Tuscany
AUGUST 2025
It's the most popular destination in Italy and with good reason: old, historic towns full of Renaissance art, duomos, leaning towers, bustling markets, amazing restaurants, surrounded by pastoral countryside with vineyards and olive groves and wonderful local cuisine.
Tuscany is located in central Italy with its west coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea (part of the Mediterranean). The grape of the region is Sangiovese. It's a lighter red, full of dusty cherry flavors, and it's acidic (tart) as heck – the perfect pairing for acidic foods like tomato-based pizzas & pastas.
In its fancier forms (like the Sangiovese clones grown around the Medieval villages of Montalcino & Montepulciano), it can be fuller-bodied, intense, and dry as a bone, capable of being aged for decades (e.g. Brunello di Montalcino & Vino Nobile di Montepulciano). But this is an everyday club, and we're going to focus on everyday Sangiovese. Your club will highlight an excellent example from Chianti.
If you were to sit down at a café in Tuscany and order a white wine, you'd very likely be served up their local everyday white grape: Vermentino – also selected for this month's club. Enjoy your little trip Tuscany. The wines are great!
Photos above: (top) view of the co-op vineyards from the Cooperativa Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano tasting room terrace // (bottom) food truck at the co-op's tasting room
Bolgheri
Located on the Tyrrhenian Coast in southwestern Tuscany, Bolgheri is a region known for Toscana Rosso, often called Super Tuscans in the US. They are blends of Sangiovese with international grapes such as Cab, Syrah, Merlot and/or Cab Franc. They don't get the local DOC or DOCG stamp of approval for Sangiovese-only rule following, but the wines are tasty and often sell for more than traditional Sangiovese in the international market.
Bolgheri also produces the white grape Vermentino which thrives in vineyards near the ocean. You can see the Tyrrhenian Sea in the background of the photo of their estate vineyards above.
Bolgheri has the traditional Mediterranean climate of mild winters and hot, dry summers, but with the added advantage of cooling breezes from being located right on the ocean. The winery talks about getting most of their sunlight from the reflection from the Mediterranean Sea.
Aia Vecchia
The estate featured in this month's club is a family winery with generations of grape growing experience. Historically, they sold their grapes to other wineries, but in 1995, they decided to invest in a production facility and make their own estate wines. They grow Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Vermentino, and Viognier. We carry one of their Super Tuscans if you're curious.
Aia Vecchia 2024 Vermentino • Tuscany, Italy • Reg $17.99 | Mixed Case $14.39
100% Vermentino from vineyards on the coast about 20 minutes south of the town of Bolgheri. Yummy fruity nose of green apples and flowers. Flavors of apples and pink grapefruit with almonds and then a note of citrus on the tail end of the finish. Drink now to 1 year. Enjoy with all sorts of frutti di mare – over pasta and on pizzas, pesto pasta, or an assortment of olives, artichokes, and grilled veggies on your next antipasto platter.
Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano
Established in 1937, the Cooperativa Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano is the local co-op for the village of Montepulciano. It is the oldest co-op in Tuscany. Over the decades, it has grown to include 1000 hectares of vineyards between Montepulciano and Siena, Arezzo, and Perugia (in neighboring Umbria). With their economies of scale, they produce high quality wines at a very reasonable price.
Photos above: (top) co-op vineyards with Montepulciano in the horizon // (bottom) hand-drawn pictures of co-op members
Riello delle Balze 2022 Chianti • Tuscany, Italy • Reg $14.99 | Mixed Case $11.99
100% Sangiovese from Chianti classified vineyards around Montepulciano. Cherries & dirt on the nose. Flavors of black cherries, dark plums, orange rind acidity, then a note of coffee on the finish. Medium-bodied. Fun wine — superb food wine, especially for price. Enjoy with classic Italian fare: pizza, lasagna, tomato-based pastas & more.
A Note from Jens:
Your wine club pickup tasting is always the 2nd Saturday of the month. Join to taste and learn about your club wines before enjoying them at home. Your Vermentino & Chianti will take you on a jaunt to Italy. Such great wines!
You'll be able to taste the FLAGSHIP club wines as well. Our theme is August Holiday in France. You know how the French shut down for the month of August and go take a vacation? We're going to join them with a Pouilly-Fumé (across the Loire River from Sancerre), a Côtes-du-Rhône from a Gigondas producer, and an amazing Côte du Roussillon Villages from vineyards on the French border to Spain. Hope you can join us! Great tasting.
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop
If you are here because you’re curious about our wine clubs: Here’s more general info & online sign-up. You can also peruse the last 12 months of both clubs to get a feel for the themes we pick and the wines we showcase: Portalis EXPLORES (our everyday wine club) & Portalis FLAGSHIP (our signature club).