The origins of viticulture in Tuscany can be traced back to the Etruscans, who arrived in the area between 800 to 900 years before Christ. During the Middle Ages, Benedictine monks cultivated vineyards. But the wine trade truly flourished in the 18th century under the mezzadria, the nobleman and merchant-driven system of sharecropping. The city of Florence—an important financial and commercial hub—was the logical marketplace.

The earliest reference to wine business in the city dates to 1079. By 1282, wine merchants‚ like many other tradesmen‚ formed their own guild, the Arte Fiorentina dei Vinattieri, which set strict regulations on how wine was to be sold and managed. The first recorded mention of Chianti dates from 1398, though it would not be legally defined until 1716. Other contemporaneous mentions of Tuscan wine are included in the writings of Dante and Boccaccio.

Much has changed since then, but the sapience of those who cultivate this unique land remains, capable of making wines that express a “sense of place” like few other regions in the world.

Let’s explore some of these wonderful gems together, which come from small, passionate growers!