# Tuscan food: Pecorino Toscano and Chianti Classico

> Pecorino Toscano DOP entered the EU register on July 2, 1996. Chianti Classico covers 70,000 hectares in eight comuni, and it is not the same as Chianti.

URL: https://myitalia.it/food/in-toscana
Last updated: 2026-09-11

Tuscany's flagship protected food is Pecorino Toscano DOP, in the EU register since July 2, 1996, and its best-known wine zone, Chianti Classico, covers 70,000 hectares across eight comuni between Florence and Siena.

## Pecorino Toscano: a DOP since July 2, 1996

Pecorino Toscano DOP entered the EU register on July 2, 1996, and the agriculture ministry's list, updated to June 11, 2026, names it as Tuscany's flagship product.

Two cured meats sit next to it on that list: Prosciutto Toscano DOP, registered on June 21, 1996, and Lardo di Colonnata IGP, registered on October 27, 2004.

The cheese's production zone and aging rules live in its specification, which we haven't opened, so neither is summarized here.

## Chianti Classico: 70,000 hectares, eight comuni

The Chianti Classico production zone covers 70,000 hectares across the provinces of Florence and Siena. Four comuni lie wholly inside it: Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti.

Four more are only partly in: Barberino Tavarnelle, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Poggibonsi and San Casciano in Val di Pesa. Every bottle must carry the Gallo Nero, the black rooster.

The vineyard area inside those 70,000 hectares is quoted often, but it wasn't found on an official page, so it's left out.

## Chianti and Chianti Classico are two wines

Chianti and Chianti Classico are separate denominations, and only the second covers the eight comuni above and carries the Gallo Nero.

A bottle labeled only Chianti belongs to the other denomination, whose zone isn't described here. On a wine list or a shop shelf, the rooster is the quickest way to tell them apart.

## 11 DOCG, third in Italy

Tuscany holds 11 DOCG wines on the 2026 ministry count, third behind Piedmont with 19 and Veneto with 14, out of 79 in the country.

Add the three leaders together and you get 44 of the 80 regional entries; the list counts Lison twice because it straddles Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto. For how DOCG, DOC and IGT relate, see [wine denominations](/food/wine-denominations).

## Where it puts you

The four comuni wholly inside Chianti Classico, Castellina, Gaiole, Greve and Radda, are the natural bases for a wine day between Florence and Siena.

More in [Tuscany](/regions/toscana), [Siena](/towns/siena), [Florence](/towns/firenze), [how busy Tuscany gets](/how-busy/in-toscana) and [DOP and IGP](/themes/dop-igp).

## FAQ

### Is Chianti the same as Chianti Classico?

No. They are two separate denominations. Only Chianti Classico covers the 70,000 hectare zone between Florence and Siena, with four comuni wholly inside it, and only Chianti Classico bottles must carry the Gallo Nero, the black rooster.

### What does the black rooster on a wine bottle mean?

It is the Gallo Nero, the mark every Chianti Classico bottle must carry. It identifies wine from the 70,000 hectare zone across the provinces of Florence and Siena, as opposed to the separate Chianti denomination.

### What is Tuscany's flagship cheese?

Pecorino Toscano DOP, in the EU register since July 2, 1996, which the agriculture ministry names as the region's flagship product. Prosciutto Toscano DOP, registered on June 21, 1996, and Lardo di Colonnata IGP, from October 27, 2004, are the other two names on the same list.

### How many DOCG wines does Tuscany have?

11 on the agriculture ministry's 2026 count, third behind Piedmont with 19 and Veneto with 14. Italy has 79 DOCG wines in total.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il Pecorino Toscano DOP e registrato nel registro UE dal 2 luglio 1996. | [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2099-12-31 |
| La zona di produzione del Chianti Classico si estende su 70.000 ettari a cavallo tra le province di Firenze e Siena e comprende per intero i comuni di Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti e Radda in Chianti, e in parte quelli di Barberino Tavarnelle, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Poggibonsi e San Casciano in Val di Pesa. Il marchio Gallo Nero e' obbligatorio sulle bottiglie. | [Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico](https://www.chianticlassico.com/territorio/zona-di-produzione/) | medium | 2029-12-31 |
| Il Piemonte e la regione con piu vini DOCG (19), seguito dal Veneto (14) e dalla Toscana (11); queste tre regioni da sole valgono oltre la meta dei 79 DOCG italiani (2026). | [MASAF - Elenco alfabetico Vini DOP (PDF, agg. 27/03/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fd%252F5%252FD.fd1629819dea12c20cf4/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/pdf?mode=download) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| I vini italiani con menzione DOCG sono 79 (2026). | [MASAF - Elenco alfabetico Vini DOP (PDF, agg. 27/03/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fd%252F5%252FD.fd1629819dea12c20cf4/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/pdf?mode=download) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/region.toscana.1600.jpg
Author: Martin Falbisoner. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tuscan_Landscape_7.JPG

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