Everybody has heard about Chianti and many of us grew up with a bottle of Chianti in a wooden basket (called a fiasco) on the dining room table during family holiday gatherings.
(This article was written for GrapeBunch, our weekly wine periodical. Click here to read the original!)
Chianti is not a grape but a region in Tuscany, Italy. And within Chianti is Chianti Classico, which is the original area of Chianti before it expanded. To be labeled a Chianti Classico, the wine not only has to be from Chianti Classico but meet the stricter standards than one labeled as just Chianti. Every bottle of Chianti Classico is verified with a seal on the neck of the bottle that features a rooster.
The Chianti region has a long history of wine making, dating back to the Etruscans. The oldest recorded use of the word "Chianti" is on a scrap of paper from 790 BCE, but the earliest recorded reference of it as a general region and a wine making region is from 1398. The wine started to become a famous export of the area in 1427, and its official original Chianti borders (now Chianti Classico) were defined in 1716.
Even with that long history, using Sangiovese as the traditional main grape wasn't a thing until Baron Ricasoli started to do it with his blends in 1872 to great success. Sangiovese is now the main black grape of Chianti, the rest of Tuscany, and is a workhorse for central and southern Italy.
Today, Chianti Classico wine must be a minimum of 80% Sangiovese. The allowed grape varieties allowed to make up the remainder are fellow natives like Calaiolo and Calorino, or some international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
So what is Chianti Classico like? It has bright and high acidity with rustic tannins that play along great together, and also make it the ultimate food wine that can be paired with anything. You'll normally find cherries, plums, herbs, tobacco, and a dried clay-like minerality on the nose and palate.
TOMAIOLO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA
Wine, food, family, and castles is what Tuscany is all about. It's one of the greatest food wine producers in history, and you should have some Tuscan wine to enjoy with your food and family in your castle. Tomaiolo Chianti Classico Riserva from Tuscany is 85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It has notes of cherries, chocolate, and violets! Yum!
Joey Casco
Beverage Marketer
Certified Specialist of Wine
Certified Specialist of Spirits
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