La Buccianera Winery is an organic vineyard and winery north of Arezzo. They do not use pesticides on their grapes; they only use organic, natural materials. I really enjoyed this place because I love their choice to forgo using pesticides! Not to mention, the vineyard is beautiful as well. It is situated at the top of a mountain and overlooks Arezzo. Before roaming the fields, we explored the building where they ferment and mature the wine. Contrary to my common perception of a winery, La Buccianera ferments their wine in stainless steel vats. I figured wine was only stored in small wooden barrels. However, these stainless steel vats were massive! The winemaker explained the process of fermentation. His most emphasized point was that red wine is made from the must (or the pulp) and fermented with the skins, while white wine is fermented in the juice only. Once the tour was over, we enjoyed a tasting of four of the best wines from the winery. Listed below are the names, grape varieties, and other relevant information about the wines we tasted.
The first wine given to us tasted like a normal white wine to me. It is hard for me to distinguish between the different flavors; however, I was told that it was a dry white wine.
Donna Patrizia I.G.T / Buccia Nera / Toscana Blanco
- Trebbiano (40%)
- Malvasia (40%)
- Grechetto (20%)
- Grapes harvested at the end of September and beginning of October
- Ferment and mature in stainless steel, climate-controlled vats
The second wine given to us was a red wine that tasted sweet to me. Like the first wine, I was told that this wine was dry as well. In addition, this wine had prominent “legs.” I learned that legs are the streaks/drips down the sides of the glass. Wines with higher alcohol content or higher sugar have prominent legs.
Syrah I.G.T / Buccia Nera / Tuscany Syrah
- Syrah (100%)
- Grapes from Cortona
- Ferment in stainless steel, climate-controlled vats
- Mature in French Oak Barrels
The third wine given to us was another red that seemed more complex than the first red. It was a dry, vintage wine with a low sugar, high alcohol content. In my opinion, this was the best wine out of the tasting.
Sassocupo / Chianti Superiore Dogg
- Sangiovese (90%)
- Canaiolo (10%)
- Grapes harvested at the end of September and beginning of October
- Ferment in stainless steel, climate-controlled vats
- Mature in French Oak Barrels
The fourth and final wine given to us was a dessert wine. The color seemed to be a mix of red and white wine (almost an orange-ish color). The taste was extremely sweet and grew even sweeter in the aftertaste. It was also very strong. Personally, I did not love this wine, but it was interesting to taste it.
Vin Santo / Central Etruria Hills / Registered Designation of Origin
- Malvasia Toscana
- Trebbiano
- Grapes harvested in the second-half of September
Along with the wines, we were served anti pasta to compliment the wine. For example, the white wine was best complimented by lighter flavors, while the red wine was complimented by stronger flavors, like liver (bleh!). I like a lot of foods, but eating liver just doesn’t sound appealing to me.
Jaclyn and I posing with Tuscan hills in the background.
Tried to take a picture with the flowers, but, despite the apparent cloud coverage, it was really bright outside. 
