This small wine-region produces perhaps some of the best-known and appreciated wines from Tuscany. Wine has been produced in this area for over 2000 years, since Etruscan time. This Tuscan region was named Chianti and recognized as a wine-region since
This small wine-region produces perhaps some of the best-known and appreciated wines from Tuscany. Wine has been produced in this area for over 2000 years, since Etruscan time. This Tuscan region was named Chianti and recognized as a wine-region since 13th century. In 1716 Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, officially delimited the Chianti production zone: an area lying between the cities of Florence and Siena where the homonymous wine was produced and was already enjoying great success. At that time the wine called “Chianti” was made in the territory called “Chianti”. The trademark always found on bottles of Chianti Classico is the Black rooster, historic symbol of the Chianti Military League and among other things depicted by famous artist Giorgio Vasari on the ceiling of the Salone dei Cinquecento at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
The Chianti Classico appellation covers an area of approximate 260 km2 (about 100 square miles) between the city of Florence to the north and Siena to the south. The four communes of Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti are located entirely within the boundaries of the Classico area with parts of Barberino Val d'Elsa, San Casciano in Val di Pesa and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa in the province of Florence as well as Castelnuovo Berardenga and Poggibonsi in the province of Siena included within the permitted boundaries of Chianti Classico. The soil and geography of this subregion can be quite varied, with altitudes ranging from 250 to 610 m (820 to 2,000 feet), and rolling hills producing differing macroclimates. There are two main soil types in the area: a weathered sandstone known as alberese and a bluish-gray chalky marlstone known as galestro
There are three tiers within the Chianti Classico appellation: Annata, Riserva and Gran Selezione. Chianti Classico Annata requires a minimumum of 10 months of ageing in wood and bottle before release. Riserva wines must be aged for 24 months before commercial release. A Chianti Classico Gran Selezione must be made from a single estate and have been aged for a full 30 months.
