As I'm always singing the praises of Chianti wines, I think it would be coherent to mention what's not so good too. However nothing that will make me lose my love for one of the best dining wines in the world.
There are approximately 570 estates in the
Chianti Classico appellation, ranging in size from tiny landowners to large corporate concerns. Of these 350
actually produce a bottled wine with an official Chianti label, while the the others grow grapes. Chianti has eight production
zones, and experts generally concur that wines from the Chianti Classico zone are those that offer the highest standards of
quality, along with Rufina. Look out for these words on the bottle, it does make a
difference.
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| Chianti bottles bearing the official logo and D.O.C.G. seal |
The reason is simple; the making of Chianti is governed by a set of
rules called a disciplinary. It defines the minimum, but not maximum standards for
wine to be called Chianti. Defining minimum legal standards is a good thing, it
ensures the consumer he’s drinking an authentic wine. A wine can only bear the
name Chianti, if it’s made to disciplinary standards. It will also have the D.O.C.G. acronym on the label. However
a wine made to the minimum requirements will never be a top wine. It certainly won’t
be bad, but not excellent either.
The problem is political and economic. The
disciplinary is defined by a consortium of producers, and industrial
wholesalers (non producers) where the large commercial concerns have more
voting weight when defining the rules. Large producers and wholesalers are primarily interested in
quantity and low prices. The small boutique wineries who produce quality wines have less weight
financially, and due to the political structure of the consortium, their
opinions and votes have less importance too.
As producing cheap wine isn't
economically rewarding for the boutique wineries, they’re often in heated contrast with the
consortium as they advocate far higher standards. They have nothing
to gain by producing cheap wine (they make money only if the prices of their
limited production is higher), and they make it a matter of pride
too. For them wine making is art, love and passion. They take far more care in
the three important phases of wine production; viticulture, cellar techniques
and ageing. This of course increases costs, but they produce wines that rival with the world’s
best. Just read a few reviews in the press to see scores of 90+ being given to wines from Chianti Classico, a thing unheard of
twenty years ago
So there you have it, cheap average wines on one side, while on the other, top quality and 90+
scores. How do you find the better wines? Well trial and error basically,
though reviews in the press can be helpful. Despite the legitimate suspect that reviewers can be biased, I've found they don't give high scores to average wines. I'd stick to Chiantis from the areas of Classico and Rufina too, (you'll find the names on the bottle) which are almost always of the highest quality. Alternatively you could take
a tour with me and try the wines for yourself, look here:
Sergio Ceccherini
