Tuscany's Best Food and Wine: What to Buy and Taste

Tuscany’s typical products are among the most celebrated in the world: wine, cheese, olive oil, cured meats, steak and truffle. To visit Tuscany without dedicating time to the local food and drink means missing a fundamental part of this region’s identity. Every area of Tuscany has its own specialities, rooted in the land, the climate and the farming traditions passed down through centuries.

In this article you will discover the most important Tuscan typical products, where to find them and how to recognise genuine quality.

Wine: Chianti Classico and the Great Tuscan Reds

Wine is Tuscany’s typical product par excellence. The Chianti Classico DOCG, with its Gallo Nero symbol, is the most famous, but Tuscany produces extraordinary wines in every zone.

Chianti Classico is produced in the hills between Florence and Siena, principally from the Sangiovese grape. The Gallo Nero wineries are open all year round for visits and tastings: Greve in Chianti, Panzano, Radda and Castellina are the main centres. Don’t buy Chianti from a supermarket: at the winery the price is often the same or lower and the quality is guaranteed.

The great Tuscan wines beyond Chianti

• Brunello di Montalcino DOCG: one of the world’s most celebrated and expensive red wines, produced on the hills of Montalcino from the Brunello Biondi Santi estate.
• Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG: produced on the hills around Montepulciano with an elegant, structured character.
• Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG: the first Italian wine to receive DOC status in 1966, a dry and mineral white perfect with fish dishes.
• Bolgheri DOC: an area of the Etruscan Coast famous for Sassicaia and Masseto, the so-called Supertuscans.

Tuscan Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil is one of Tuscany’s most prized typical products. The mill opens in November for the olive pressing: it is possible to visit many mills and buy new-season oil directly at source. Tuscan oil is characterised by a fruity flavour with artichoke notes and a slightly peppery and bitter finish, a sign of high polyphenol content.

The most renowned zones for olive oil are the Chianti, the Lucchesia and the area around Seggiano on Monte Amiata. Look for the IGP Toscano designation or the DOP marks from individual zones. Beware of oil at very low prices: a good Tuscan extra virgin cannot cost less than ten to twelve euros per litre.

Cheeses: Pecorino and Beyond

Pecorino toscano is the quintessential Tuscan cheese. Several varieties are produced: fresh, semi-aged and aged. Pienza is the capital of quality pecorino: the Pecorino di Pienza DOP is found in every shop in the Renaissance town. Taste it with chestnut honey or fig jam: a traditionally extraordinary pairing.

In the Grosseto and Maremma area, marzolina - a goat’s milk cheese - and Maremma ricotta are also produced. In spring, when the sheep graze on the flowering hills, the cheeses are at their peak of quality and flavour.

Tuscan Cured Meats: From Finocchiona to Lardo di Colonnata

Cured meats are among the Tuscan typical products most sought after by visitors. Finocchiona is the most characteristic salume: a soft salami flavoured with wild fennel seeds. It is found in every norcineria and butcher’s shop in the region.

Lardo di Colonnata IGP is a speciality from Carrara in the Apuan Alps: pork lard aged in white marble basins with aromatic herbs and spices. The result is a product of delicate flavour and intense aroma, to be eaten on a slice of unsalted Tuscan bread.

Other typical cured meats not to miss:

• Prosciutto di Cinta Senese DOP: made from the native Tuscan pig breed, with an intense flavour and characteristic marbling.
• Soppressata toscana: a rustic cured meat with coarsely minced pieces of meat.
• Capocollo: aged pork shoulder, typical of country butcher’s shops.

Truffle: the Diamond of the Tuscan Table

Truffle is one of Tuscany’s most precious typical products. San Miniato, in the province of Pisa, is the Italian capital of the prized white truffle (Tuber magnatum pico): every November the National White Truffle Market Fair is held there. Volterra and the Crete Senesi produce quality black truffle, which is more affordable.

Buying fresh truffle directly from hunters or at local markets guarantees quality and freshness. Be cautious with truffle-based products: many truffle oils and sauces sold in tourist shops contain artificial flavourings and almost no real truffle. Always read the label.

Bistecca Fiorentina and Chianina Beef

The bistecca fiorentina is a gastronomic ritual. It is cut from the loin of the Chianina breed of young cattle, the native breed of the Val di Chiana. The minimum thickness is 4 centimetres, it must be cooked rare according to tradition, and the only seasoning is extra virgin olive oil, coarse salt and pepper. Never ask for a bistecca fiorentina well done: it would be considered sacrilege.

The historic butcher’s shops of the Chianti, such as Dario Cecchini’s in Panzano, are places of pilgrimage for meat lovers from all over the world.

Where to Buy Tuscan Typical Products

For good purchases, avoid the shops on the main tourist streets of the cities and look for:

• Weekly markets: every Tuscan town has its weekly market with local producers.
• Wineries and mills: buy direct, better prices and the chance to taste before you buy.
• Village shops: Pienza for pecorino, Greve in Chianti for wine and cured meats, San Miniato for truffle.
• Agricultural cooperatives: often sell directly to the public with excellent value for money.

Where to stay

Homelink Sogno d’Oro is located in the Chianti, surrounded by producers of Tuscan olive oil, wine and cured meats. It is the ideal base for those who want to explore Tuscany’s typical products directly at source: the Chianti Classico wineries are 20 minutes away, the Val d’Elsa olive mills are nearby and the markets of Greve in Chianti are easily reached.

Related property: Homelink Sogno d’Oro Link: /sogno-doro/