Chianti Wine Primer
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2024
- Chianti (pronounced "Key An Tee") is one of most popular types of Italian wine. It’s fruity, bold nature makes it easy to enjoy and its acidity and high alcohol content makes it a natural pairing with a variety of foods such as pizza or pastas, as well as meat and tomato based dishes.
Chianti is a wine region in Tuscany, which is located in central Italy. Florence is a major city located in Tuscany. As Italian wines are considered “Old World” wines, their wine labels typically do not list what grape varietals are used to produce the wine. The Chianti region primarily produces red wines made from predominantly the Sangiovese grape. Because Chianti is a fairly large region, there is an abundance of Chianti wine produced. Chianti wines must be made from at least 80% Sangiovese grapes
The most basic Chianti wines (Annata) are only aged for 6 months before release so they are simple wines with a lot of cherry and fruit notes, high alcohol and high tannins. They are made for immediate consumption and generally taste better with food. Some wines are from Chianti Classico, which is a distinct area between the cities of Florence and Siena. Generally, these are higher quality wines that are marked with a black rooster on the label. Legend has it that during the Middle Ages, the Republics of Florence and Siena ended their long standing rivalry and decided to settle the borders between their 2 Republics. They decided that on a specific day, when a rooster awoke, knights from each hometown would ride off to meet each other and where they met would be the border between the 2 Republics.
The Sienese people chose a white rooster to wake their knight up at dawn while the Florentines chose a black rooster to wake up their knight. Whereas the Sienese people fed their rooster and treated it like royalty, the Florentines starved their black rooster and put it in an uncomfortable cage. So on the chosen day, the black rooster of the Florentines started crowing before dawn since it was so hungry and put in such terrible conditions. The Florentine knight thus got a head start on the knight from Siena, so the border was drawn only a few kilometres outside of Siena. That is why the black rooster is so celebrated in Chianti is the put on every Chianti Classico wine!
Wines that are aged more than a year (that are not located inside Chianti Classico) can call themselves Chianti Superiore and Chianti Classico wines aged for more than 2 years can call themselves Chianti Riservas.
The very best quality Chianti wines are labelled Gran Selezione. These wines must be aged for a minimum of 30 months, must come from Chianti Classico region and must pass a taste test administered by the Chianti Classico Consortium or the governing body of Chianti Classico wines. Gran Selezione wines are built for aging and generally need 5-8 years after the vintage before they are ready to drink. Starting in 2027, Gran Selezione wines will need to be made to use a minimum of 90% Sangiovese grapes. There are also UGA or Additional Geographic Units, which are like single vineyard sites within Chianti Classico. Gran Selezione wines can put UGAs on their label
Agree with you regarding the food friendliness. I think the sour cherry/tart taste of Chianti really opens up my appetite
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Great Video! As always :)
xdxd: thank you for your kind comment. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!
Great video on Chianti. It is one of my favorite wines and I have been collecting Chianti Classico Reservas and Grand Selezione Wines 2015 and 2016. Especially with Italian food.Thanks
dennirosa: thank you for your kind comments. Yes, I think you are wise to stock up on 2015 and 2016. I don't think there is another stellar vintage upcoming after that. Cheers!
Great primer on Chianti. Agree with your comments re food. It does work so well. I love Sangiovese and think high end Vino Nobile is also worth exploring. Cheers
dominic: thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Cheers!
The white grapes back then tended to soften what could be a very acidic wine.
allan: thank you for the info... it is interesting to look at wines from a historical perspective as it is so hard to imagine the wine scene was so different just 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!
Great video. Chianti, along with Sonoma Coast, are wines that really catalyzed my interest and love of wine when I visited the regions years ago. You are right to emphasize the value side of Chianti, but there are some higher end IGT wines in the Chianti region that are truly amazing too. My absolute favorite is Le Pergole Torte- it's very expensive, and I've only had it once, but it remains one of the best wines I've ever had.. It rivals most Grand Cru Burgundy in terms of complexity- stunning! I had it along with Haut Brion once, and the Le Pergole Torte was by far the better wine that night. If you're willing to spend the money, it's definitely worth a try. Keep up the great work!
noahcap: thanks for your comments. I wanted to keep this simple by just talking about Chianti. Once you start talking about IGT's it is really wide scope.
Le Pergole Torte....one of my favourites..I have just purchased a few bottles so just waiting for them to age a bit...hope to do a review of the wine next year...if I can wait that long. Cheers!
Always love a good story, lol.
"There is a tale that the island people tell
Don't care if it is true, 'cause I love it so well" - Jimmy Buffet
Chianti is one region I haven't tried yet at all because my only memory is those awful wicker basket wines that I tried once and tasted just plain awful (granted I was 15 at the time and it wasn't well kept either). Have a few on my wishlist so eventually I'll have to try it.
Steven: Chianti has come a long way since those days. Try the Gran Selezione wines...way different than Chianti Annata. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!
I have to confess that I hardly drink any Chianti as I often choose Brunello or Super Tuscans (or Bordeaux blends in general) when drinking wine from Tuscany
Henri: same as me..never liked Chianti but I do think the region is moving towards producing more quality wine so the Gran Selezione wines will change your attitude about Chianti. Cheers!