Chianti Classico, the heart of Tuscany, has been elected wine region and wine capital of the year
Each year the Swedish wine tasting association Munskankarna (with over 20,000 members) elects a Wine Capital of the Year. In 2012 the honour has been bestowed on Chianti Classico, albeit it is a wine district and not a town. It is indeed a magnificent wine region that we gladly discover over and over again: the wines, the Tuscan food, the landscape.
The whole region with its classic landscape is beautiful as a painting and you never tire of the rolling hills, the vineyards, the medieval wine cellars… And how can you get enough of the cypress trees, the vines (and the wines), the olive trees and the renaissance palaces?
Many of the wines in this region come from very big estates with many hundreds of years of history, but you can also find small family producers with only a few hectares of vineyards, who make very characterful and individualistic wines.
Sangiovese, the grape that is dominant in the Chianti wines, is capable of producing almost any wine style the winemaker wants, from light and fruity wines to powerful and complex wines for ageing. So weather you want a wine for your pasta or for your bistecca fiorentina you can find it here!
Chianti Classico, between Florence and Siena, is the very heart of the Chianti region and of Tuscany.
BKWine organises several wine tours to Chianti Classico and Tuscany this year, both on our scheduled published wine tour programs and as custom made travel. On our English scheduled program we have a wine tour to Tuscany with Chianti Classico in the autumn. In addition to numerous winery visits, this tour also includes half a day of hands on cooking where we learn how to make some of the Tuscan gastronomic specialities.
4 Responses
Thanks for the piece.
It’s hard not to love Tuscany. I’ve spent a bit of time with friends in Castelnuovo Berardenga. Really a dream place.
And while I’ve searched out and discovered smaller vineyards there, few have stuck with me and almost none seem to rise to the top of the list of remarkable terroir driven wines that I search out and cherish.
Have I missed the best?
Be great if you published a list of the best artisanal (and organic) vineyard in the area.
Arnold, there are indeed some very good and terroir driven small producers in Chianti. We are right now working on a piece which will include some of these. Soon to be published!
Looking forward to this!
If you don’t know my friend Laura Grey @ Il Palazzone you might connect and chat with her.
Lovely wine. Naturally inclined. Great individiual: laura@ilpalazzone.com
Thanks Arnold! New suggestions are always welcome! there is always something new to discover.