Sangiovese: the Soul of Tuscany
Sangiovese is not just a grape variety; it’s a language, written into the soil and repeated for centuries by growers who have learned to live with its stubborn streak. Because Sangiovese isn’t an easy grape: it has a personality. And like every strong personality, it demands respect.
A grape that moves through history
The earliest traces of Sangiovese reach back to the Middle Ages, when, thanks to a play on words, it was already known as the “blood of Jupiter,” a grandiose name perfectly in tune with the grape’s ambition. Since then, it has sunk deep roots across Tuscany’s rolling hills, taking on a different nuance in every corner of the region. Chianti, for instance, has made Sangiovese its defining banner, but it’s in Brunello di Montalcino that the grape achieved true fame, becoming a wine capable of crossing generations. In Montepulciano, it takes on the gentler guise of Vino Nobile, while in the Maremma it gains sun, ripeness, and a Mediterranean accent as it sits alongside noble French varieties.
In the glass, Sangiovese is a study in transparency, both in colour and character. Cherry, marasca, violet, and a tannic backbone that never pulls its punches. That tannin, firm and slightly rustic, is what makes it unmistakable: it gives structure, longevity, and spine. It’s a grape that dislikes excess, it wants oxygen, it wants time, and above all it wants honesty.
The future of Sangiovese runs through colour: white and rosé
In recent years, however, Sangiovese has started to shed its dark jacket. Vinified as a white or a rosé, it has suddenly revealed two extra gears, proving far more versatile than many would have imagined. You can see it clearly in labels that are already embracing this shift, such as Piccini Elisa Bianco and Piccini Elisa Rosato: two wines that reinterpret the grape through a contemporary lens, drawing on its natural freshness and innate elegance. The white shows surprising verticality, while the rosé plays with delicate, vibrant nuances. Both demonstrate that the future of Sangiovese can shine brightly even when its colour grows paler.
Vinifying Sangiovese as a white can be startling in the best way. In the glass, it reveals a profile all about freshness and minerality: pear, citrus, a hint of white flowers, and a savoury finish that still betrays its Tuscan soul, while maintaining a clean, precise, vertical structure.
Sangiovese rosé, on the other hand, is the most approachable member of the family. On the nose, it reveals its crunchy side: small red berries, an acidity that keeps the pace lively, and a feather-light tannin that avoids slipping into triviality. It’s a wine that doesn’t pretend, it keeps the dignity of the variety while speaking a more immediate, summery, contemporary language.
