Jun 2018
Sangiovese Comeback!
June, 2018 Filed in: Wine varieties
In the wine business we constantly see different grapes become very popular as fads develop. Over the last number of years we saw the big Aussie Shriaz rule the day, Malbec soared in popularity and more recently Moscato was insanely popular. Well now it appears Chianti is making a comeback. Sangiovese pronounced, san-joe-VAY-zee, the primary grape found in the majority of Chiantis.
Those of us who are old enough will remember the bottles of plunk in straw flasks and served on red-checkered at local pizzerias. It is primarily grown in the central and eastern portions of Italy and found predominately in the province of Tuscany (Toscana). Wines produced from Sangiovese are high in acid, with moderate levels of tannins and medium levels of alcohol. During the 1970’s Chianti fell into disfavour as production increased dramatically and quality was sacrificed. But many of the old vineyards have been replaced with Sangiovese clones with outstanding quality. The new Sangiovese plants are disease resistant and allow for better grape maturation and better harvesting which has also contributed to better quality.
Sangiovese has a wonderful bright red cherry character overlaying strawberry notes with hints of violets and white pepper. It has a medium body and a long, wonderfully smooth, tannic finish; livened by a zing of acidity and toasty oak. Very food friendly. Great with veal Parmigiana, pasta with garlic and oil, pizza, blue cheese and fruits such as cherries, figs, plums and raspberries. When Italy signed on to international trade laws kit companies could no longer use the designation Chianti, so the switched to calling it by the grape that Chianti’s contain, Sangiovese. Winexpert offers a wonderful Selection Italian Sangiovese and a World Vineyard Italian Sangiovese.
Those of us who are old enough will remember the bottles of plunk in straw flasks and served on red-checkered at local pizzerias. It is primarily grown in the central and eastern portions of Italy and found predominately in the province of Tuscany (Toscana). Wines produced from Sangiovese are high in acid, with moderate levels of tannins and medium levels of alcohol. During the 1970’s Chianti fell into disfavour as production increased dramatically and quality was sacrificed. But many of the old vineyards have been replaced with Sangiovese clones with outstanding quality. The new Sangiovese plants are disease resistant and allow for better grape maturation and better harvesting which has also contributed to better quality.
Sangiovese has a wonderful bright red cherry character overlaying strawberry notes with hints of violets and white pepper. It has a medium body and a long, wonderfully smooth, tannic finish; livened by a zing of acidity and toasty oak. Very food friendly. Great with veal Parmigiana, pasta with garlic and oil, pizza, blue cheese and fruits such as cherries, figs, plums and raspberries. When Italy signed on to international trade laws kit companies could no longer use the designation Chianti, so the switched to calling it by the grape that Chianti’s contain, Sangiovese. Winexpert offers a wonderful Selection Italian Sangiovese and a World Vineyard Italian Sangiovese.