Tuscany, Italy

A little known fact about Chianti, an area located within Tuscany:  Chianti Wine is linked with Italian American cuisine, especially the “red sauce” variety pioneered by southern Italian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Therefore, this page is dedicated to the Italian Cooking and the wonderful farmers of Chianti who do a fabulous job in producing Olive Oil and Wine. 

Look for the pink “D.O.C”  tape around the top of wine bottles to ensure the quality of wine that is being consumed. For true Chianti wine, the farmers pride themselves on the “Black Rooster” ( Gallo Nero) also located on the pink “D.O.C” tape around the neck of the bottle.

Sangiovese grapes used for making Chianti!

The Chianti region extends from Florence down to Siena.  The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716 and it described the area near the villages of Gaiole in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti and Radda in Chianti.

However, in 1932 the Chianti area was completely re-drawn. The new Chianti was a very big area divided in seven sub-areas: Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montalbano and Rùfina.These would be the new villages included in the new Chianti Classico area The latest was the village of Greve changing its name to Greve in Chianti in 1972. I can highly recommend any of these villages as an ideal part of anyones Tuscan tour.

FYI:   For a wine to retain the name of Chianti, it must be produced with at least 80% sangiovese grapes.

Chianti wine may have a picture of a black rooster (known in Italian as a gallo nero) on the neck of the bottle, which indicates that the producer of the wine is a member of the “Gallo Nero” Consortium; an association of producers of the Classico sub-area sharing marketing costs. It’s only been since 2005 the black rooster is the emblem of the Chianti Classico producers association.

Aged Chianti (38 months instead of 4-7), may be labelled as Riserva. Chianti that meets more stringent requirements (lower yield, higher alcohol content and dry extract) may be labelled as Chianti Superiore.

Chianti Wine List  (Presently being collected.  Check back soon!)