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📓 Wine Notebook
This is where curiosity meets Tuscany. Through fun illustrations, simple explanations and the occasional rabbit hole, I share the stories behind Tuscany's wines, grapes, traditions and food culture. Whether you've ever wondered why Brunello isn't a grape, what DOCG actually means, or why Sangiovese has so many different names, you're in the right place.
After more than 30 years living in Tuscany and countless visits to wineries, I want to share the best way to understand Italian wine.
From Magnum to Solomon: How to Remember Wine Bottle Sizes
Wine bottle sizes start simply enough with the standard 750 ml and Magnum. Then come Jeroboam, Rehoboam, Methuselah, Balthazar, Nebuchadnezzar and Salomon — grand Biblical names for increasingly enormous bottles. Here’s a fun way to remember them, why bigger bottles age differently, and how an 18-litre Salomon holds the equivalent of 24 standard bottles.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
1 day ago6 min read
Going It Alone: How to Plan Your Own Wine Tour in Tuscany
Planning your own wine tour in Tuscany? From choosing the right wine region and booking winery visits to navigating country roads, planning lunch and getting your wine home, here’s everything you need to know for a wonderful day of independent wine touring. And perhaps the most important advice of all: slow down. In Tuscany, you’ll often see more by trying to see less.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Sep 28 min read
The Tuscan Fiasco: The Bottle That Became a Disaster
From medieval glass flask to symbol of Chianti, the Tuscan fiasco has a surprisingly rich history. Discover why it was wrapped in straw, the thousands of women known as fiascaie who made them, how it travelled the world with Tuscan wine — and how the word “fiasco” somehow came to mean a complete disaster. A story of glassmakers, wine, women’s work, language and one of Tuscany’s most iconic objects.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Aug 287 min read
Why Are Some Wine Barrels So Big? Oak, Botti & Barriques in Tuscany
Explore the world of oak in Tuscan wine, from enormous traditional botti to French barriques and increasingly popular tonneaux. Discover why barrel size matters, what Slavonian oak is, how toast and barrel age influence wine, and why Sangiovese can taste so different depending on how it is matured. Plus, meet the curious colmatore and discover why the best oak may be the oak you hardly notice.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Aug 2311 min read
Vin Santo: Tuscany’s Most Misunderstood Wine
Vin Santo is one of Tuscany’s most fascinating, and misunderstood, wines. Made from grapes dried for months, then slowly fermented and aged for years in tiny caratelli, the real thing is concentrated, complex and anything but simple. But beware: that cheap “Vin Santo” served with cantucci may actually be vino liquoroso. From appassimento and the mysterious madre to Occhio di Pernice, food pairings and the art of the dunk, let’s go down the Vin Santo rabbit hole.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Aug 2110 min read
Why Is Tuscan Wine So Red — and So Dry?
Tuscany is famous for dry red wine—but why? From Sangiovese and centuries of tradition to the foods these wines were born to accompany, discover why Tuscany tastes the way it does. And yes, there are wonderful exceptions: Vernaccia, rosato, Moscadello and Vin Santo. The real joy of wine travel isn’t always finding what you already like—it’s tasting a place and understanding why its wines belong there.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Aug 197 min read
Why Don't They Water the Vines in Tuscany?
It’s 38°C/100°F, the Tuscan countryside is golden and dusty… so why aren’t they watering the vines? Grapevines are remarkably resilient, developing extensive root systems that search the soil for moisture. And for fine wine, more water isn’t necessarily better. From DOC regulations to old vines and climate change, discover why moderate water stress—and finding the right balance—can help produce better grapes.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Aug 185 min read
Why Super Tuscans Were Once "Illegal"
Some of Italy's greatest wines were once labelled simply "table wine." Why? Because pioneers like Sassicaia and Tignanello dared to break Tuscany's traditional rules. Discover how a handful of rebellious winemakers sparked the Super Tuscan revolution—changing Italian wine forever and creating some of the world's most celebrated bottles
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Aug 77 min read
Why Tuscany Has 52 Wine Denominations
If someone asked you to name a Tuscan wine, chances are you'd say Chianti. Maybe Brunello di Montalcino. If you're really into wine, perhaps Bolgheri, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, or Vernaccia di San Gimignano. And you'd be in good company. Those are Tuscany's superstars. But here's the surprise: Tuscany is home to 52 official wine denominations. Fifty-two. For a region many people think is simply "the land of Chianti." So why does Tuscany need so many? Let's uncork it. Unco
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Aug 54 min read
Why Don't Italy's Greatest Wines Tell You the Grape?
Why do Italy's greatest wines rarely tell you the grape? Discover why Italian wine labels focus on places like Chianti Classico, Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino instead of Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. Learn how Italy's 500+ native grape varieties, centuries of history and unique terroirs shaped a completely different way of thinking about wine—one where geography matters more than the grape.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Aug 34 min read
Chianti Classico: The Heart of Tuscan Wine
If there is one wine region that captures the soul of Tuscany, it's Chianti Classico. This is a landscape where vineyards weave between ancient oak forests, olive groves blanket the hillsides, and medieval villages seem almost unchanged by time. Every winding road between Florence and Siena reveals another stone farmhouse, another cypress-lined driveway, another vineyard climbing the slopes. But Chianti Classico isn't simply beautiful. It is one of the world's great wine regi
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 3013 min read
Sassicaia: The Wine That Changed Tuscany Forever
Sassicaia didn't just become one of Italy's greatest wines—it changed the course of Italian wine history. Discover how a private Cabernet experiment on the Tuscan coast gave birth to the Super Tuscan movement, transformed Bolgheri into a world-class wine region, and eventually earned its own unique DOC.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 294 min read
Bolgheri Wines Explained
Bolgheri is the part of Tuscany where Cabernet Sauvignon found its Italian home. Influenced by the Mediterranean, this small coastal region gave birth to Sassicaia and the Super Tuscan revolution, proving that world-class Bordeaux varieties could thrive on Italian soil. Discover how a once-unlikely wine region broke all the rules, became one of Italy's most prestigious appellations, and earned the country's only DOC dedicated to a single estate.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 294 min read
Understanding Italian Wine Classifications
Italian wine labels may look intimidating, but the system is surprisingly logical. DOCG, DOC, and IGT don't rank wines by quality—they describe how closely a wine follows the production rules of its region. Once you understand these classifications and terms like Riserva or Classico, Italian labels stop being confusing and start telling the story of a wine's origin, tradition, and identity.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 284 min read
The Many Faces of Sangiovese
Why does Tuscany's most famous grape have so many names? Discover how local pride, centuries of tradition and 132 officially registered clones have created one of Italian wine's greatest misconceptions. Brunello, Prugnolo Gentile and Sangioveto aren't different grapes—they're all part of the fascinating story of Sangiovese.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 274 min read
San Gimignano's Wines: More Than Just Vernaccia
Discover the wines of San Gimignano beyond its famous medieval towers. Learn why Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG is one of Italy's most historic and age-worthy white wines, explore the town's surprising red wine appellations, Vin Santo and Chianti Colli Senesi, and uncover the fascinating wine traditions that make this Tuscan hill town a must-visit for wine lovers.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 274 min read
Montalcino: Home of Brunello and One of Tuscany's Greatest Wine Regions
Perched on a hilltop overlooking endless vineyards, this small medieval town of Montalcino has become synonymous with Brunello, one of Italy's most prestigious wines.
But Montalcino is much more than Brunello...
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 266 min read
Montepulciano: The Tuscan Region That Doesn't Grow the Montepulciano Grape
If there's one Italian wine that regularly confuses wine lovers, it's Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Surely it's made from the Montepulciano grape? Nope. In one of Italy's greatest wine-related plot twists, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is named after the town, not the grape variety. Instead, it's made primarily from Sangiovese, known locally by the beautiful name (though slightly ever more complicated) Prugnolo Gentile. Meanwhile, the Montepulciano grape is a completely differ
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 264 min read
Carmignano: A Wine Fit for the Medici
Carmignano may be Tuscany’s best-kept wine secret. Protected by the Medici as early as 1716, this historic region was blending Sangiovese with Cabernet centuries before the Super Tuscans. Discover the fascinating history of Carmignano DOCG, Barco Reale, Vin Ruspo, and Vin Santo, and why this small appellation deserves a place on every wine lover’s itinerary.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 254 min read
Untangling the Chianti Confusion
Confused by Chianti and Chianti Classico? You're not alone. Discover why these are two separate Tuscan wine regions with different histories, regulations, classifications and wine styles. Learn about the seven Chianti subzones, the 11 Chianti Classico UGAs, the famous Black Rooster, and how understanding the difference will help you read Italian wine labels with confidence.
Rebecca Gouttenoire
Jul 93 min read
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