|
|
Chianti ? What is Chianti ? People sometime don't know where is Chianti
and its features. Maybe expect to find a town, but Chianti is not atown,
is a
patchwork of Tuscan countryside, made by rolling hills with vineyards
and olive groves, flower fields,
country lanes lined by cypress trees, woods, farmhouses, castles, villas,
hamlets scattered everywhere.
Chianti can be compared to a unique vineyard. Hundred of rows represent
the most characteristic feature of Chianti, the land where excellent wines
are produced. Chianti is much more than a wine, Chianti is ancient peasant
culture, is the balance of a landscape with nature, is a blend of art,
history and traditions, a land where the time stands still, a place
where time is marked by sun and by seasons, where shopping is not only
to fill the trolley and pay, but is to meet people, to exchange a few
words and information, to have a direct relationship and at last drink
together a good glass of wine enjoying the scenery.
Chianti also has a perfect location between the two most renowned
tourist cities of Tuscany, Siena and
Florence. From Chianti the most
important towns such as Lucca, Arezzo,
Cortona,
San Gimignano,
Volterra, Monteriggioni are easy to reach.
About the wine:
Chianti wine's quality is the result of millenary knowledge
and great tradition for wine-making. Chianti wine had a
great importance since Etruscan times.
Chianti wine is mostly produced utilising grapes of Sangiovese 75%, Canaiolo 10%, Trebbiano and Malvasia, as well as Cabernet and Merlot. The
feature peculiar to a Chianti wine is a very small yield per plant and
12 degrees minimum alcoholic strength. To ensure the best quality of
Chianti wine producers, cannnot sell the wine until 1 year after
the harvest. Wine-making , preservation, aging and bottling have to take
place inside the production zone. A "Gallo Nero" (black cock) is the
trademark which guarantees a bottle of real Chianti wine.
To have the "Gallo Nero" label, producers have to put the wine
through a rigorous taste- text.
Two kinds of wine are available on the market : "Normal" and "Reserve".
"Normal" is Chianti Classico labelled with a "Gallo Nero"
surrounded by the red
border.
"Reserve" is labelled with the ancient trademark surrounded by the golden border, and
it is produced with the best grapes which, after a minimum of 27 months aging,
give the wine a special full bodied flavour.
The color of Chianti is ruby red, tending towards pomegranate red when
aged. The flavour is harmonic, dry, sapid, slightly tannic, with an
intensely vinous aroma and occasionally a violet scent.
The wine of Chianti is perfect to accompany all foods, but especially the
traditional food of Tuscany, such as game dishes, roast meats and cheese.
The name of Chianti is linked to the wine, but also Olive oil is of the
highest quality. A Farmers Union guarantees its quality and establishes its
characteristics. It is produced respecting ancient tradition and conserved
in terracotta pots. Observing these rules the best olive oil ends up with
a unique taste, the leading actor in Italian cooking.
There are 5 small towns in Chianti
|
