The Denomination of Controlled Origin Sant’Antimo emerged in the mid 90ies from the producers' wish to further define and qualify the entire Montalcino wine production and was recognized as such by decree 18/1/1996. This DOC positions and establishes all the other wines produced in Montalcino that are neither Brunello, Rosso nor Moscadello di Montalcino.

Sant’Antimo is a very ample denomination that covers many wines both red and white. Sant’Antimo Rosso and or Sant’Antimo Bianco  may be produced from any grape variety authorized in Tuscany and very interesting high quality blends exist among them. The red wine may also be produced as Novello. At the same time a red Sant’Antimo can also have the variety indication of the following grape varieties: Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Nero, while a white Sant’Antimo can be done as a Sant'Antimo Chardonnay, Sauvignon or Pinot Grigio respectively.

Furthermore the Tuscan speciality Vin Santo can be produced under the DOC Sant’Antimo: the white Sant'Antimo Vin Santo and the Sant’Antimo Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice from red grapes. Both wines can also be created as Riserva.

The wines from the DOC Sant'Antimo fit perfectly within in the quality pyramid of Montalcino's wine production. For example a Sant’Antimo Rosso can be produced as a passage from Brunello or Rosso di Montalcino allowing for certain quality choices at harvest time or later in the cellar. In addition to this the DOCSant'Antimo gives producers the freedom to create wines employing a wider range of grapes and vinification methods.

Thus Sant'Antimo has extremely varying characteristics. We can find ready-to-drink, pleasant wines but also many high-end, quality wines that might need some time to mature; among them characteristic monovarietals and blends, masterfully composed.

Pairing Sant’Antimo with food

Given the abundant range of winestyles within the DOC there are few limitations when it comes to pairing these wines with food. The inherent high quality of all the Sant’Antimo wines lends itself to a wide spectrum of dishes, courses and cuisine styles: Tuscan or Italian, european, international and even Asian.

Production rules of Sant'Antimo

Sant’Antimo received its recognition of DENOMINATION OF CONTROLLED ORIGIN with the Decree 18/1/1996. The rules established by the disciplinary regulations according to this decree are as follows:

Production area: Montalcino Township
Variety: All grape varieties authorized in Tuscany, with specific limitations for the wines bearing the name of a specific grape variety and for Vin Santo
Maximum yield of grapes: 9 tons per hectare for the white grapes, Sant’Antimo Rosso and Vin Santo; 8 tons per hectare for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir.
Ratio of grape yield to wine: 70% and 31.5% for Vin Santo
Colour, odour, taste, alcoholic content, minimum total acidity, and net minimum dry extract: variable depending on the type of wine
Bottling: must take place within the province of Siena.