Tuscany's smallest DOCG region is called Carmignano. It's a bit of a hidden gem obvious because of its minute size, but certainly has nothing to envy its larger neighbours in terms of history and greatness, on the contrary.
Like most of Tuscany's traditional wine regions, Sangiovese is the main grape. But the uva francesina, or Cabernet (probably Franc) was introduced in the region centuries ago, thanks to the Medici family who had many interests in this area of Tuscany.
Later on, the region was protected by the same Medici family, when Cosimo III wrote a bando attempting to define geographical borders for those wines that at the time were considered the best.
The region was elevated from to DOCG in 1990 just 15 years after becoming a DOC when finally this great history together with the consistent quality made across the region became officially recognised, even in modern times.
Because Carmignano's vineyards are few (only 110 Ha) most wines are handcrafted into beautiful bottles of well-structured reds. The only trouble is that they are not easy to get!
Grape Tours has one weekly tour scheduled to Carmignano from Florence on Saturdays called Medici Wines & Villas. During this tour, you will visit the small Bacchereto winery and the larger and super historical winery Capezzana.
It's also possible to purchase the Carmignano wines for shipping in our shop www.tuscanyinabottle.com.