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Chianti Classico - a view from Australia

2/20/2014

1 Comment

 
Written by Matt Paul, Trembath and Taylor
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Chianti Classico has been one my favourite wines since I discovered Italian wine. It’s the wine we drink the most of at my house, such is its versatility with food – bbq, fish, pasta, pizza, Friday hamburgers or a late night slice of cheese.

I think Chianti Classico is one of the best buys of the big world of wine. You can buy a bottle to drink tonight and enjoy its lip smacking freshness and cherry fruit, or put it away in the cellar for up to ten years to savour more earthy, mushroom notes.

As a ‘brand’, Chianti Classico has serious currency. With or without a rooster on the ‘fascetta’, people know the wine because they know the region. Just this week I hosted Piero Lanza from Poggerino in Radda in Chianti and I lost count of the number of times consumers would share their favourite Tuscan holiday story whilst tasting the wines.
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Matt Paul with Piero Lanza
In Australia we’ve worked tirelessly for over two decades to educate both the trade and the consumer about the differences between Chianti and Chianti Classico and that real Chianti Classico isn’t weakened with white grapes or packaged in a ‘fiasco’ bottle.  To achieve that, we collaborate with growers in a number of the main sub zones.

But something is missing. Chianti Classico is a massive area and, in this age of unbridled access to information, the consumer demands to know more. Just like we are exploring sub zones of our own regions here in Australia, Chianti Classico needs to do the same. The key is to demystify this information and NOT make it confusing. It can and should be detailed, but also concise. Not every consumer will want to use it, but it should be available to those who do.  Imagine Barolo without recognising the differences between La Morra and Monforte.

I’m often asked about the differences between the zones in Chianti Classico. In many cases there are more similarities than there are stark differences and there are some zones that clearly perform better than others. I believe that promoting the zones will encourage wineries to seek to highlight those differences, however small, and to promote the uniqueness of their territory and terroir.

Maybe one day we will talk of the differences between Gaiole and Radda just as we currently do between La Morra and Monforte.

And whilst I’m at it, can we lift the minimum percentage of Sangiovese to 90%?

Trembath and Taylor is the Italian wine importer in Australia for the wines of Poggerino, Candialle, Fèlsina, Brancaia, San Giusto a Rentennano, Rocca di Montegrossi
1 Comment
John Gayley
6/3/2014 05:55:12 am

Thanks for your article. I read your last comment (i.e., raising Sangiovese minimum to 90%) and said "Yes!! A man after my own heart!" Couldn't agree more.

#2.) On the larger issue of education--What'll it take? Here's a few thoughts from State-side. As a passionate American consumer of Chianti Classico, I'm for anything that will help the wineries increase their prominence and understanding of this wonderful territory. I agree with you the subzones will help, especially if the wineries and communes can succinctly describe what they the differences are in a way that makes sense. You and I can agree about La Morra vs. Monforte.. I also invariably check the commune and town before buying. But that's because I've traveled the territory for 20+ years and know it well. But what do we do for those who can't visualize the differences between Panzano's Conca D'oro and the flats around Berardenga? I have yet to find one C.C. winemaker who can describe wine differences between communes convincingly. They need to refine their marketing "pitch", even for the committed fine wine buyers.

Even further, though, in the U.S. we still need more "foundational" education about Chianti Classico...not for the committed consumers of fine wine (whose natural enthusiasm and curiosity will compel them to understand the differences between communes and subzone), but for the casual and steady buyers of table wine who represent the biggest demographic bulk, and expend the most dollars. They don't know what they're missing, and still will just reach for a Californian varietal for the same price point as a chianti classico, because they find Italian wines confusing or intimidating. This isn't a new problem, but how do we "get there"?

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     "...wine, the flavor of which depends so closely upon the place where it is grown that to name the place is to describe the wine."  - Waverley Root, The Food of France
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    -the definitive resource for the promotion of sub-zones within the Chianti Classico region.

    -la risorsa definitiva per la promozione delle sotto-zone nella regione del Chianti Classico.

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    Panzano in Chianti (IT)


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The historical area of Chianti Classico is made of nine zones and multiple sub-zones which cover over 70,000 hectares of territory of which 10,000 hectares are planted to vine. The purpose of creating this site is to have a destination dedicated to promoting the regional identities of each separate and unique sub-zone. This will strengthen the denomination as a whole, stimulate interest in learning and appreciating the differences among the particular sub-regions, as in Burgundy or in the Comunes of Barolo and Barbaresco. There will be more debate, and more meaningful research into what makes each region individual, and perhaps this will eventually inspire individual producers to embrace the wine styles that support the strengths of their individual sub-region.

L'area storica del Chianti Classico comprende nove comuni e diverse sotto-zone, coprendo oltre 70.000 ettari del territorio di cui 10.000 ettari sono superficie vitate. L'inziativa della creazione di questo sito è quella di stabilire una destinazione dedicata a promuovere le identità regionali di ciascuna sottozona distinta e unica. Questo rafforzerà la denominazione, stimolarerà l'interesse e apprezzarerà le differenze tra le particolari sub-regioni, come in Borgogna o nei comuni di Barolo e Barbaresco. Ci sarà più dibattito e più ricerca sul carattere di ogni regione, e forse finirà per dare una spinta ai produttori ad abbracciare uno stile di vino che supporta i punti di forza della loro sub-regione individuale.