The topic of the day is Chianti.
🍷Chianti is a red wine produced in the Italian region of Tuscany.
🍷Chianti was first established as a wine category in the early 1700s and in its historical form, was transported in a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket.
🍷Chianti is the name of the region in which the wine is produced, NOT the name of the grape it is made from. Chianti can be made from a blend of different grape varieties, but the dominant grape is always Sangiovese.
🍷Chianti typically has flavours of red cherry, red plum, floral notes of violet and sometimes smokiness or charred wood depending on its age/treatment. It is a smooth wine, high in acidity without a huge amount of tannins, so a great wine to pair with food. Tomato-based dishes work well because of their typically high acidity.
🍷In the 1930s, the Chianti region was redefined into seven sub-regions:
-Classico
-Colli Aretini
-Colli Fiorentini
-Colline Pisane
-Colli Senesi
-Montalbano
-Rufina
(part of Colline Fiorentini was split in 1996 to add another sub-region: Montespertoli)
🍷If a Chianti wine has been aged for at least 2 years it may add the word Riserva to the label.
🍷There are examples of both DOC and DOCG Chiantis, but for higher quality, Chianti Classico is a good option as it is DOCG classified area. Another way to find high quality is to look for Chiantis that are labelled as Chianti Superiore DOCG. These are also high quality wines but they never originate from Chianti Classico (they are separate entities).
Have you ever tried Chianti and if so, did you love it or loathe it? Let me know 😊
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