Pisa: Art and Wine Collide

Pisa (not just the city but the surrounding province) made an independent, headstrong and idiosyncratic impression on me. From villages laid through with art to an Etruscan cave now filled with barrels and the work of a local artist to quite a lot of organic farming and winemaking, the intersection of visual and vinous arts in Pisa is unique. And gosh, DID YOU KNOW (I didn’t) there is a DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) for it? I’ve pored over endless maps that seemingly listed every DOC and DOCG in Tuscany, yet I don’t recall learning about Terre di Pisa before getting invited to go there??? What a shame—because they are making GREAT wines there. The Terre de Pisa and the province itself are filled with tradition, seeded through with it, to be sure, but also not tied to what the modern art and wine world demand, creating a juxtaposition in style and vibe, freed from convention but friendly with it. And now for your fact-y facts: Founded in 2011, it’s a new (in the scheme of things) DOC. The province of Pisa is a hop, a hilly skip, and lil’ jump from the more famous Tuscan regions: Chianti, Brunello, and so on and so forth. The region's beauty is equal to its neighbors if not more than equal. Hill after hill provides stellar views. The bonus of being closer to the Tyrrhenian Sea brings freshness to the wines. The soils are rife with Pliocene-era shells—literally, you can go seashell hunting even when you aren’t by the seashore. It felt like we were walking on a bed of ocean creatures, which, oh right, we basically were, minus the water. Terre di Pisa comes in two iterations: Terre di Pisa Rosso and Terre di Pisa Sangiovese. A Rosso must contain at least 70%, alone or combined, of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and/or Syrah, the remainder being other classic Tuscan varieties. The Sangiovese must be (obvi) 95% Sangiovese, the rest classic Tuscan varieties. And there are plans to create guidelines for white, rosé and Vermentino Terre di Pisa bottlings! Given the quality of whites and rosés I tasted (for now, more typically bottled as Toscana IGT), I look forward to seeing them get the DOC stamp of approval. I want to take you on a mini-tour of how wine and art collide in Pisa! MINI-MUSEUMS Many of the wineries we visited were filled with artwork, some displayed in a more traditional gallery style, some not. The winery at La Chiesa, located in Terricciola, IS a piece of art. The building itself has many round windows of varying sizes scattered artistically—designed to represent the grapes themselves. Inside is a more formal gallery with a wrap-around balcony overlooking the barrels. Their 2020 Podere La Chiesa Opera in Rosso Terre di Pisa Sangiovese is sappy, herbal and red fruit-forward on the nose, opening into some florals and dust. The palate is similar to the nose and even slightly spicy, like a nice pizza sauce garnished with lilacs. Le Palaie, a winery located in Peccioli, is a modern spectacle—open and airy, with a stunning vista. Down a flight of stairs, you find yourself in a barrel room, the barrels flanked by art, with notches in the wall featuring lithe statuettes that seem to look over the resting wine. The 2021 Le Palaie Gatta Ci Cova Terre di Pisa is mainly Sangiovese and fruit dominant, showing just-ripe red raspberries and strawberries on the nose. The palate is healthily earthy, herbs shadowing the red fruits much like the statues over the barrels, adding style to depth. The acid is bright, the tannins dusty; in all, it is a friendly, easy-to-sip wine without being simple. The Italian-style garden at Tenuta di Ghizzano is enchanting. Gated, you get that secret garden feeling upon entering, with various sculpted hedges and trees providing walls and walkways. You’ll encounter fantastical statuary and topiary, and I seriously felt like some sort of Renaissance princess communing with the plants. As for the wine! The 2020 Tenuta di Ghizzano “Mimesi” Terre di Pisa Sangiovese gives gorgeous red fruit and roses, violet, and the slightest hint of balsamic. Light on the palate with sandy medium-plus tannins, you get the florals, then acidic lemon and tomato paste (high quality) kick through, finishing with (again) a touch of balsamic. It has the heart of a dancer with the mind of a long-distance runner. At Usiglian del Vescovo, located in Palaia, barrels lie in Etruscan caves in which you can take stairs down, down, down, deep in the earth, only to emerge suddenly in broad daylight, given the stairs essentially follow the slope of a hill. Within the caves, barrels lie side-by-side with the work of a young artist of Palaia. I loved their 2020 Usiglian del Vescovo Il Barbiglione Terre di Pisa Rosso with its potent nose of earth, cedar, prunes, spice, salt. Art was subtle but thought-provoking at Fattoria di Fibbiano, where we spotted avant-garde statues in the corner of the barrel room. “I don’t know, those are my brother’s,” said Nicola Cantoni of his brother Matteo, the winemaker, and as it turns out, artist too---the ribbing rapport between the two brothers was hilarious. The two wines I was most excited about belong to the “about to be a Terre di Pisa” category. The Fattoria di Fibbiano Vermentino Toscana IGT is all salted honeydew on the nose with a touch of golden toast. On the palate, salted greens and fresh white peach salad lilt. So craveable. One of my favorites of the trip. It alternates between swathes of beach and fruit. I also adored the Fattoria di Fibbiano “Sofia” Rosé Toscana IGT , made of Sangiovese and spent 3 hours on skins before pressing. It smells GREAT, slightly of pink teacup rose and seashell. The palate is pleasantly prickly, echoing the nose with an added bonus of seawater. STREET ART There was art on the streets! The village of Peccioli was particularly rife with it. You see it from afar, descending the hillside, a rainbow-colored bridge comes into view. In the narrow streets, different motifs emerge—in one corner are walls filled with pictures of the resident’s eyes. Just the eyes! Turn a corner, and you will find yourself entering a free mini-museum. Exit and hang a right, and a vast outlook deck gives you a nearly 360 view of the surrounding lands with their hills and dales and cypress trees dotting the skyline, reminding you sometimes mother nature is a contender when it comes to art. In Ghizzano (yes, the same locale as the winery with gardens), the cobblestoned streets have been arted (it’s a verb now) out by three artists. One artist's work was to paint the exteriors of residents’ homes in colors representing the changing seasons. Sculptures pop up here and there, the odd pair of giant hands emerging from a wall, a giant marble nearly levitating in a village square—the modernity a juxtaposition. “It’s a nice authentic village with modern incursions,” opined Ginevra Venerosi Pesciolini, who tends to the agricultural and commercial sides of the eponymous winery. In Lajatico, the village famed tenor Andrea Bocelli is from, lies the Theatre of Silence, a giant open-air amphitheater which, if you encounter it when nothing is going on there, you can roam freely and let loose with a tune. I’m not gonna lie; I peacocked center stage (none of my companions paying attention) then belted out, “Do I sounnnnnd like Bocelliiiiiiiiii?” and someone sarcastically replied, ”Exactly like him.” We are all artists, and some of us are better singers than others. THE WINEMAKERS THEMSELVES There were the downright artistic winemakers—we met the winemaker from Pieve de’ Pitti, Caterina, at a dinner where she sported a t-shirt that said “I’M FINE” that was spattered with blood (I mean not real blood, it just looked like it) as she passed around jars containing samples of the five different soils which she tastes as a guidepost to her vineyard management and winemaking. Again, I was enchanted with a potential future Terre di Pisa. The 2023 Pieve de’ Pitti Aprilante Toscana Vermentino is super herbal with a white pepper kick and a touch of salty slate. At that same dinner, we were joined by Marina Romin, whose life is a work of art, if you will. She was born in Sarajevo and, from there, moved all around working on (amongst other things) electric trains. Eventually, she realized her love of food and drink, making some sort of change a natural next step. Her complexity as a human being shows up in the wines. Of her Terre di Pisa offerings, the 2021 Marina Romin Turseno Terre di Pisa Sangiovese gives sparkly geode vibes, mineral and purple plums and spice on the nose, textured with ample dried and ripe red berries on the body. The tannins are elevated but sandy and friendly, and it is a wine that, along with salinity and tempting herbal notes, makes it a food wine, if there is one. The 2021 Marina Romin Boccanera Terre di Pisa Rosso is lively, alive even. Prickly red fruit and herbs say hi on the nose. Elevated acid and pleasantly sandpapery tannins create a tense but energetic body that grips yet glides. More red plums and raspberries take a back seat to herbal concoctions and purple flowers. The finish goes on and on, leaning more into fruit and florals. Simply a stunner, my gosh. UNDER THE PISAN SUN Never forget that architecture is art, too, and no trip to Pisa is complete without a visit to the Leaning Tower. On our last evening, we gathered on the balcony of a restaurant that the tower looms over, joined by many of the winemakers and proprietors we met throughout the week to taste through as many of the Terre di Pisa wines as we could. For good measure, here are a few more favorites: The 2021 Varramista “Frasca” Terre di Pisa Rosso sported an open nose of salinity and darker fruit. The palate has a touch of cocoa and a touch of cranberry fruit—even? Yes! Total cranberry freshness. If you get a chance to visit the Varramista winery, you should. It’s stunning, has antique Vespas on display, and its glassware is exceptional. The 2019 Podere Spazzavente Grano delle Formiche Terre di Pisa Rosso is 70% Sangiovese, 30% Colorino, and 100% crushable. The nose has some anise-y notes and herbs, leading to a juicy but saline body. Freshness galore, sip and slosh. The 2021 Castelvecchio Gradualmente Terre di Pisa Rosso blends Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Full, spicy, and lush, with gripping tannins, it's not heavy on its feet, though. GO! Having spent the week tasting an extraordinary selection of wines, I wondered why on earth a DOC with such a NAME to it—come on, we all know what Pisa is—hasn’t made more waves yet. I mean, I tasted a lot of REALLY good wines. Of course, part of it is that it is still relatively small; 19 wineries currently make Terre di Pisa wines. But still. Some of these wines are not yet available in the US, but if you can’t get your hands on a bottle, try to visit in person. Soak up the art, drink up the wine, savor the views, and walk on the beach. The province of Pisa feels the right combination of established but unique and authentic. -------------------------------------- Want to read more from Ellen? Check out her recent articles: Ghosts in the Winemaking Machine Vino Film Veritas Back to School: Wine 201 Second To... A Valpolicella For All Ellen in Lalaland: Atwater Village Voyage! 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