Today we are traveling NW of Rome to Italy’s Tuscan wine region. As we pass Sienna on our northern journey, but before getting to Florence, we find ourselves in Chianti. To understand what you’re drinking when it comes to Chianti, we gotta learn a little history. In 1963, 10-30% of the blend was required to be white wines, didnt matter from what region, or what grapes, but they needed to be there. It wasn’t until 1996 that the Chianti Classico region was delimited and could allow up to 100% red grapes, specifically Sangiovese. The Chianti Classico region is the original delimintated region of 1716 and must contain 80-100% Sangiovese; the rest of Chianti is for other lectures, remember to subscribe to never miss an episode.
Chianti classico is a subregion of Chianti inside of the Tuscan region located in the central part of Italy on the western side of the Apennine mountains. Since it is a Chiant Classico DOCG, by law it has to be the Sangiovese grape. This is a native grape to Italy and that’s why we don’t see it grown too many other places in the world.
The Riserva on the label: 2 years in the barrel and 3 months in bottle before being released.
Sangiovese: Cherry, Roasted Tomato, Balsamic, Oregano, and Espresso.