To research this travel guide first I studied Italian in Siena for one month, then lived in Tuscany for another five until the book was written.
Tuscany's a beautiful place to visit especially before Easter when many wild flowers, herbs and shrubs are flowering and the roads have yet to become clogged up by German and Dutch camper vans.
In the first part of the book, I try to demystify Tuscany's unnecessarily complex mix of wine regions (there are sixteen different versions of Chianti, for example...). In part two and with the help of a dozen maps, Tuscany's wine regions are explored enabling you to negotiate huge historic appellations such as Chianti Classico as well as emerging, smaller-scale regions such as Bolgheri. Each tour suggests the best routes to follow and the easiest way to travel around them (Italian roadsigns being infamously vague...). Throughout the book there are tips on winery etiquette and the best wines to look out for - at all price points - and advice on how to get your wines home quickly, safely and legally.
Consistently the best-value Tuscan wines I tried were served in restaurants as house wine - usually Sangiovese-based reds or Vernaccia-based whites - so restaurants to suit all budgets are recommended throughout.