Italian wine is complex and difficult to understand, but in a nutshell, it is as simple as ABBBC. ABBBC represents five of Italy's most iconic wines, namely Amarone (Amaroni), Barolo (Barolo), Barbaresco (Barbaresco), Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti (Chianti).
Speaking of Chianti, there may be many people who don't know it, but there is a scene in the movie "The Silence of the Lambs" that impresses many people: Hannibal Lecter, when intimidating FBI intern Clarice, said: "There was a census reporter who tried to test me, and then I ate his liver with broad beans and Chianti wine. ”
1. The history of The Emperor of Jiandi
In 1716, Medici Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, officially decreed that Chianti was the first officially recognized wine region in Italian history.
In the 19th century, a simple and easy-to-drink Chianti wine blended with native red grape varieties Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and white grape varieties became popular, and the use of white grape varieties increased. In 1967, Chianti became a DOC region, and the regulations stipulated that Chianti wines must use 10-30% white grape varieties, which forced the winery to use white grape varieties when making Chianti, resulting in increasingly bland quality.
In 1975, Antinori went against tradition by using Sangiovese with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon to create the first Super Tuscan wine, Tignanello. In just a few years, almost all Chianti wineries have followed in their footsteps and created their own super Tuscany.
It wasn't until 1984 that Chianti upgraded to a DOCG appellation. With the further improvement of Sangiovese's cloning varieties, cultivation techniques, winemaking techniques, etc., the Chianti Classico became a symbol of high quality in the mid-1990s, and prices began to rise.
Driven by the classic Keiandi, the ordinary level of Keianti is also welcomed by the market with the improvement of quality. Although there is no shortage of excellent people in "anti-traditional" super Tuscany, most of it has gradually drifted away from the real Tuscany and lost its former glory.
2. Chianti grape varieties
According to the regulations, 80-100% of Sangiovese in Chianti and Classic Chianti are used, and 0-20% of other grape varieties are used, including the indigenous grape varieties Caneolo and Colorino, as well as the international grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Since 2006, white grape varieties cannot be used to blend classic Chianti.
"Cupid's Blood" – Sangiovese
Sangiovese's English name comes from the Italian "Sanguis Jovis", which means "Blood of Cupid". Sangiovese is tenacious, thin-skinned, susceptible to gray mold, late flowering, late maturation, adaptable to arid climates and conditions, and usually higher yields.
Wines from poorly ripe Sangiovese usually produce wines with outstanding acidity, rough tannins and lower quality. Well-ripe sangiovese with aromas of sour cherries, strawberries, figs, tomatoes and roasted peppers, moderate acidity, full of tannins and high-quality sangiovese are aged in oak barrels with aromas of smoked, leather, tobacco and porch. Due to the tenacious vitality of Sangiovese and the high yield, if left unchecked, the wine produced will be lighter in color, with prominent acidity, poor aging potential, and the wine is easy to turn brown in a short time.
3. Jiandi production area
There are 8 regions in Tuscany where Chianti Classico and Chianti Rufina, east of Florence, are the most prominent, with the other 6 sub-regions, namely Chianti Colli Aretini, Chianti Colli Fiorentini and Chianti Colline Pisane, Chianti Colli Senesi, Chianti Montalbano and Chianti Montespertoli are relatively unremarkable.
4. Chianti and classic Chianti
(1) Chianti DOCG style
The classic Chianti and Chianti, although the name is only one word apart, but the quality and price are far apart, mainly because the Keiandi production area is very large, and there are quite a lot of affordable wines produced. Simple Chianti wines are full of aromas, fruity flavors at their best, and are suitable for drinking for a year or two.
(2) Classic Chianti DOCG style
The vineyards of Classic Chianti are mostly spread over 250-500 meters above sea level, and this altitude, combined with the wet autumn, in addition to the hot and dry years, the biggest challenge comes from getting sangiovese, which is late ripening, light in color and high in acidity, to achieve sufficient sugar and tannin ripening. Classic Chianti wines are floral and full of spices at a young age, and the notes of tobacco and leather gradually appear after aging. The grapes used to make Classic Chianti and Classic Chianti collections must not exceed 3,000 kg/ha according to regulations, both with an ageing potential of more than 10 years.
(3) The symbol of the classic Chianti - black rooster
The classic Chianti uses a high-shouldered, lean Bordeaux bottle to highlight the sense of luxury. The bottle of classic Chianti wine has a circular logo painted on it with a black rooster and the words "CHIANTI CLASSICO" written on it. There is also an interesting legend about this black rooster.
In medieval times, there was no clear border between Siena and Florence, and in order to prevent the endless struggle, the people of the two cities decided that, at the time of the rooster's chirping, their respective knights set out from their respective cities to demarcate the border based on the place where the two groups of men and horses met. So the Sienas kept a white rooster and fed it well, while the Florentines had a black rooster and never fed it. When the day of fate came, the hungry black rooster began to crow before dawn, so the Florentine knights set off early, meeting the late-departing Siena knights just 12 kilometers outside of Siena. At this point, the border between the two cities was demarcated, and most of the Chianti production area belonged to the city of Florence, which continues to this day. Because the image of the black rooster was deeply rooted in the local people,the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium later selected it as the symbol of classic Chianti wines.