Cortona Wine Tour
Cortona is perched on a spectacular hilltop at 600 m AMSL overlooking the Valdichiana, affording stunning views of Lake Trasimeno and Mount Amiata. Here the vine-growing and wine-making tradition can be traced back to the Etruscan period.
Pliny the Younger is said to have loved a white Cortona wine known as "Etesiaca" and Pope Paul III liked to have wines produced in the Cortona area delivered to his banquets.
Great poet Giosuè Carducci took inspiration for his work letting his gaze wander across the lush vineyard and olive grove strewn hills and valleys. Soils and a microclimate particularly suited for vine-growing have encouraged farmers to invest on this territory in the past and over the years the Cortona DOC has become an important player on the domestic and international stage.
Wine Estates
Baracchi
Set in one of the most enchanting areas of Cortona, you may visit the Baracchi wineries run by the Baracchi family, owners of the delightful Relais & Châteaux and Spa “Il Falconiere”, luxury hotel and fancy restaurant regularly featured in all the best guides.
Here Riccardo, ably supported by son Benedetto and enologist Stefano Chioccioli, decided to keep up the long-standing family tradition in wine-making since the early 1900s by creating a fascinating boutique winery featuring unique and special products.
Products
- Baracchi Brut Rosé 100% Sangiovese. Aged on yeast lees for 24 months.
- Smeriglio Sangiovese 100% Sangiovese. Aged in barriques for 14 months, followed by a further 12 months in bottle.
- Smeriglio Merlot Cortona DOC 100% Merlot. Aged in barriques for 12 months, followed by a further 4 months in bottle.
- Smeriglio Syrah Cortona DOC 100% Syrah. Aged in barriques for 12 months, followed by a further 4 months in bottle.
- Pinot Nero IGT Toscana Rosso 100% Pinot Nero. Aged in barriques for 12 months, followed by a further 4 months in bottle.
- O’ Lillo IGT Toscana Rosso 25% Merlot, 25% Syrah, 25% Cabernet, 25% Sangiovese. Aged in steel for 6 months, followed by a further 3 months in bottle.
- Ardito IGT 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Syrah. Aged in barriques for 18 months, followed by a further 12 months in bottle.
Amerighi
Located on the Farneta hill, in Poggiobello, the Cantina Stefano Amerighi is the new biodynamic, environment-friendly player on the Cortona wine-making scene. Extensive geological and climatic investigations carried out on the estate confirmed its suitability for the Syrah varietal. In this traditional winery grapes are still crushed by foot and vines are still grown traditionally with no added chemicals. So come and taste a great Syrah!
Products
- Cortona Syrah DOC 100% Syrah. Fermented in concrete, aged in barriques for 18 months, followed by a further 12 months in bottle.
Baldetti
The Baldetti estate is located in Pietraia, at the very heart of the Cortona countryside. Vine-growing and wine-making have always played a significant role at the Baldetti estate starting from the 1960s when the current owner, Mario Baldetti, decided to modernize the existing vineyards. The Baldetti winery has been one of the first within the province of Arezzo to buy wine bottling machines during the 1970s. In 2010 the winery opted for a further modernization to produce high quality wines by using cutting-edge techniques, showing great passion and love for the territory. Thanks to an optimal microclimate due to the proximity of Lake Trasimeno and to sandstone soils, the wines produced by the Baldetti winery have great texture and unmistakable taste.
Products
- Marius Cortona DOC Sangiovese 90% Sangiovese, 10 % Merlot. Fermented in concrete (Sangiovese) and in barriques (Merlot), aged in bottles for 4 months.
- Chagrè I.G.P. Toscano Bianco 50% Chardonnay, 50 % Grechetto. Fermented at 18°C, aged in bottles for 1 month.
- Crano Cortona DOC Syrah 100% Syrah. Aged in barriques for 12 months, followed by a further 9 months in bottle.
- Baldo Spumante Brut Brut sparkling wine vinified at a controlled temperature of +18°C.
- Leopoldo Cortona DOC Vin Santo Grechetto, Trebbiano, and Malvasia. Aged in kegs for 5 years, followed by a further 6 months in bottle.
Leuta
Farm Leuta represents a dream, great passion and love for the land and for the return to the roots. In 1999 the owners, Loris and Enzo, decided to quit their jobs in the world of finance to rediscover their roots and devote themselves to vine-growing. The Leuta winery is based in Centoia, close to Cortona, and has 6 vineyards spread over about 13 hectares of farmland. Leuta decided to become an organic winery to guarantee better biodiversity of soils and integrity in the wine-making process to produce high quality wines.
Products
- Leuta Tau IGT Toscana 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Syrah. Blended in steel, aged in barriques for 10 months, followed by a further 2 months in steel.
- Leuta 0,618 Syrah DOC Cortona 100% Syrah. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, followed by a further 2 months in steel.
- Leuta 1,618 Merlot DOC Cortona 100% Merlot. Vinified in steel tanks, aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, followed by a further 9 months in bottle.
- Leuta 2,618 Cabernet Franc IGT Toscana 100% Cabernet Franc. Vinified in steel tanks, aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, followed by a further 9 months in bottle.
- Solitario di Leuta Sangiovese DOC Cortona 100% Sangiovese. Vinified in truncated cone wooden vats, aged in French tonneaux for 18-20 months, followed by a further 12 months in bottle.
- Nautilus Single Barrel Select IGT Toscana 33% Sangiovese, 33% Syrah, 33% Merlot. Aged in barriques for 12 months, followed by a further 12 months in bottle.
Canaio
Located on the hill of Farneta, in the hamlet named La Rota, Cantina Canaio first appeared on the wine scene of Cortona when the owners, having over thirty years' experience in growing and selling grapes, decided to start making wine and to sell their production that is around 7,000 bottles per year.
The estate extends over about 5 hectares of vineyards and includes a beautiful country house of 350 sq.m. with two underground wine cellars that are linked through a 28-meter-long tunnel. After visiting the winery, tourists are invited to taste excellent Syrah and Merlot wines on their own or paired with traditional local food.
Cantina Canaio is a member of the Cortona Vini consortium, which actively promotes the excellent wines produced within the region of Cortona.
Products
- Il Calice Syrah 100% Syrah. Fermented in steel, aged in French oak tonneaux for 12 months, followed by a further 3/4 months in bottle.
- Il Calice Merlot 100 % Merlot. Fermented in stainless steel, aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, followed by a further 3/4 months in bottle.
Gabriele Mazzeschi
We are located in Val di Chio, a beautiful valley leading to Castiglion Fiorentino, a small city of Eruscan origins in the heart of Tuscany.
This family business, passed down through generations after generations, is now managed by Mr. Gabriele Mazzeschi. He has wisely combined his academic knowledge with his family's experience in order to achieve the best results in the production of wine, oil and cereals.
To ensure environmental sustainability, we use organic and biodynamic farming techniques, free of any parasiticidal treatment or chemical fertilisation.
Products
- Commendatore Syrah 100%. Over 30 days of fermentation and maceration in marble tanks (10 hL) where autochthonous yeasts grow naturally; malolactic fermentation in barriques straight after racking maturation in barriques for 18 months and refinemed for 6 months in the bottle.
- Foramacchie Sangiovese 95%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%. Over 20 days of fermentation and maceration in marble tanks (10 hL) where autochthonous yeasts grow naturally; malolactic fermentation in barriques straight after racking, maturation in barriques for 18 months, refinemed for 6 months in the bottle.
- Anfora 100% Canaiolo. 4 months minimum of Fermentation and maceration in Imprunetas’s not glassified ceramic tanks (7hL), where authochtonous yeats grow naturally; drawing off without pressing, then the wine is refinemed in the same ceramic tanks.
- Primo Sangiovese 100%. After an early harvesting, fermentation and maceration with the skin takes place in the cement tank with local yeast for 12 hours; the must will then be separated from the skin and the fermentation will continue for 10-15 days; the wine is maturated for 3 months in a stainless steel vat; then it is bottled and refinement occurs for an additional 3 months.
- Mezzavia Trebbiano Toscano 75%, Malvasia Toscana 25%. 10-15 days of fermentation in stainless steel tanks without the use of selected yeasts; 3 months maturation in stainless steel and refinement for 3 months in the bottle.
- Fontemazza Malvasia Toscana 50%, Trebbiano Toscano 50%. The grapes are dried until Christmas, then destemmed and pressed; the obtained must will undergo fermentation with the "mother" of the yeast in a 70 litre oak barrels for 4 years at least.