The history of Chianti Wine
“A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
(Hannibal Lecter in the film: The Silence of the Lambs - 1991)
You see? Even the cannibal that was Hannibal Lecter liked Chianti wine!
Chianti (kee-AHN-tee) is one of the most popular Italian red wines. It’s named after the central Tuscan region of Chianti (where it’s mostly produced).
There are different explanations of what the word ‘Chianti’ actually means. Some say it means ‘Clango’, ‘Clangor’ or ‘Clanti’ meaning ‘to sound the trumpet’, ‘to play the horn’, ‘the cry of a bird’ referring to the sounds made during hunting expeditions back in the olden days. Others say the name’s derived from a noble Etruscan family called the ‘Clante’.
Some people say that at the very least, Chianti wine dates as far back as the 14th century as it was mentioned in literature of that time. It doesn’t seem ‘Chianti’ was actually called ‘Chianti’ though, but was referred to in some shape or form. For example, back in the 16th century in England, wine that came from the Chianti region was called ‘Florence’.
The wine-producing area(s) of Chianti was defined and demarcated into sub-areas in 1716 by Cosimo III de’Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany (the first clear definition of a wine region). However, it was redefined over two centuries later (in 1932) into 7 sub-areas, namely Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montalbano and Rùfina.
Chianti wine was originally made purely from Sangiovese (san-joh-vay’z eh) grapes until the mid-19th century when other grape varieties were introduced in the form of a blend/recipe by an influential baron called Bettino Ricasoli. He mostly used Sangiovese grapes, but also added Canaiolo red grape, and a hint of Malvasia white grape.
Ricasoli’s Chianti recipe was widely used until the mid-1980s when wine producers started reducing the percentage of Malvasia grapes in their Chianti.
Current wine rules state that Chianti wine must contain at least 80% Sangiovese with 20% being a combination of other grapes such as Canaiolo or Colorino, or even international varieties like Merlot or Syrah. Some Chianti wine makers, however, choose to make theirs from 100% Sangiovese grapes, which is certainly to be admired!