Tuscany Flashcards
(148 cards)
What Malvasia is msot commonly grown in Tuscany?
Malvasia Bianca Lunga
What is the main grape of Vin santo production?
Malvasia Bianca Lunga
Which Malvasia grapes are most commonly planted in central Italy?
Malvasia Bianca Lunga
Malvasia del Lazio (Malvasia Puntinata)
Malvasia Bianca di Candia
Malvasia di Candia Aromatica
What are the Grechetto Grapes?
Which is higher quality?
Grechetto di Orvietto -
Grechetto di Todi - Pignoletto, Rebloa
- Pignoletto is perceived as higher in quality than Grechetto di Orvieto and is planted in higher concentrations near the Todi and Colli Martani DOCs, though the two Grechettos are frequently blended in each of these and a number of Umbrian appellations
What is Vernaccia also called?
What are the varieties and which one is most planted in Tuscany?
Granaccia
- Some scholars claim the variety is related to Spain’s Garnacha (Grenache), especially in light of Vernaccia’s synonym Granaccia. Yet despite the shared etymology, those assertions seem unfounded.
- The name Vernaccia is used for an abundance of grapes with seemingly no common genetic link as well as, confusingly, a selection of wines made from non-Vernaccia varieties
Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Vernaccia Nera - Vernaccia di San Gimignano has it’s own DOCG in Tuscany, Vernaccia Nera is red, as the name implies, and harvested primarily in the Marche. It is known for its flamboyant, violet quality.
Who drew the first boundaries of Chianti and when?
- In 1716, Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, officially issued a bando, or “edict,” that drew the boundaries of the Chianti wine region, roughly corresponding to the modern Classico zone, as well as of Pomino, Carmignano, and Valdarno.
- Collectively, these four are considered the earliest examples of demarcated wine regions, predating those of the Douro and Tokaj by several decades
How was Chianti stored in Fiasco often protected?
Who weaved the baskets around the Fiasco?
By pouring a layer of olive oil into the wine
fiascaie (flask dressers), who were often peasant women
Who was the first producer to bottle Chianti in Bordeaux bottles?
In the 1870s, Bettino Ricasoli began to use Bordeaux-shaped bottles for his Castello di Brolio wines to distinguish them as superlative
What did Ricasoli contribute to the “recipe” of Chianti?
- inverted the typical blend by vinifying Sangiovese as the dominant variety, using the then more popular Canaiolo instead as an accessory
- For younger-drinking wines, he also suggested a small addition of the white grape Malvasia Bianca Lunga
When and why did the black roster (gallo nero) become a symbol of Chianti Classico?
- Tuscan producers outside the Chianti region began to label wines as vino tipo di Chianti (wine of the Chianti type), and copycat wines were produced as far away as California, where the Italian Swiss Colony sold Tipo Chianti in fiasco
- In 1924, an Italian law legalized the labeling of a wine type rather than a specific region, a blow to Chianti producers determined to protect their exclusive right to market their region of origin
- In response, Chianti winegrowers organized the Consorzio per la difesa del vino tipico del Chianti e della sua marca di origine (Consortium for the Defense of Typical Wine of Chianti and of Its Mark of Origin), a forerunner of today’s Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico
- These producers also began to use a black rooster, or gallo nero, on their bottles, which is a mandatory symbol for Chianti Classico today
- The gallo nero, a sign of vigilance, has been the emblem of Radda from as early as the 1300s
When was Chianti given DOC status? DOCG?
When was was Chianti Classico given DOCG status?
Chianti DOC - 1967, DOCG - 1984 included the change to adding up to 10% French varieties
- In 2000, changes to varietal breakdown to allow for 100% Sangiovese wines and the addition of 15% French varieties, then raised to 20%
- 2005, white grape varieties were prohibited entirely in Chianti Classico
- 2010, Chianti cannot be produced within Chianti Classico Boundaries
Chianti Classic DOCG - 1996
What are the subzones of Chianti and which is considered best?
Rùfina
Montalbano
Colli Fiorentini
Colli Senesi
Colli Aretini
Colline Pisane
Montespertoli - 1997
What river flows through Rufina?
What are the most notable producers in Rufina?
Sieve - tributary to the Arno
- Selvapiana and Frescobaldi
What river flows through Rufina?
What are the most notable producers in Rufina?
Sieve - tributary to the Arno
- Selvapiana and Frescobaldi
What are the main soil types in Chianti Classico?
Galestro - friable schistic clay
Alberese - harder marlstone analogous to limestone
Macigno - grayish-blue sandstone
Calcareous tufa
What are the communes in Chianti Classico?
Florence
Greve in Chianti
Barberino
Tavarnelle
San Casciano Val di Pesa
Siena
Radda in Chianti
Gaiole in Chianti
Castellina in Chianti
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Poggibonsi
-
What is a UGA and when were they allowed to be added to Chianti Classico Labels?
unità geografiche aggiuntive
- As of 2021, producers can label their Gran Selezione wines with a unità geografiche aggiuntive (UGA), or “additional geographical unit.” The UGAs identify specific villages or communes, and 11 have been approved
What UGAs are allowed to be added to Chianti Classico labels?
Florence
Greve in Chianti
San Donato - Barberino & Tavarnelle communes
San Casciano Val di Pesa
Lamole
Montefioralle
Panzano
Siena
Radda in Chianti
Gaiole in Chianti
Castellina in Chianti
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Poggibonsi
Vagliagli
Where is the highest elevation in Chianti Classico?
What is the soil type?
Radda at 650 meters
Castellina at 500 meters
- High concentrations of alberese
What is Conca d’Oro and where is it?
A famous South-facing Galestro rich slope in Panzano UGA in Greve
What is Conca d’Oro and where is it?
A famous South-facing Galestro rich slope in Panzano UGA in Greve
What was the Chianti Classico 2000 initiative?
- In 1988, the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico launched the Chianti Classico 2000 initiative, in search of superior clonal material that would provide thicker skins and smaller berries to increase the skin-to-juice ratio; produce looser clusters to minimize disease pressure; and ripen earlier
- They commissioned 14 experimental vineyards under the guidance of the famous winemaker Carlo Ferrini and ultimately isolated seven new Sangiovese clones, widely used both in Chianti Classico and outside the region
- Since the late 1990s, more than 60% of Chianti Classico vineyards have undergone replanting
- The project also provided critical research into ideal rootstocks to reduce vigor while increasing sugar production, increased vine density (5,000 to 7,000 vines per hectare is now considered ideal), and vine training, with a move toward Guyot systems rather than the more historic bush vine, or alberello, training
How do Canaiolo, Colorino and Malvasia Nera behave in Chianti blends?
- Canaiolo, medium weight, enhances Sangiovese-based wines through greater finesse and precision
- Malvasia Nera’s impact can be similar to Canaiolo’s, but with heightened floral aromatics
- Colorino is often employed to add pigment to Chianti and Chianti Classico wines, darkening the otherwise light-red Sangiovese
-Colorino is actually a group of anthocyanin-rich grapes, and its role is similar to that of Petit Verdot in Bordeaux
What is Ciliegiolo?
A red grape that likely shares a parent-offspring relationship with Sangiovese, for which it has often been mistaken
- Its name derives from the Italian word for cherry, an apt descriptor for this elegant, fruity variety