Terricciola wine producers are part of the Strada del Vino delle Colline Pisane association, a wine route incorporating the inner Valdera and Valdarno, up to the Val di Cecina, and lined with the arbiters of the area’s top products: wine, but also extra virgin olive oil, truffles and pecorino cheese.
One of the main products of the area is the famous Chianti wine DOCG, made mainly from Sangiovese grapes, but the true must-try wine in Terricciola and nearby towns is Bianco Pisano di San Torpè DOC, a dry, delicate variety made primarily with Trebbiano Toscano (from 75-100%). A smaller percentage of other white grapes, such as Chardonnay and Vermentino, may be used. The taste is breezy and balanced, but the story behind its name is far less so: “San Torpè” derives from a Roman courtier to Emperor Nero called “Terpezio” who was beheaded and abandoned on a boat in Pisa in 68 C.E. upon converting to Christianity.
As for the less gritty details, Bianco Pisano di San Torpè DOC is gorgeous in a glass, usually tinted a straw-yellow hue. Meant to be enjoyed young, it tastes best paired with fresh (or even raw) fish. In colder temperatures, try it with a belly-warming, savory seafood-based stew.
We’d be remiss not to give you some options for your sweet tooth fix, too. Top off a long dinner in a local trattoria with Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice (literally “Holy Wine of the Eye of the Partridge—how’s that for a mouthful?) Distinguishing this dessert wine from similar items is its composition of minimum 50% Sangiovese grape, its intense, sweet-hot taste and its velvety, pinkish hue. Much of it is produced here in Terricciola, but turn to other Tuscan towns when deciding which cookies to dunk in it—biscotti di Prato make a solid choice.
