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| Wine Regions of Italy |
Chianti, Italy has been inhabited by humans since at
least 2000 B.C. The Etruscans are said
to
be the first civilization ever recorded living there. The name Chianti may have come from the
Etruscans, but no one knows for sure. The Etruscans were the first to cultivate
grapes and make
wine in Chianti, a practice that has not stopped for
thousands of years after them. The
Etruscans
were absorbed by the Romans which was fantastic for
viticulture as the Romans grew and
developed it.
In 1716, Chianti and surrounding towns of Gaiole, Castellina and Radda
were
declared a wine area by the Duke of Tuscany. At the beginning of the nineteenth century,
Chianti fell under the power of France and became known
for its red wine. In the 1860s, Italy
was formed and a treaty was signed to recognize
Chianti as part of Italy. It was during
this time
that Bettino Ricasoli came up with the “Chianti
recipe” of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 10%
Malvasia and 5% local red wines. In 1995, it became legal to produce Chianti
with 100%
Sangiovese and it was required that at least 80%
were Sangiovese in order to put Chianti on the
label. The
rules changed again in 1996 to allow 75% to 100% Sangiovese, up to
10%
Canaiolo and up to 20% other approved red wines such
as Merlot and Syrah.
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| Italy highlighted on the world map |
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| Wine Regions of Tuscany |
If all the rules and laws about what can be labeled
Chianti was not confusing enough, this region of Tuscany is further divided into seven sub regions. The subregions were redrawn in 1932 and include Classico, Colli Aretini,Collie Fiorentini,
Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montullbano and Rufina. In 1996, part of Colli Fiorentini was
renamed as Montespertoli.
Chianti Classico is by far the largest
subregion. It is the land that was originally
named Chianti and it located between Florence and Siena. It is the only subregion allowed to use the
black rooster seal on the neck of the bottle. The winery must also be part of the Chianti
Classico Consortium which enforces the rules and laws they
set pertaining to wine. Wineries in
Chianti Classico are not allowed to label their wines
Chianti Superiore. Other subzones can
put Chianti Superiore on their label if the vineyard has lower
yield, higher alcohol and dry extract. The altitude of this subzone it 820 feet to 2000 feet
which is a huge range which obviously has an influence on the terroir. As you might imagine, there are many hills throughout
the region. The soil is a bluish-grey chalky marlstone called
galestro. The Arno river flows through
the north part of Chianti Classico where the temperatures tend
to be cooler than the south. Wines from this subzone tend to be medium bodied, medium to
high acidity and have firm tannins.
Floral, cherry and a light nut taste are signature flavors.
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| Sub regions of Chianti |
The other regions of Chianti are made of soil that
is mostly marl and chalk. The two big
vineyards throughout Chianti and all of Tuscany are
Antinori and Frescobaldi. Colli
Florentine
is known for its strong character and fruit notes. Colli Pisane usually has the lightest body
and
color out of all the sub regions. Colli Aretini is relatively new and still
making a name for itself.
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Chianti's landscape
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The terrior of Chianti as a whole is very mild. The temperatures in the winter are about 45°F
along the coast and 40°F inland. Many of the days are sunny, but nights are
very cold. July and
August are the warmest months with a high of 90°F. June and September are both warm, but
there are occasional dry spells. November gets the most rainfall, about 4.4
inches. The wind and
sun really depend upon elevation. As discussed above, there a great differences
in elevation
throughout the region which really adds something
unique to each wineries’ terroir.
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| Wine bottle from Marchesi Antinori |
As mentioned before, there are many
laws in Chianti regarding labeling of wines.
In 2006, the use of white grapes have be prohibited
from being in Chianti Classico. Chianti Classico
must have at least 12% alcohol and have been
aged in oak for 7 months. In order to
put “Riserva” on the label, the wine must have been aged
in oak for 27 months and have a 12.5% alcohol content. Chianti Classico cannot harvest more
than 7.5 tonnes/hectare while Chianti is only restricted to 9 tonnes/hectare. Chianti needs a 11.5% alcohol level and can
be released on March 1st following the vintage year. Chianti Classico cannot be released until
October 1st following the vintage year.
Colli Fiorentini, Montespertoli and Rugina can release their wines on
June 1st following the vintage year. The DOC and DOCG areas actually overlap in
Chianti. In order to know what wine is designated
with which, you really have to look at the label because these are not
designated by sub region.
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| Wine bottle from Frescobaldi |
A few large, prominent wineries got
fed up with these laws about a decade ago.
They decided to use different types of grapes, different equipment and
make different styles of Chianti. They
were not allowed to label them Chianti, so they labeled them as table
wines. In Europe, table wines are the
lowest grade and cheapest wines around.
However, since these “table wines” were from big name producers with a
hefty price tag, people were curious.
They turned out to be globally recognized as “Super Tuscans”. Now, other wine regions across the global
have added the word “Super” into their description of their winery or
wine.
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| Chianti is fiasco, meaning "flask" |
Chianti is no longer always packaged
in a squat bottle that is nestled in a straw basket. Few wineries still use these packaging due to
the reputation it got during World War II.
Chianti went through a few unfortunate circumstances which lead to this
reputation. During the 19th
century, a odium and phyllorexa epidemic affected all of the vineyards. This had Chianti almost starting from scratch. During World War II, few resources were
towards viniculture and after the war, Chianti followed the world trend to
plant cheaper grapes. Chianti planted
Sangiovese clones, there was over cropping and quantity was put over
quality. This diminished the quality of
the product and really gave Chianti and undeserved bad name.
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| Beautiful landscape of Chianti |
Despite the obstacles, Chianti is
still a large producer of wine in Italy and has improved on quality
tremendously, just ask the Super Tuscans.
Chianti covers 17,300 hectares and produces more than 8 million cases of
wine with a DOC recognition or above.
It has been called the “Bordeaux of Italy” due to its flexibility in
blending. It is difficult to get a count
of the wineries in Chianti, but I am sure the number is large. This is a
growing wine industry which has had its roots in wine for a very long time.
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