If you are wondering where the name “Pieve” comes from, you should know that, long before modern viticulture came to shape the hills of southern Tuscany, the landscape was organized around ancient parish churches known as “pievi”. These sacred structures formed the beating heart of rural communities, defining the boundaries of the ancient agricultural districts and shaping the agricultural identity of the area. Today, that medieval model has been brought back to life through an innovative zoning project that divides the production of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano into twelve historic districts, each named after these very parish churches.
However, the pievi have not been identified and divided solely on the basis of the historical land registry system, but also according to:
– the topography of the territory, which significantly influences the climate of the Montepulciano area, which in turn affects the growth of the vines and the characteristics of the wine;
– geology and pedology (soil type), which, together with the climate, play a crucial role in shaping the distinctive traits of the wine, contributing to the expression of the terroir.
By superimposing these three elements, the Pieve project creates a ‘landscape polygon’, which recognizes the importance of climate, soil and history in defining the boundaries of the 12 officially recognized parishes.
