Wine tips 1
As a wine guide I have been conducting wine tours since 12 years and I loved and still love to share my wine passion with my clients visiting Tuscany and its wine regions.
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| Sangiovese |
A typical question I have heard several times at the very beginning of my tours is: " Is Chianti a grape?
If this question might sound weird to the most, I believe that there is a good reason why some are asking: I recently got a few bottle from California and I studied about international wines and looking at the label what I usually see is the name of the grape on it "Cabernet Sauvignon", "Pinot Noir", "Merlot" ... followed then by the vintage.
Basically when you buy a bottle you know what you're going to drink and what do you want to serve with or without a meal.
But when you look at a bottle of any Italian wine, what you see on the label it's not the name of the grape but the denomination, so the geographical area/region where grapes are grown and where the wine is produced.
As a consequence when you see "Chianti" on the label you might expect you're drinking a wine based on "Sangiovese" grapes and you know that it must be produced in within the borders of this wine region.
I also mention during my tours that I'll take you to the Chianti Classico region....so what's that?
Chianti is a big area in Tuscany covering Arezzo, Florence, Siena and Pisa while the Classico region is a small area of production or sub-zone between Florence and Siena, where since 1716 we are making this delicious red wine.
How can you recognize those two just by looking at the bottle? On both you'll see the DOCG seal cause they are both coming from a specific region, but on the Chianti Classico you'll notice another label with a Black Roster on it.
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| The Black Rooster in Panzano in Chianti |
Exactly, this is the historical symbol called Marchio Storico and it's a seal to guarantee the area of production, the history, the regulations and the high quality of this tuscan red wine.
If you want to know more I'll be happy to meet you in person here in Tuscany and give you a fantastic ride in the Chianti Classico Region following your winery tours and tastings!
www.cooltours.it
