Valdelsa (part of Chianti Colli Fiorentini sub-area).

Chianti is Italy's most famous red wine, which takes its name from a traditional region of Tuscany where it is produced. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 ^[1] It used to be easily identified by its squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called fiasco ("flask"; pl. A bottle is a container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth A fiasco is a typical Italian style of Bottle, usually with a round body and bottom partially or completely covered with a close-fitting Straw Basket fiaschi); however, the fiasco is only used by a few makers of the wine now; most Chianti is bottled in traditionally shaped wine bottles. Low-end Chianti is generally fairly inexpensive, with a basic Chianti running less than US$10 for a bottle. More sophisticated Chiantis, however, are made and sold at substantially higher price points. Today, Chianti is generally consumed at room (technically "cellar") temperature, like most other red wines. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice

Traditional viticulture at Villa Gaiole in Chianti

History

The first definition of a wine-area called Chianti was made in 1716. Viticulture (from the Latin word for Vine) is the Science, production and study of Grapes which deals with the series of Year 1716 ( MDCCXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a It described the area near the villages of Gaiole in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti and Radda in Chianti; the so-called Lega del Chianti and later Provincia del Chianti (Chianti province). Gaiole in Chianti is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 40 km southeast Castellina in Chianti is a Comune (municipality of c 2800 inhabitants in the Province of Siena, in the Italian region Tuscany Radda in Chianti is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 35 km southeast In 1932 the Chianti area was completely re-drawn. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. 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. The old Chianti area was then just a little part of the Classico area, being the original area described in 1716 about 40% of the extension of the Classico sub-area and about 10% of all Chianti. Most of the villages that in 1932 were suddenly included in the new Chianti Classico area added immediately or later in Chianti to their name (the latest was the village of Greve changing its name to Greve in Chianti in 1972). Chianti Classico is a wine produced in one of Chianti's sub-areas Greve in Chianti (the old name was Greve; in 1972 was renamed Greve in Chianti after the inclusion of that area in the Chianti wine district is a town Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Rural Tuscany near San Gimignano (part of Chianti Colli Senesi sub-area. San Gimignano is a small walled medieval Hill town in the Province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. )

The popularity and high exportability of this wine at the moment of introduction of the DOC, 1967, was such that many regions of central Tuscany didn't want to be excluded from the use of the name. Denominazione di origine controllata is an Italian quality assurance label for food products and especially wines (an Appellation) Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 As a result the Chianti wine-area got about 10% more territory. Wines labeled Chianti Classico come from the biggest sub-area of Chianti, that sub-area that includes the old Chianti area. Chianti Classico is a wine produced in one of Chianti's sub-areas The other variants, with the exception of Rufina from the north-east side of Florence and Montalbano in the south of Pistoia, originate in the respective named provinces: Siena for the Colli Senesi, Florence for the Colli Fiorentini, Arezzo for the Colli Aretini and Pisa for the Colline Pisane. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany Pistoia is a city in the Tuscany region of Italy, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 km west and north of Florence The Province of Siena (Provincia di Siena is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. The Province of Florence (Provincia di Firenze is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Arezzo ( Provincia di Arezzo) is the easternmost province in the Tuscany region of Italy. The Province of Pisa ( Provincia di Pisa) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. In 1996 part of the Colli Fiorentini sub-area was renamed Montespertoli. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar)

Wine production

Many different kinds of wines are produced in Chianti:

Chianti wines

Castello di Brolio, owned by Baron Ricasoli, inventor of the 19th century Chianti wine

Until the middle of the 19th century Chianti was based solely on Sangiovese grapes. Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber Bettino baron Ricasoli ( March 29, 1809 &ndash October 23, 1880; riˈkasoli was an Italian Statesman. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Sangiovese is a Red wine Grape variety originating in Italy whose name derives from sanguis Jovis, "the blood of Jove " During the second half of the 19th century Baron Bettino Ricasoli who was an important Chianti producer and, in the same time, minister in Tuscany and then Prime Minister in the Kingdom of Italy, imposed his ideas: from that moment on Chianti should have been produced with 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia bianca (Malvasia bianca is an aromatic white grape with Greek origins). Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber Bettino baron Ricasoli ( March 29, 1809 &ndash October 23, 1880; riˈkasoli was an Italian Statesman. This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. The Kingdom of Italy ( Italian: Regno d'Italia) was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom Sangiovese is a Red wine Grape variety originating in Italy whose name derives from sanguis Jovis, "the blood of Jove " Canaiolo (also called Canaiolo Nero or Uva Canina) is a red grape mostly used in Tuscany ( Italy) together with Sangiovese and Malvasia (also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine Grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region and the island of Madeira During the 1970s, producers started to reduce the quantity of white grapes in Chianti and eventually from 1995 it is legal to produce a Chianti with 100% sangiovese, or at least without the white grapes. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 However, for a wine to retain the name of Chianti, it must be produced with at least 80% sangiovese grapes. It 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^[2]. A bottle is a container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth Since 2005 the black rooster is the emblem of the Chianti Classico producers association^[3]. 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 Superiore is an Italian DOCG wine produced in the provinces of Arezzo, Florence, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Chianti from the "Classico" sub-area is not allowed in any case to be labelled as "Superiore".

Other wines

Chianti olive trees.

Chianti is not the only traditional wine made in Tuscany, and sangiovese is usually the base of most red variants like Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Carmignano (together with other grapes), Morellino di Scansano, etc. Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red Wine with Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status produced in the Vineyards surrounding the town of For the comune in the Province of Padua, see Carmignano di Brenta Carmignano is a Comune (municipality of c Morellino di Scansano DOCG is an Italian red wine made in the hilly environs of the village of Scansano ( GR) in the Maremma, which includes , while Brunello di Montalcino is based on a variant called sangiovese grosso. Brunello di Montalcino ( brew NEL lo de mon tal CHEE no) is a red Italian wine produced in the Vineyards surrounding the town of Montalcino located There are also new wines, based on sangiovese and some popular French grapes that are usually dubbed "Super Tuscans". Italian wine is Wine produced in Italy, a Country which is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world Due to rule changes, some of these wines (particularly the pioneering Tignanello) could legally be labeled as Chianti if they would reduce the quantity of international grapes under 15% (or under 20% in the case of Chianti Superiore), though many producers of these wines have chosen not to do so. Marchesi Antinori Srl is an Italian wine company that can trace its history back to 1385. Chianti Superiore is an Italian DOCG wine produced in the provinces of Arezzo, Florence, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and

The word "Chianti" can be used as a semi-generic name in the United States if the place of origin is clearly indicated next to the word to avoid consumer confusion. Semi-generic is a legal term used in by the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to refer to a specific type of Wine designation However, with the popularity of varietal labeling, semi-generic names are rarely used today, even on jug wines.

Due to the wine's relative cheapness, its easy-drinking qualities, and the frequent use of the empty fiasco as a candleholder, Chianti is very strongly identified with Italian American cuisine, especially the "red sauce" variety pioneered by southern Italian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th century. Italian-American cuisine (more simply known as "Italian food" in the United States is the cuisine of Italian-American immigrants and their descendents

Chianti wine area

Chianti geographical region

From the 14th century till 1932 the geographical region consisted of three small communities all in the province of Siena:

• Radda in Chianti
• Gaiole in Chianti
• Castellina in Chianti

Nowadays is common to name Chianti all the central part of Toscana. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Siena. Radda in Chianti is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 35 km southeast Gaiole in Chianti is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 40 km southeast Castellina in Chianti is a Comune (municipality of c 2800 inhabitants in the Province of Siena, in the Italian region Tuscany Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Often Chianti geographical area is confused with the Chianti wine area or with the Chianti Classico sub-area. Chianti Classico is a wine produced in one of Chianti's sub-areas Unlike for the wine-area, there is actually no statement describing the actual geographical Chianti area.

Landscapes

• Val d'Orcia
• Crete senesi

Cultural References

In the film The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter mentions that he once ate the liver of a census taker "with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. The Val d’Orcia, or Valdorcia, is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte The Crete Senesi refers to an area of the Italian region of Tuscany to the south of Siena. The Silence of the Lambs or Silence of the Lamb can refer to the following ''The Silence of the Lambs'' (novel, by Thomas Harris ''The Origin and development Thomas Harris has given few interviews and has never explained where he got inspiration for Hannibal Lecter but in a documentary for Hannibal Rising Vicia faba, the broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, horse bean, field bean, tic bean is a species of "

Notes

External links

• Chianti travel guide from Wikitravel
• Chianti Wine Producers Association
• Greve in Chianti
• Radda in Chianti
• Gaiole in Chianti
• San Casciano Val di Pesa
• Italian State Tourist Board website for Tuscany