Friday 08/01/08 - Wine Recipes
The Chianti Wine Regions
The region of Chianti is a tiny area in the heart of Tuscany between Siena and Florence and overlooks the Elsa Valley. The land is fertile with olive groves, green forests, and those delicious grapes just waiting to be picked off the vine and smashed into the most heavenly of drinks-Chianti wine.
For many years, Italians have enjoyed the prestige of being recognized for having the largest harvest of grapes and the finest vintages of wine in the Mediterranean. The present day farmers can thank the Phoenicians for bringing vines to this area. They named the area, ?Oenotria?, the ?land of wine.? The ripe fields, combined with the sun and Tuscan air led many others to this area to cultivate the grapes including, the Greeks, Etruscans, and Roman. In many cases, these cultures brought their own vines to mingle with the originals.
A plague of insects, called phylloxera, swept through Europe in the18th century effectively halting wine production in the area. The insects were known to feed on the roots and leaves, destroying the vines. Eventually Italian vintners triumphed over the insect and recovered from the loss.
In the late 1960?s the land of the Chianti area was in a down cycle and parcels of land were sold for very little. Visionaries, seeing the obvious advantages of such beautiful countryside and fertile soil, rebuilt the vineyards to become some of the most credited vines in the world.
What makes the land unique in the area is the climate of the region. The warmth which is constant, lasts much of the year with little rain fall. The soil is dry and full of stones infused with limestone providing many nutrients and minerals for the grapes. In addition, the clever vintners of the area only allow a limited amount of irrigation through the fields; therefore the vines have to delve deep into the ground to acquire water and nutrients.
The Italian government has its own classification for wine making with specific requirements for growing and making the wine. DOCG, which stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, and is similar to the French AOC. These government standards control the techniques from each of the eight regions of Chianti, keeping the regions wine making unique. The regions of Chianti are Chianti Classico, Colli Arentini, Colli Fiorentini, Coli Senesi, Colli Pisane, Montalbano, Rufina, and Montispertoli.
Chianti Classico is the most widely known wine of the region, not only for its name, but also for the superb quality. This wine comes from the vines species called vitis vinifera, which is the starting point for 99% of the wines in the world. Of this vine, Italy grows more than 100 official varieties.
In the Chianti region, of which there are roughly 25,000 acres, two thirds of the land is given to the production of the Chianti Classico, and uses at least 80% of the Sangiovese grape. In the other 20% of the region other wines are made using Sangiovese blended with Canaiolo and Colorino. For the white wines a Trebbiano or Malvasia are used. Again, the government controls the yields to nine tons in order to maintain a premium wine.
The lush red wine of the Chianti that pours into a glass like pooling velvet grows darker when aged. The flavors that wash across the tongue are dry, slightly tannic, with an intense aroma, sometimes hinting of violet. The vintners have no requirements mandated by the government regarding the aging process, but most use aged oak casks for their most savory bottles of wine called Riserva wines. They are 12% alcohol content by volume.
Like the Romans, the Chianti has stormed the land making it known to all points of the world. Yet it is the humble vintner creating this amazing wine under strict regulations that has the wine world at their feet.
About the Author:
Melinda Carnes is a staff writer at Everything Gourmet and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Coffee Enthusiast.
Another short Wine Recipes review
The Chianti Wine Regions
The region of Chianti is a tiny area in the heart of Tuscany between Siena and Florence and overlooks the Elsa Valley. The land is fertile with olive ...
Click Here to Read More About Wine ...
Wine Recipes Items For Viewing
Bodum Double Walled Chardonnay Stemless Wine Glasses (Set of 2)
The double walls of these unique hand blown glasses provide an insulating effect so they’ll keep your white wine perfectly chilled regardless of how long you’ve held it. And enjoying red wine at precisely the right temperature is just as easy. You can even use them for hot tea and coffee. Light and airy they’re winners of a prestigious design award in Europe. Here in the U.S. they’re winning admirers every day and once you try them you’ll be one too. Microwaveable and Dishwasher safe. Size: 9 oz. 3 1/2'H
Price: 16.95 USD
News about Wine Recipes
I Wuz Scammed!
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:24:57 PDT
So, we all know that the film Bottle Shock will be released in about a week, and while it concerns the famous Paris Tasting of 1976 in which a chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and a cabernet sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine cellars out-scored a bevy of well-known French wines, the main focus is on Chateau Montelena itself. (Which, coincidentally, was just purchased by the company that owns Chateau Cos d’Estournel in Bordeaux.) Anyway, on July 28, two days ago, at 2:50 p.m., I posted an entry t
Olympic Cellars and USOC Settle "Olympic" Trademark Dispute
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:23:00 PDT
The Seattle Times reported yesterday that the United States Olympic Committee and the Olympic Peninsula’s Olympic Cellars Winery have entered into a settlement in which the winery will keep its “Olympic” name and domain name on the condition that its “wine sales east of the Cascade Mountains are not ‘substantial.’” (Previous STL coverage here.) The Times was not privy to other terms of the agreement. The settlement appears to mirror the language contained in the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateu
Technologize your Wine Cellar and hire the eSommelier
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:56:15 PDT
Nobody commands you to know detailed facts of any of your stored precious vinos. However, preventing an embarrassing blunder is nothing to reject, so open your cellar and take some time to professionally catalog your liquid trophies. The eSommelier is the first fully integrated residential wine inventory system and uses a 15inch diagonal LCD color
Trade wine - Corktraders.com
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:13:51 PDT
A good way to get something for all those bottles and cases sitting in your cellar that you know you'll never open.
Eco-Chic in Silicon Alley
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:00:41 PDT
New York's tech entrepreneurs were out in full force Tuesday evening at A Night of Eco-Chic Entertaining, a reduced-carbon-footprint cocktail party organized by Notes on a Party editor in chief...
A visit to Vancouver Island's most romantic locations.
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 09:42:15 PDT
This article focuses on edible gardens and garden art at Sooke Harbour House, one of Vancouver Island's premiere destinations. This unique Inn offers a multi-facetted experience with an award winning restaurant and wine cellar, 28 originally designed guestrooms, edible gardens, spa treatments and an unconventional art gallery.
White Bordeaux: Oft-Forgotten Bliss
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 08:23:35 PDT
There are some serious, potentially profound dry whites from Bordeaux, which takes almost literally the jocular maxim that the first duty of wine is to be red. HERE in the sleek, modern cellar at Domaine de Chevalier, a historic estate concealed by a forest just west of town, the custom for tasting is reversed.
Carlee Wine
Wine Valley
Labels: Make Wine
