Sangiovese is a red wine grape variety native to Italy.
Chianti is a very famous red wine in Italy.
Chianti is the name of the region in Tuscany in central Italy and refers primarily to the wines made there.
The main grape variety used in Chianti is Sangiovese.
Italy is a wine powerhouse on a par with France, but compared to France, where wine laws are strict, Italy has a much more liberal atmosphere. In the past, there were many different wine rules in each region, so it may be difficult to get an overall picture of wine in Italy.
Among all the Italian wines, Sangiovese is one of the most famous and popular varieties.
Its characteristic is its diversity that cannot be summed up in a single word.
Sangiovese has many different characteristics.
It is difficult to describe its characteristics in one word, but roughly speaking,
- Color: transparent reddish purple to deep ruby
- Has a pronounced sour taste
- Moderate bitterness
- Coarse tannins (bitter components)
- Strawberry, cherry and plum aromas
These are some of the common characteristics of Sangiovese.
The main variety in the famous Chianti wine from Italy
When talking about Italian wine, one cannot leave out "Chianti."
Chianti is the name of a region in Tuscany in central Italy, and is one of Italy's major wine producing regions.
The wine produced here is collectively called "Chianti", and is made from 75-100% Sangiovese grapes.
There is an even smaller region that has been producing high-quality Chianti for a long time, and the wine produced here is called "Chianti Classico."
Originally, Chianti produced excellent wine, but as Chianti became more popular, neighboring regions also began to use the name "Chianti" to sell their own wines, resulting in a proliferation of Chianti wines.
The local people realised that this was not acceptable and took action, and as if to say, "We are the original Chianti!" they gave it the name Chianti Classico to make it easier to distinguish.
The differences between Chianti and Chianti Classico are as follows:
| kinds | Region/Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Chianti | There are also new wineries, and the quality is diverse, from affordable to high-end. |
| Chianti Classico | They have been making Chianti for a long time. It is a high-quality wine. It is marked by a picture of a black rooster. |
This is not to say that Chianti is inferior, but rather that there is a mixture of wines of different qualities.
However, Italy is a liberal country and many of its wines are easy to drink, so if you come across a Chianti, be sure to give it a try!
Foods that go well with Sangiovese
The best food to go with Sangiovese is Italian food.
It goes well with the acidity of tomatoes, making it perfect for pizza or pasta with tomato sauce.
Sangiovese from New Zealand is still a minor wine
In New Zealand, where most varieties originate from France, Italian Sangiovese is still relatively unknown.
However, there are many producers with a strong spirit of adventure, and some wineries are beginning to experimentally plant Sangiovese in their fields.
Osawa Wines
Osawa Wines is a winery in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island.
The owner, Japanese man Taizo Osawa, decided at the age of 55 that he would take a leap of faith and move to New Zealand in 2006 to fulfill his long-held dream of farming overseas.
Osawa Wines also focuses on cultivating Sangiovese, a rare variety in New Zealand.
▶ Osawa Wines official website
summary
Sangiovese, Italy's leading red wine.
It is a red wine that is easy to drink, but it is also characterized by its great diversity, and is a variety with a depth that cannot be expressed in a single word.
Although it is still a minor variety in NZ, it is definitely one to keep an eye on.
