Chianti Wines

Chianti became the World’s first officially defined wine producing area in 1716, the year Cosimo III drew the boundaries within which the vineyards could use the region’s name on their product. Modern Chianti dates from the 1860’s when Bettino Ricasoli (unified Italy’s second prime minister) established the classic formula for the wine at his estate at Brolio, based on Sangiovese; central Italy’s predominant red grape.
Chianti became a DOCG in 1984 and, this recent change, allows the wine to be produced from pure Sangiovese. Chianti is by far Italy’s highest volume DOCG produced wine.
There are seven classified regions of which the best are Chianti Classico and Chianti Rufina. The better Chaintis mature in about four to seven years. A Riserva is a Cru version aged for a minimum of two and a half years before bottling.

Chianti Classico - The original delineated district accounts for a third of the Chianti produced. In 1924 Chianti Classico was institutionalized taking the Black Cock as its trademark (Gallo Nero); once the heraldic symbolmof the baronial alliance called the Lega di Chianti.

Chianti Colli Aretini - From the hills of the east side of the river Arno, to the north of Arezzo. Best drunk when young and tends to be lighter than Chianti Classico.

Chianti Colli Fiorentini - From the area immediately south and east of Florence and along the Arno and Pesa valleys. This is a staple Rosso and good qualifying wine of many Florentine restaurants.

Chianti Colli Senesi - The largets Chianti zone, divided into three districts: around Montalcino, around Montepulciano, and south of the Classico region east of San Gimignano. The quality varies with the name of the producer being very important.

Chianti Colline Pisane - This region gives the lightest Chianti from south east of Pisa around Casciana Terme

Chianti Montalbano - This is from the hills west of Florence and south of Pistoia. The wines are usually soft and scented

Chianti Rufina - From the lower Sieve valley, northeast of Florence, producing some of the most refined and longest-living Chiantis.

Besides Chianti, the most well known Tuscany wine, there are a range of other good wines from different areas. Above all Tuscany is known for its red wines and the white wines are far less important.

Brunello di Montalcino:
This has the crown for being Italy’s most expensive wine!

It is quite common to find grape varieties whose names change from one area to the next. However, Brunello is the name of the grape as well as the wine even though we are still dealing with a variety of Sangiovese, the red grape of Tuscany.
Brunello is an expensive wine; this tends to be the first thing people talk about when discussing it - is it worthy of the price tag ? This is somewhat irrelevant as the producers seem to have no trouble whatsoever in selling their wines, whatever the price. The ‘second' wine, Rosso di Montalcino, was regularly proposed as a far less expensive alternative, but even this wine has spiraled in price in recent years.
As with Barolo, Brunello was often cited as a wine that spent far too long being wood-aged; when it finally emerged it was as a dry wine, packed with tannin and with little remaining fruit. Times have changed, and many wines are now far more approachable. When it is good, it is very, very good, with great depth and structure that benefits from prolonged bottle-aging.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano:
Another area and another name for the Sangiovese grape. Prugnolo sometimes found blended with small amounts of Canaiolo and/or Mammolo. When good, it can combine the depth and backbone of a Brunello di Montalcino with the finesse of a fin Chianti.

Rosso di Montepulciano:
The ‘second' wine to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano , in much the same way as Rosso di Montalcino is the second wine to Brunello di Montalcino. Here too, a lighter juicy wine may be bottled and sold young, as opposed to being aged in wood and left to brood for a while. The DOC was only created in 1989 and a ‘style' has yet to emerge.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano:
This is a typical tuscan white wine produced in the province of Siena from the area next to the town with the famous towers from previous nobility; San Gimignano.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano has a minimum 90% from this grape. A maximum of 10% of white grape vines not aromatic authorized by the province of Siena are allowed. The colour is straw yellow tending towards gold when ageing. The fragrance is fine, penetrating, distinctive and intense. The tase is dry and harmonius with a slight bitter sensation. Minimum ageing of 1 year from the 1st January following harvest is necessary for a ‘Reserve’. This wine is excellent for shellfish, grilled or boiled fish and soft cheeses.

Montecarlo:
The classic wine of Lucca, the white Montecarlo is a classic table white wine.
It is fermented from the Tuscan Trebbiano (40-60%), Semillon, Pinot Gris and Pinot Bianco, Vermentino, Sauvignon, Rousanne (max 40-60%). It has a bright straw-white medium intensity. The fragrance is delicate and distinctive, and the tase dry, delicate and harmonius.

Galestro:
This is a typical white wine from Tuscany with its origins in the provinces of Firenze, Siena and Arezzo. The vine is Trebbiano (70-80%), Malvasia del Chianti, Canaiolo white and Vermentino (max 25%). It has a light straw-yellow colour. The fragrance is a fruity scent with smella of fresh flowers and white fruits. The taste is well balances with light bitter sensations. It serves as an aperitif, fish appetizer and a complete meal wine.

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