Learning about wines in Tuscany

Tuscan countryside around San Gimignano

Learning about wines in Tuscany

I have always enjoyed a glass of wine. Sometimes with a good meal or sometimes just a glass over a chat with friends or an intimate evening at home in front of the fire. Over the years I have gathered some very basic information about wines in terms of where they come from and how they are made, but mostly I have focussed on what kind of wines I like in different circumstances. As Finland isn’t a traditional wine producer, wine culture isn’t something you grow up with. You read about it and experience some of it when you travel but it still remains a fairly distant thing. This is of course unless you are a wine enthusiast and really make an effort to learn and experience the whole world of wines, wine making and wine tasting, looking for that perfect combination of structure, depth and aromas.

All this changed for me this autumn after spending two months in Tuscany, visiting different parts of the region, touring wineries, attending tastings and studying the different communities and their local wines.

For the first time it really dawned on me how “wine culture” isn’t some add-on to the other parts of Italian culture. It is completely and inseparably integrated in every way of life, food, local identity, pride and traditions. As always, it’s one thing to read about something and another thing living it yourself every day. It was also the first time I had a chance to really immerse myself in the experience of listening to how different wines are made, how the variations in the winemaking process affects taste, character and aging potential. After a number of these visits, I slowly started to associate different tastes with the different ways of making the wine, types of grapes and vineyards (altitude, soil etc) and even regions. Although I consider myself a complete novice in the world of wines, I now for the first time, have a basic understanding of what the terminology used means, how it translates to taste and most importantly, what my own preferences are and what I am looking for.

This experience was life changing, at least for me in some way. I confess, I got hooked. I now find myself thirsty for more knowledge and understanding and eager to taste more wines from different parts of the world.

Also, as a result of our driving around vineyards in Tuscany (in a camper with LOTS of trunk space) for two months, we ended up with a fairly substantial amount of different wines for us to enjoy over the next year(s).

As part of a new learning path I find myself on, I’ve discovered an unexpected tool to support me, alongside books, websites, and other online material: ChatGPT. Instead of trying to Google a wine, its characteristics, availability, critic reviews, and price through half a dozen searches and then consolidating it all myself, I can just ask ChatGPT to do it in one go—with impressive results.

During our visits to the various wineries we got to taste some excellent wines. The entire adventure peaked at a visit to a local winery in Valpolicella on our way north at the end of the trip, where we had the opportunity to taste their flagship Amarone red wine. The experience was a true eyeopener for me. I don’t think I have ever tasted anything so complex and delicious at the same time. In my life I have never really understood why anyone would pay hundreds for a bottle of wine, regardless of how much money you have. I do now. Nothing more to be said.

The wine cellar of a prominent winery near Siena

View over vineyards by Castellina in Chianti

Autumn colours at a vineyard in the Arezzo region