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Chianti DOCG
Organic
Chianti
The Medici wine
The earliest mention of Chianti is from the 13th century and it referred to the high hills around Florence called “Chianti mountains”, although no reference was made to the wine. Around the same time, local merchants established the “League of Chianti”, a delimited area covering the three towns of Radda, Gaiole and Castellina as a way to promote the wine produced locally.
chianti
Chianti
The Medici wine
Museo Nazionale Collezione Salce
TITOLO
Montecatini
SOGGETTO
Fontana con rana che spruzza acqua a un putto sullo sfondo di un paesaggio con lo Stabilimento Termale Tettuccio di Montecatini
DATA
1930 ca - 1939 ca
Chianti is one of the best-known and most recognizable wine regions in Italy but the etymology of the name is uncertain. According to one theory, it comes from the Latin word “clangor” which means “sharp, metallic, ringing sound”, to evoke the noise that could be heard during the frequent hunting trips carried out in the forests that once covered the area; other versions associate Chianti with the Etruscan word “clante”, or water, as the area was particularly rich in water
resources, but it could also refer to a popular Etruscan family name in the area.
The earliest mention of Chianti is from the 13th century and it referred to the high hills around Florence called “Chianti mountains”, although no reference was made to the wine. Around the same time, local merchants established the “League of Chianti”, a delimited area covering the three towns of Radda, Gaiole and Castellina as a way to promote the wine produced locally.
In 1716 the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de’ Medici issued an edict that would define the League of Chianti and the nearby town of Greve as the only officially recognised producing areas of Chianti wine. This legislation went on until the early 20th century when the Italian government further extended the borders of Chianti appellation by including outlying villages.
Before the 19th century not much was known about the exact composition and grape varieties used, although some writings from the 18th century would suggest that it was a Canaiolo dominated blend with minor presence of Sangiovese and other local varieties.
The modern Chianti formula as a Sangiovese based wine was created in the 19th century by an Italian statesman, the baron Bettino Ricasoli, after many years of experimentation. In a letter he wrote to a professor of the University of Pisa, he stated that Sangiovese should be the backbone of the blend for its bouquet and vigour, while other minor varieties like Canaiolo and Malvasia would contribute softness and lightness.Early Chianti was very different from today’s version: it was much paler in colour and lighter in body, probably with a slight fizziness due to an incomplete fermentation that was a common fault prior to the development of modern winemaking techniques.
CHIANTI DOCG
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita
Organic
Deep ruby red colour. Pronounced intensity and persistence with aromas of ripe berries and cinnamon. Good balance of tannins and acidity makes it an easy-drinking, elegant wine.
In the 20th century Chianti saw a marked increase in popularity in the international markets, thanks to the work of a growing number of producers who relinquished traditional winemaking customs in order to embrace modern winemaking and focusing their work on exalting the typicity of Sangiovese, now very often vinified as a single varietal.The origin of Sangiovese is uncertain, anyway the earliest mention dates back to 1600 and was found in Giovan Vettorio Soderini’s treatise on viticulture in Tuscany where it was referred to as Sangiogheto. That’s how he described it: “The Sangiogheto, bitter to eat, but juicy and very vinous”. Although there is no evidence that Sangiogheto is indeed Sangiovese, many believe so.
A legend says that the word Sangiovese comes form “sanguis Jovis”, which means in Latin “Jupiter’s blood”. Apparently the name was coined by monks who lived in Santarcangelo di Romagna (EmiliaRomagna region) at the foot of Monte Giove (Mount Jupiter) after a visitor asked for the name of the wine.It is related to some varieties grown in the south, particularly in Calabria and Sicily. According to recent DNA profiling, the parents of Sangiovese would be Ciliegiolo and Calabrese di Montenuovo, making it half-Tuscan, half-Calabrian. The former is a well-known Tuscan variety, often blended with Sangiovese; the latter is an almost extinct Calabrian grape.
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