In the “Shopping for Wine with Barron” Video Series, Barron Beltz helps Wine Lovers navigate the often confusing Wine Sections and Wine Displays found in Grocery Stores and Supermarkets in Europe.
In Episode 4, Barron Beltz reveals the secret of finding wines in the Italian Wine Section with the extremely popular Italian red grape varietal, Sangiovese. Sangiovese is the most widely planted red grape varietal in Italy.
The storied Tuscany (aka Toscana) Wine Region is located in Central Italy, and Florence is its beautiful capital! The famous Chianti Wine Region lies in the heart of Tuscany. Any wine labeled with the word “Chianti” must contain a minimum of 80% Sangiovese and follow specific laws.
You will also find Chianti wines with the word “Riserva” on the label. This means that the wine has undergone extended aging by law in both barrel and bottle before release, and this is why these wines typically cost more.
Additionally, you will find Chianti wines that include an additional words after “Chianti” on the label, and that word will indicate that the wine is from a specific sub-region within Chianti. The most popular sub-region is Chianti Classico, and you can also find others like Chianti Rùfina and Chianti Colli Senesi.
Italy has many different regional names for the Sangiovese grape, and there are many other areas in Italy that produce wines that are dominated by the Sangiovese grape. Some of these include: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Brunello or Rosso di Montalcino, and Morellino di Scansano.
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