CHIANTI

This article first appeared in my wine column
in Specialty Food Magazine.

I must confess I was never a big fan of Chianti until my wife and I and four friends rented a 15th century farmhouse in the Tuscan hamlet of Panzano in September, 1997. Situated in the epicenter of Chianti Classico, the 100 square mile chunk of land that makes up about one-fourth of all Chianti in central Italy (31 kilometers south of Florence and 31 kilometers north of Siena), we drank more Chianti than I ever knew existed. It reminded me of my lack of appreciation of Renaissance art before being immersed in it on my first trip to Italy 20 years earlier.

Our stay in Chianti was marked by 90 degree days and cool evenings. All the wineries we visited kept telling us that 1997 was going to be a great vintage-but then, winemakers have a habit of saying such things. Sure enough, when the 1997 Chiantis (and most other red wines from the 1997 vintage) came on the market, wine experts confirmed what those winemakers told me: The 1997 vintage was indeed the vintage of the century. I haven't had a bad 1997 red wine from Tuscany-or anyplace else in Italy-yet. So drink up. (See note below)

It may be a stretch to say there are as many styles of Chianti as there are producers, which number about 7000, but it's not far off. Chianti varies with how and where the grapes are grown, the percentages of the different varieties of grapes used, the method of vinification, and the method of aging, including the type of oak used, the size of the barrels, and their age.

Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, Chianti doesn't show well by itself. But when paired with food, Chianti shines. Chianti's acidity matches up with acidic foods like tomatoes and cuts through rich dishes like braised rabbit.

The region of Chianti is roughly six times the size of Napa. Its eponymous wine is one of the oldest in the world, tracing its origins back at least 700 years. The quality of the wine plummeted in the 20th century due to poor vineyard management and sloppy winemaking. Until the late 1970s, the image of Chianti in the United States was that of a cheap wine in a fiasco, the squat straw covered bottle ubiquitous on checkered tablecloths in low-budget trattorias. But over the past two decades Chianti has been on the upswing. Viticultural practices have been modernized and winemaking facilities updated. And the fiasco has been replaced by a Bordeaux-shaped bottle.

The changes made in Chianti have come about as a result of some far-sighted producers and government regulations. Chianti is a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wine, the highest level of wine in Italy. DOCG regulations, which literally guarantee that a wine is what it says it is and comes from where it says it comes from, also set standards such as putting a ceiling on crop yields to increase the wine's concentration.

Sangiovese is the workhorse grape of Chianti and Italy's leading variety. It is medium bodied with a firm, dry texture and a tannic backbone that allows for moderate aging, a dozen years or more with full-bodied styles, though five to eight years is usually the optimum. Sangiovese has a floral bouquet, which many describe as that of violets, something I've never noticed myself. Cherry aromas and flavors may evolve into leather and tobacco with age. Throughout there is a touch of earth and always that zing of acidity. Because Sangiovese is not a particularly dark grape, Canaiolo has been used in the past to add color for Chianti. Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca, both white wines, were used to soften the often hard Chianti. But they are used much less than they used to be as wineries focus on increasing the quality of Sangiovese.

The strata of Chianti wines begins with those simply labeled Chianti. These are your everyday drinking wines that should be consumed within a few years of release. Wines in this category range from about $8 to $10. Cetamura from Badia a Coltibuono has lush cherry fruit and a peppery edge that make it a delightful quaff even without food. While this level of Chianti is the lowest in price, the quality is light years above the pizza wines of 25 years ago.

The sub zones within Chianti, which are designated on the label, produce better quality wine than plain Chianti. They include Chianti Colli Senesi, from the hills of Siena; Chianti Colli Fiorentini, from the hills of Florence; Colline Pisane, from the hills of Pisa; Chianti Colli Aretini, from the hills of Arezzo; and Chianti Montalbano, from the northernmost part of Chianti, near Carmignano. Capezzana Chianti Montalbano and Poliziano Chianti Colli Senesi, two well-regarded wines from this category, cost a few dollars more than regular Chianti.

The sub zone of Chianti Rufina (not to be confused with Ruffino, a large Chianti producer) is generally considered superior to the previous sub zones and the equal of Chianti Classico. Rufina's soils are similar to Chianti Classico and its cooler microclimate and higher elevation produce wines of higher acidity and great finesse. The 1995 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva is a deep and rich wine with ample fruit a wonderfully earthy aroma. Rufina wines will be in the $15 to $20 range.

Chianti Classico, while technically a sub zone, has its own stricter guidelines. When the Chianti Classico Consortium was formed in 1924 to protect the quality of its wines, a black rooster became the Consortium's emblem. It appears on the neck of every bottle of Chianti Classico.

In 1996 Chianti Classico received its own DOCG classification (separate from Chianti). This designation brought with it additional requirements that further distinguish it from ordinary Chianti. As with ordinary Chianti, Chianti Classico can use 75 to 100 percent Sangiovese. But Chianti Classico can use up to 15 percent of other red varieties such as Colorino, Malvasia Nera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot, as long as they are grown in the district. (Ordinary Chianti may use up to 10 percent of other red varieties.) In addition, yields for Chianti Classico are lower and minimum alcoholic content is .5 percent higher than regular Chianti, which gives the wines more heft.

While there are minimum standards for Chianti Classico and one can expect a certain level of quality, with more than 600 producers there is a broad range of price and quality in this category. Prices generally range from $12 to $20. One recent Chianti Classico I've enjoyed very much is the 1997 Castello D'Albola, a good value at $12. And with 30,000 cases sent to the U.S. market, it should be widely available.

A step up from Chianti Classico is Chianti Classico Riserva. Chianti Classico may not be released before October 1 of the year following harvest. Riserva wines, which have slightly more alcohol than regular Chianti Classicos, must be aged for a minimum of 27 months (measured from January 1 following the harvest), including three months of aging in the bottle. Riservas start at about $17 and can climb past $40. For example, the 1996 Castello Di Fonterutoli Chianti Classico costs about $17, the 1995 Riserva is $42.

Single vineyard Chiantis reflect the individual characteristics and personalities of a particular plot of land as opposed to a blend of grapes from different vineyards. As such, single vineyard Chiantis are usually of a higher quality and are often aged as riservas. At the single vineyard and riserva level, one begins to see more aging in small French oak barrels or barriques instead of larger casks, which are used for regular Chianti.

When Chianti was in the doldrums in the 1970s, a few top producers such as Antinori created new styles of wine by adding grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon to Sangiovese. Since Cabernet Sauvignon was not an approved grape variety for Chianti, these wines could not be called Chianti. Instead, winemakers were forced to call these wines vino di tavola or ordinary table wine. So Antinori and others came up with their own proprietary names. Some of the best known are Tignanello and Solaia (both made by Antinori), Ornellaia (made by Lodovico Antinori), and Sassicaia (made by Incisa della Rocchetta). Today, Super Tuscans can rival first-growth Bordeaux wines in sophistication and price.

Most Chianti producers usually make at least two kinds of Chianti, a lighter bodied everyday Chianti, a riserva or single vineyard Chianti, and perhaps a Super Tuscan. The decision on how many are made often depends on the quality of the vintage. The nineties have been good to Chianti. The 1990 and 1995 vintages were exceptional. The 1994 and 1996 vintages are considered very good, 1998, 1993 and 1992 above average, and 1992 fair.

While it is true, as Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing Mulligan say in "Wine for Dummies" (IDG Books), that "Chianti is better than ever," another wine writer, Robert Parker, advises sticking with well-known producers because of the variability in quality. Other than those already mentioned, producers to look for are: Brolio, Castellare, Castello dei Rampolla, Castello di Ama, Castello di Volpaia, Fattoria di Felsina, Fontodi, Isole e Olena, Melini, Monte Vertine, Monsanto, Ruffino, San Felice, Villa Cafaggio, and Viticcio.

(This article first appeared in my wine column in the September/October, 1999 issue of Specialty Food Magazine. Since this article was written, Wine Spectator magazine rated the 1998 vintage "very good" and the 1999 and 2000 vintages "outstanding.")