HISTORY OF

CHIANTI
 Lilliya Rasheva
Architecture, 1st year
Varna Free University
Academic year 2016/2017
Project coordinator: Diana Mihaylova
 CONTENTS:
1. Boundaries of the Classico region
2. Origin of Chianti Classico
3. Chianti Classico in the Late 20th Century
4. Peculiarities of Chianti Classico
5. Rise of the Super Tuscans
6. History of Chianti – Timeline
7. The Legend of the Black Rooster
 Boundaries of the Classico region
In the early Middle Ages, the area between Baliaccia and Monte
Luco in the hills between the cities of Florence and Siena was known as
the Chianti Mountain. This area was noted for its winemaking with the
villages of Castellina, Gaiole and Radda gaining particular renown.
These three villages formed a Lega del Chianti (League of Chianti) that
the Florentine merchants would market as wines of distinction. In
1716 Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany issued an edict
legislating that the three villages of the Lega del Chianti as well as the
village of Greve and a 2-mile (3 km) hillside north of Greve
near Spedaluzza as the only officially recognized producers of Chianti.
This delineation existed until July 1932, when the Italian government
expanded the Chianti zone to include the outlying areas of Barberino
Val d'Elsa, Chiocchio, Robbiano, San Casciano in Val di
Pesa and Strada. Some of these areas, such as Robbiano, included large
swaths of hillside near Florence (in what is now the Chianti DOCG
sub-zone the Colli Fiorentini) that produced lighter bodied wines that
were not suitable for aging or improving in quality. The 1932 expansion
was canonized into DOC regulations in 1966.
In 1984 the Chianti Classico and the greater Chianti region were
separated and each given their own DOCG ranking. The boundaries
were to cover an area of approximate 100 square miles (259 square
kilometers) between Florence to the north and Siena to the south. The
four communes of Castellina, Gaiole, Greve and Radda were included
along with parts of Barberino Val d'Elsa, San Casciano in Val di Pesa
and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa in the province of Florence as well
as Castelnuovo Berardenga and Poggibonsi in the province of Siena.
 Origin of Chianti
Classico

Chianti Classico has been a part of the Tuscan region history for a long time, with the earliest mention of
Chianti wines being in 1398. Although it was 300 years later in 1716, that the Chianti territory was introduced in
history officially by the Medici.
At that time, the territory was divided in three main villages – Gaiole, Castellina and Radda. These were the
three villages that comprised the Lega Del Chianti, which later came to be known as the Provincia Del Chianti.
In 1932, a ministerial decree divided these villages into seven new zones, each of which produced its own
Chianti wine, but with a distinctive name and label. Chianti Classico came from the territory that stretched
between Florence and Siena.
 Chianti Classico in the Late 20 th Century
Although the 1950s weren’t as kind to Chianti
Classico wine as one would have wanted due to the
economic and weather conditions, it did favor the
wine by becoming codified. Due to poor quality of
wine that was being grown at the time, the grape
content of wine became codified so that all grapes
could age well. The two varieties of grape that
became most popular for this were the Canaiolo
and Sangiovese.
Truly, it was the 1960s that brought about a huge
transition in the Chianti Classico industry. Because
of the quality of grapes and the wine itself, Chianti
entered the well respected DOC or
the Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which
classified Classico as a selective wine. This addition
into the DOC brought forth a significant impact on
these wines, since they were recognized as an
independent appellation.
 Peculiarities of Chianti Classico
Chianti Classico is quite unlike other wines, since its blend is created with a large amount of
Sangiovese grapes. In fact, Sangiovese makes 80% of the wine’s component, while 20% comes
from native grapes like Canaiolo and Colorino or grapes of international varieties. Italian
connoisseurs favor Italian grape varieties, but it’s not a rule imposed by any entity
The Chianti Classico red wine comes in a clear ruby red color and emits a floral bouquet of
notes in its odor. With a good level of tannin, the wine is dry, harmonious to the tongue and
strong enough to make quite an impression on the taste.
 However, what makes this wine even more unique is that of the pink label with an including seal of a black
rooster. As the symbol of Chianti Classico Wine Consortium, this symbol was founded in 1924 to protect the
Chianti and prevent any wine fraud.
As a vineyard that produces some of the best Tuscan wines, Montemaggio pays close attention to its Chianti
Classico red wines as well. In fact, it uses its best Sangiovese grapes to produce the Chianti Classico Riserva,
which is a particularly esteemed wine in the community.
If you want to experience the best flavors, contact the Montemaggio vineyard and experience the beauty of
this special wine in its birthplace.
Rise of the Super Tuscans
The origin of Super Tuscans is rooted in
the restrictive DOC practices of the
Chianti zone prior to the 1990s. During
this time Chianti could be composed of no
more than 70% Sangiovese and had to
include at least 10% of one of the local
white wine grapes. Producers who
deviated from these regulations could not
use the Chianti name on their wine
labels and would be classified as vino da
tavola- Italy's lowest wine designation.
The marchese Piero Antinori was one of
the first to create a "Chianti-style" wine
that ignored the DOC regulations,
releasing a 1971 Sangiovese-Cabernet
Sauvignon blend known as Tignanello in
1978. Other producers followed suit and
soon the prices for these Super Tuscans
were consistently beating the prices of
some of most well known Chiantis.
In response the international acclaim and high prices of these Super Tuscans, Italians authorities re-evaluated the DOC
regulations for the Chianti region in attempt to bring some of these Super Tuscans back into the fold. They changed the grape
blend composition of Chianti (not Classico or Riserva) to require a minimum of 75-90% Sangiovese, 5-10% Canaiolo nero, 5-
10% Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia bianca Lunga, and up to 10% other varietals. With respect to Chianti Classico, a minimum of
80% Sangiovese is required, and up to 20% other varietals allowed. Beginning with the 2006 vintage, no white grapes are
allowed in the composition of Chianti Classico. Chianti Classico Riserva is required to have a minimum of 24 months oak
aging plus an additional 3 months of bottle aging. But beyond just grape composition, the new wave of winemaking during the
era of the Super Tuscan also reinvigorated the Chianti's region with modern viticultural vine training and canopy
management techniques and winemaking tools such as the use of new oak barrels. This new area of innovation lead to a sharp
increase in the price of Chiantis to where the bottlings from many of the top houses now match the prices of the premium
Super Tuscans.
Today, Super Tuscans are entitled to the DOC Bolgheri or the generic IGT label.
 History of Chianti in a Timeline
◦ 1398 – The first time Chianti is recognized as a wine. At this point,
it was a white not a red wine!
◦ 1716 – Cosimo III de’ Medici draws up the first official borders for
the Chianti region, making certain areas “official” Chianti.
◦ 1872 – Baron Bettino Ricasoli, the second Prime Minister of Italy,
creates the Chianti recipe of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15%
Malvasia. Prior to this, Canaiolo had been the dominant grape in
the blend.
◦ 1924 – The Consortium for the Protection of Chianti Wine is
founded. The official trademark chosen is the Black Rooster, still
used today.
◦ 1932 – The suffix “Classico” is added to differentiate Chianti wine
made in the territory originally delineated by Cosimo in 1716.
◦ 1963 – The Chianti region is expanded and recognized as a DOC or
Denominazione di Origine Controllata. When labeled as a DOC,
the wine has accompanying laws that govern its permitted grape
varieties and wine style.
◦ 1970s – Chianti is frequently served in a fiasco, the straw-covered bottle you’d find at inexpensive Italian
restaurants and pizza parlors. While Chianti grows increasingly popular, many producers unfortunately begin
focusing on mass production vs. quality.
◦ 1984 – Chianti is promoted to the status of DOCG, which stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e
Garantita (phew, mouthful!). This is the highest classification for Italian wines and means that the requirements,
yields, and standards are stricter than that of DOC status.
◦ 1989 – The Chianti Classico Consorzio, a trade group of Chianti producers, develops a project called “Chianti
Classico 2000,” which aims to experiment and to identify new clones of Sangiovese that will produce higher
quality wines.
◦ 1996 – The Chianti laws change to eliminate a minimum amount of white grapes in the blend and to permit up
to 15% of international varietals.
◦ 1997 – The Chianti vintage is hailed the “vintage of the century,” as producers’ efforts toward quality begin to
gain recognition.
◦ 2006 – White grapes are no longer permitted in Chianti Classico DOCG wines.
◦ 2013 – The Chianti Classico Consorzio creates a new level of Chianti wine – the Gran Selezione. Gran
Selezione wines are a level above Chianti Classico Riserva wines, with an additional six months required aging
and stricter parameters for growing.
 Once upon a time, in the medieval period , the cities of Florence and Siena did not get
along so well. Unfortunately for Chianti, it is situated right in between the two warring
cities.`
The Legend
After years of fighting for dominance over the Chianti territory, legend has it that the
two cities came to a final agreement about how to settle the dispute. A knight from each
of the Black
city would depart at the break of dawn and ride as fast as he could. Wherever the two
knights met would be the border between the two republics. Rooster
To determine when the knights would depart, they agreed to leave when the rooster
crowed at dawn (no cell phone alarm clocks back then). The legend goes that Siena
chose a white rooster; Florence, a black rooster. The Florentines, being a little wily and
sneaky, kept their black rooster in a small, dark coop and practically starved the rooster
into desperation before the big day.

When the day did come, the Florentines let their black rooster out of the coop and,
although it wasn’t yet daybreak, the crazed black rooster crowed immediately, giving the
thumbs-up for the Florentine knight to begin his ride. This head start meant that by the
time the Sienese knight left his post and met up with the Florentine knight, the two were a
mere 12 kilometers from Siena.

Hence, Florence claimed nearly all of the Chianti region and the Black Rooster
became the official symbol of Chianti Classico.`
Pictures from
my trip to
Tuscany
References:
◦ http://www.crazyforchianti.co/history-of-chianti/
◦ https://www.montemaggio.com/lang-cn/blog/a-short-history-
of-chianti-classico-wine.html
◦ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chianti
◦ https://www.chianti.com/the-hills-of-chianti.html
◦ My Photo Library 
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION !