I’m starting this article with a clarification. Right this down, tattoo it to your arm or brand it on your butt. Just remember that Chianti is the place and Sangiovese (San-gee-yoh-vay-see) is the grape. All of Chianti will contain a minimum of 75 percent and up to 100 percent Sangiovese. Now that we cleared the air, another tid bit about Chianti is that it can be weak, overly fruity, flabby and boring OR it can be powerful, earthy, dry, concentrated, elegant and beautiful. The question is, what lies inside the bottle and how in the world do you tell. Wouldn’t it be fantastically, wonderfully, pleasing to know you’ll get option two? It’s all written in Italian.
The Italian government has a fool proof system of classification that informs the consumer which wine regions are deemed excellent quality. Considering you can’t hear the sarcasm in my voice, that last statement was very facetious. They have very similar wine laws to that of France in which they classify all wine growing regions from excellent quality to poor quality. During the period in which this system was put into practice, the Italian Government was (and still are) very proud of their Chianti region. Therefore, all of Chianti was given the honor of a higher quality. This proved the classification system to be very flawed.
The Chianti region has incredibly varied quality. It encompasses over 17,600 acres of vineyards with diverse topography, weather, productions levels, growing techniques, wine making techniques, soil type and sun exposure. Considering all these factors, it is logical to say that combining all the vineyards together like a group of sheep is wrong in so many ways. Those who have had Chianti in the past and especially more than one know that some are great, some mind blowing and some not even worthy to cook with. So, the point is, how do you choose the right Chianti. The following is a breakdown of the Chianti region and a few tips for which ones to try.
Chianti can be broken down into eight sub-zones. They are…
Chianti Classico-part of the original Chianti zone. Considered the top tier of Chianti and consistent with quality and demands the lowest yields.
Rufina- most distinctive, producing elegant wines for long ageing
Colli Senesi-exhibits beautiful wines and highly successful estates
Colline Pisane- lightest body and color, meant to be drunk young
Montalbano-less distinguished wines
Colli Fiorentini-less distinguished, fruit forward, quality varies greatly
Colli Aretini-simple structure, fruit forward
Montespertoli-simple structure, fruit forward (since 1996)
Each zone exhibits a particular style (unfortunately, if a sub-zone is not mentioned on the label it can be from anywhere in Chianti). As I mentioned earlier, Chianti is primarily made of the grape Sangiovese. Sangiovese is greatly influenced by its place (where it’s grown), but even more so its yield (vine output or production levels). They lose their power and get more acidic when production levels go up. The zones that state “simple” or “less distinctive” is a result of over production. It doesn’t mean all the wines in these regions are like this, but these regions are more varied in quality and tend to lean towards a less distinctive style. This is not entirely a bad thing. Chianti of this style can be very enjoyable to drink. There are very refreshing and exhibit ripe fruits such as, raspberries, plum and cherry. The point is, this is not what top tier Chianti should be and hence they shouldn’t be put under the same umbrella of quality.
True Chianti is meant to be big, powerful, bold, earthy with truffles, white pepper, rich, red currant, gamey, meaty and seductive. Also, The Italians are very passionate about aging their wine. True Chianti ages as gracefully as Isabella Rossellini. When a Chianti label states Riserva it has been aged for 12 months, twenty-seven for Chianto Classico. Many are aged much longer.
Whether your styles of Chianti are lighter with more fruit or bold with a caressing bite, the point is to purchase the one you want. Although, the seductive with a caressing bite hypnotizes me every time.
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