Tuscany is Sangiovese country. In Chianti, it makes savoury, cherry-and-herb reds meant for the table; in Montalcino, grown as Brunello, it produces some of Italy's most structured and ageworthy wines. The region's rolling clay and limestone hills also gave rise to the "Super Tuscans" in the 1970s, when producers began blending Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot outside the traditional rules — a category so successful it eventually earned its own designation. Coastal Bolgheri is now the heartland of this international style.

Key grapes: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Canaiolo