Camartina Toscana IGT

Producer history

Querciabella was founded in the Chianti Classico zone in 1974 by Giuseppe Castiglioni, and the name Camartina draws on that of his younger daughter, Martina. The estate established itself early as one of the producers willing to set aside traditional Chianti Classico rules in pursuit of its own style, and became part of the movement that came to be called the Super Tuscans; Camartina, launched with the 1981 vintage, was the wine that expressed that ambition. The estate's defining later commitment has been agricultural: Querciabella has farmed exclusively by biodynamic methods since 2000, and it practises a plant-based form of biodynamics that avoids animal inputs, with organic certification and vegan production. Vineyard holdings for Camartina are concentrated at Ruffoli in Greve in Chianti, spanning galestro, clay and sandstone soils across a wide altitude band. Camartina sits at the top of a range that also includes the white Batàr and the Merlot-based Palafreno, though those are separate wines with their own vineyard sources.

Signature pairings

• Bistecca alla Fiorentina — A rare-grilled Chianina steak is the regional partner for a structured Tuscan red; the beef's fat and char soften Cabernet tannin while the Sangiovese portion's acidity cuts through it.
• Roast lamb with rosemary and white beans — Rosemary meets the Mediterranean-herb register the producer's site associates with the wine, and lamb's richness gives the barrique-derived tannin something to work against.
• Massaman beef curry (แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ) — Massaman is the mildest of the Thai curries, its heat buffered by coconut and warm spice, so slow-cooked beef and cardamom-clove sweetness can meet a firm Cabernet-led red without the tannin turning harsh.