Wine and Food Excellence between Local identity and market requirements

Tuscany is earth of famous artists and scientists and of numerous families that have devoted from centuries their passion to agriculture and to the production of wine and have assured the maintenance of the territory through the model of the Tuscan farm. The Tuscan viticulture and wine production tradition can be resumed by the following citation: Tuscan wines of today. The term terroir along the time has gone modifying and enriching of further meanings, especially in consequence of the intensification of the viticulture and wine research and for the widely use by producers, researchers, journalists, wine critics and wine consumers. Today this word contains at least the following four specifications Origin, Specificity, Perennial and Typical. The variety the ‘Sangiovese’, according to several studies carried out in many typical areas of cultivation of Tuscany proved to have a remarkable reactivity to the environmental factors which characterize viticulture units and define the terroir. The elevated variability of existing conditions between the zones of prestigious Denomination of Origin and the interaction of ‘Sangiovese’ with the environmental conditions determines consistent variations on the wines characteristics in the space and with time. It appears as already evidenced from other authors a presence of a compound viticulture terroir in which the productive characteristics are not homogenous while the wines produced with `Sangiovese’ could turn out enough similar. Terroir in which the ‘Sangiovese’ is able expresses the excellence to produce varietal wines (100%) seems relatively little and specific. The ‘Sangiovese’ still remains the most suitable variety to produce quality red wines in Tuscany, though it is necessary in certain conditions adopt appropriate management techniques or add local or international varieties for a complementary role to improve quality and possibly maintaining the original wine profile. It appears crucial to give a correct message to the consumers regarding to the territorial wines (from terroir) and to the varietal ones so they could be better recognizable. Considering the reaction to the environment of this variety, it can be pointed out the opportunity to carry out further studies on biosynthesis of the main and secondary grape metabolites in response to the factors included into the terroir, selecting those candidate to influence significantly the typical sensory profile of `Sangiovese’ wines. Acquire a better knowledge on this matter could be of remarkable support for a better communication of wines produced by this variety in every territory.