WINE
Tuscany has thirty six protected wines, six of whom are DOCG,the maximum label of quality; they are the reds "Chianti" and "Chianti Classico","Brunello di Montalcino", "Vino Nobile di Montepulciano", "Carmignano",and the white "Vernaccia di San Gimignano".
The DOCG "Carmignano", is produced in the area of Prato,north of Florence and has the peculiarity to add to the original grape mixture of the Chianti (Sangiovese e Canaiolo), the Cabernet grape.Many other wines are also Chianti but are produced in other parts of Tuscany, such as the "Pomino" and the "Rufina", produced in the Mugello, the mountain area around Florence,the "Chianti Colline Pisane", around Pisa, the "Chianti Colli Aretini", around Arezzo,the "Vin Santo del Chianti", produced in the Lucca area and the "Montalbano" in the area of Prato.
In Tuscany, has been recently established the "Strade del Vino" institution (Wine roads),that set the exclusive itineraries of production of many wines. They are indicated along the roads that pass through the lands of production so, in this way, along with the gastronomic experience, you can discover the territory in its material and human values.

OIL
Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil is among the most famous ones and every kind of olive oil that is produced in Tuscany has been reunited under the label of quality "Toscano" which refers to the IGP (Indication of Protected Geographic Area).
The production of extra virgin olive oil dates back at the Etruscan period. Nowadays olive oil is still produced in the ancient way: olives are collected directly from the tree and promptly crushed with millstones in the "frantoio". The result is the bright green and spicy extra-virgin oil that still has the smell of the original plant and that is one of the basic ingredients of the Tuscan cuisine.
You can find it in all the vegetable soups (minestrone), on the beans, and on the bread, the typical and famous "bruschetta" with garlic and new olive oil.

MEAT AND PORK PRODUCTS
The label DOP of the Tuscan prosciutto means that it is a production originated in a protected area and is identified for the bright red colour and the delicate but tasty flavour due to the tradition to add vegetable essences during the maturation process, made in fresh valleys and in the wooded hillside. The "prosciutto Toscano" is produced in all the region.
In the production of the Salame Toscano, common in the whole region, the lean pork meat is ground, mixed with one third of fat and is matured with salt, pepper, crushed garlic with wine for six months.
The popular sausage (salsiccia) is made by mixing chopped lean and fat pork meat with garlic, fennel seeds and spicy pepper and it can be eaten immediately cooked, or after it has been matured, as the salame. It is common in the whole region.
The Soprassata is made with parts of the head and the tongue of the pork mixed with parsley, lemon skin and spices.
The Spalla is the result of the same process of the Prosciutto, but it is matured for a shorter period of time and it's a very requested product. Maybe the most famous steak in Italy, the Chianina (IGP) comes from a cow of a race with the same name, brewed with natural pasture and killed between 12 and 24 months of age. This race is common in a wide spread hilly and mountainous territory, but the special label goes to the one that comes from the provinces of Siena and Arezzo.