineyards, with entertaining portraits of innovative winemakers and insightful commentary about the region and the wines by a who's-who of regional experts, including Burton Anderson, Gerald Asher, Andrew Jefford, Hugh Johnson and Ruth Rogers. " — Toronto Globe
From the melée and muddle of Italy's vinous past, Tuscany emerged triumphant. The world's restaurants began to clamour for its Chianti and the Super Tuscan rebel-wines that captured the hearts, palates and pockets of any wine lover who sipped them. It found fame and fortune but had it gone too far...? On Tuscany's authors unravel the truths of this enchanted vineyard - its tortured landscape of clashing mountains and upended seas, its mysterious Etruscan forebears, the Medici aristocrats and warring tribes who fought to control it. And the stoic peasants, whose thwarted creativity and intuitive ways with wine won through in the end. It tells the story of its king of grapes, Sangiovese, and the courtiers that grapple for its throne, and of the maverick winemakers who harness this region's passion for wine today, steadying the roller coaster before it once again goes too far and too fast...
With contributions from Andrew Jefford, Hugh Johnson, Nicolas Belfrage MW, Jancis Robinson MW, David Gleave MW, Walter Speller, Gabriele Gorelli MW, Burton Anderson, Ruth Rogers, Neil Beckett, Victoria Moore, Gerald Asher, D H Lawrence, Fiona Morrison MW.
Contents
Foreword - David Gleave MW 9
Preface - Susan Keevil 13
1 EARTH, WIND AND ETRUSCANS 14
The Wild Winds of Tuscany - Curzio Malaparte 16
Etruscan Places - D H Lawrence 20
Tuscany Before it Changed - Hugh Johnson 23
Bacchus Loves the Hills - Nicolas Belfrage MW 29
2 SANGIOVESE AND FRIENDS 36
Blood of Jove - Jancis Robinson MW and Walter Speller 38
The Fortune Changer - Hugh Johnson 42
King to Courtier - James Lawrence 46
Ciliegiolo, Going Solo - Nicolas Belfrage MW 51
Hidden in Plain Sight - Emily O'Hare 56
3 CHIANTI CLASSICO FOREVER! 64
Son of the Earth - Francesco Redi 66
Three Chianti Revolutions - Carla Capalbo 69
Fate is a Fiasco - Burton Anderson 78
Chianti's Hidden Roads - Bill Nesto MW and Frances Di Savino 82
The Fourth Revolution - Sarah Marsh MW 92
Chianti Outside Classico - Stephen Hobley 102
4 SUPER TUSCAN HIGHWAY 112
Luigi Veronelli and the Rise of the Super Tuscans - David Gleave MW 114
Super Times - David Gleave MW 121
Wine into Words - Jane Anson 130
The New Super Tuscan Counterculture - Jane Anson 133
Beauty in Bolgheri - Federico Moccia 137
THE MOUNTAIN COUSINS 142
Hard Scrabble to the Highest Heights - Monty Waldin 144
Sorting Myth from Legend - Sophie Thorpe 152
The Great Outsider - Neil Beckett 158
Wandering and Wondering in Montalcino
- Gabriele Gorelli MW and Andrea Lonardi MW 169
Third of Three Greats! - Nicolas Belfrage MW 176
6 A-Z OF AMAZING TUSCANS 184
7 THE MAKERS AND THE MAVERICKS 192
The Changing Passions of Lodovico Antinori - Margaret Rand 194
800 Years of Fortitude - Fiona Morrison MW 200
The Rise of the Consultant Winemakers - Susan Hulme MW 207
Bibi Graetz and the Hyper-Tuscans - Adam Lechmere 217
Transmitting Origin - Walter Speller 220
The Underdogs - Adam Lechmere 226
8 FROM GRAPE TO GROVE 230
The Sweetest Country in the World - Hester Lynch Piozzi 232
High Life to Low Life - Sybille Bedford 234
Don't Bring Bordeaux Into it - Victoria Moore 236
River of Goodness - Ruth Rogers 239
Celebrating the Tuscan Olive - Elizabeth Berger 242
Tuscany's Sweet Signature - David Gleave MW 251
Elegy to an Italian Autumn - Andrew Jefford 259
On Tuscany: The Authors and Experts 262
Index 266
Acknowledgements 272
