You often hear talking about the Tuscan red wine as one of the best in the whole world, without really knowing why. Same story when we think about “Chianti” wine or all those bottles with “DOCG” initials, which you never remember what they refer to. And which is the difference between a Merlot, a Sangiovese and a Colorino? And why are some wines called “Annata” and others are “Riserva”?
Unfortunately, we’re not all enology experts and we may not know the answer to these questions. But you can maybe find some of them in this article!
First of all, what is Chianti?
Chianti is an area of more or less 70.000 hectares between the cities of Florence and Siena. No less than 7.000 hectares are covered with vineyards used to produce excellent quality red wines. Cosimo III De’Medici established this area’s borders in 1716, when he made an announcement to the four regions that produced “good wine”, which were Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and Valdarno di Sopra. In this way, he introduced the concept of “territorial labelling” and wine production’s checkings for the first time.
What does DOCG mean?
DOCG is the acronym of “denominazione di origine controllata e garantita” (label guaranteeing the quality and origin). In fact, DOCG wines are severely controlled, subjected to organoleptic tests and recognized as DOC since more than ten years. The 96% of DOCG wines in the market are produced by the Consorzio Chianti Classico.
What’s Consorzio Chianti Classico?
The Consorzio is the association of some Chianti companies that controls their production and that highlights “Chianti Classico” label in the world. Born in 1924, its brand is a Black Rooster and it’s the only one able to produce “Chianti” wine since 2010. Its companies’ wines must be produced from sangiovese grapes for more than the 80% and by other red-berry kinds like canaiolo nero, colorino, merlot and cabernet sauvignon for the remaining percentage. Three types of wine can be distinguished (Gran Selezione, Riserva, Annata) depending on their ageing or their chemical/organoleptic properties.
One of the Consorzio’s properties since 1948 is Fattoria di Bibbiano, a splendid agriturismo in Castellina in Chianti. Plunged in the green Tuscan countryside and on the top of a hill surrounded by cypresses and vineyards, the estate is formed by some luxury farmhouses which are managed by Posarelli Villas: Villa Sodi Exclusive e Villa Bibbiano Exclusive.
