Italian Wine Time

A STARTER LESSON IN WINES OF ITALY

When most people think of Italian wines the first thing that comes to mind is Chianti. While there are many types of Italian wines it seems Chianti is the perfect starting point for gaining an understanding and appreciation of Italy’s wine making. So, let’s jump into some of the basics of these Italian wines, labeling and aging. In this article I will briefly go over the following:

  1. Gallo nero label
  2. DOC appellation
  3. DOCG appellation
  4. IGT appellation
  5. Chianti
  6. Chianti Classico (12 months in a barrel)
  7. Chianti Reserva (minimum 24 months in a barrel)
  8. Chianti Gran Selezione (minimum 30 months in a barrel)
  9. Super Tuscan

 gallo neroThe History behind the gallo nero labelgallo nero

The black rooster dates back as far as the 14th century, the Chianti region lies between Florence and Siena. In order to establish the borders between Siena and the Florentines it was decided that two knights would charge at the respective city when the first rooster crowed. Siena chose a white rooster that they fattened up, while Florence chose a black rooster that was lean kept on a strict diet. Can you guess whose rooster crowed first?? If you said the Florentines you would be correct, resulting in expanded borders for them. In the 1930s when the Chianti Classico consortium was created it only made since that the black rooster would be the symbol. Now every bottle of a true Chianti Classico will display the gallo nero symbol on the bottle period, no ifs ands or buts. Meaning if you ever see a wine labeled Chianti Classico without the black rooster it is not a true Chianti Classico. Likewise if you see the black rooster that means it is a Chianti Classico ( Classico, Riserva or Gran Selezione).

D.O.C.— Denominazione d’Origine Controllata (Controlled designation of origin)

DOC came about in the early 1960s; today there are over 300 wines that meet this designation. Wines with this label must adhere to specific guidelines.

Some of the parameters these wines must meet include the following:

  1. Area of origin of the grapes
  2. Maximum yield of grapes per hectare
  3. Minimum alcohol levels of the grapes
  4. Production conditions (soil, climate, elevation, etc.)
  5. Aging of the wine
  6. Styles of wine

 

D.O.C.G.— Denominazione d’Origine Controllata e Garantita (Guaranteed Controlled Designation of Origin)

DOCG came about in the 1980s and denotes high quality wines that adhere to stricter guidelines than those under the DOC label. Along with the guidelines that DOC must follow they are also subject to in-depth analysis and tasting. Their maximum permitted grape yields are also lower than their DOC counterpart. When the DOCG was established there were only five wines with this label.

Those include:

  1. Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany)
  2. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Tuscany)
  3. Chianti (Tuscany)
  4. Barolo (Piedmont)
  5. Barbaresco (Piedmont)

Today there are over 70 wines that have gained the DOCG status.

These designations were created to ensure that these wines stay true to how wine in Italy was originally created and so that consumers know when they purchase a wine with this label they can trust that it will have similar taste and quality of other wines with those labels. However, keep in mind that just because a wine does not carry DOC or DOCG label it does not mean that it is not a high-quality wine. One such wine is known as a Super Tuscan and they are delicious! Adhering to regulations can only take you so far, a good wine comes down to the wine maker, the production year, and the love that goes into the wine making process; to name a few.

IGT Indicazione Geografica Tipica

These wines have more freedom of how they can be produced; the guidelines for this classification is much less constricted than the DOC/DOCG. These wines must simply come from a specific region or zone but do not have to adhere to the guidelines of the DOC/DOCG.

Allora, let’s move onto to a few specific wines and learn a little about them.

CHIANTI

Chianti wines are those that do not come from the Chianti zone delimited in 1716. These wines cannot take on the label Chianti Classico and are not labeled with the gallo nero. However, these wines can obtain a DOCG label.

 CHIANTI CLASSICO

A “Classico” must be aged for minimum 12 months in a barrel, it must also have a minimum of 12% alcohol and contain minimum 80% Sangiovese. In 1924 a Consortium was created to protect the Chianti Classico wine and its original makers. This was done to ensure that all “Classico” are done in the same manner from the grape growing to bottling the wine. A “Classico” must come from the specific territory and it must adhere to strict guidelines. All Chianti Classico will be adorned with the classic rooster emblem and fall under the DOCG appellation. The grapes that are chosen to go alongside the Sangiovese do not have to be an Italian grape (i.e. Merlot, Cabernet) but these grapes must be grown in the Chianti region.

CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA

A riserva must be aged a minimum of 24 months and have at least 12.5% alcohol with minimum 80% Sangiovese grape. The best grapes from the vines are also used in the riserva. These wines are also meant to be aged for a long time (15+ years).

CHIANTI GRAN SELEZIONE

A Gran Selezione must have a minimum 80% Sangiovese grape, yield a minimum alcohol of 13% and be aged for a at least 30 months. This wine is made from the top tier grapes, has tighter restrictions and is generally made only during the best years for grape growing. These wines must also be made from estate grown grapes only, meaning they cannot be produced with grapes from other growers. These wines can be aged even longer than riserva, some up to 30 years.

 SUPER TUSCANS

Super Tuscans came about in the 1970s, sometimes referred to as ‘table wines’ although not as often today. However, when people hear ‘table wine’ they think it means a bad wine. This is most certainly not the case, especially in Italy and is why most wine makers stray from that term. Super Tuscans came about by winemakers who felt that the guidelines for DOC/DOCG did not allow for creativity. These wines as the name indicates come from the Toscana (Tuscan) region. These wines now fall under the IGT label and may include grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah as well as Italian grapes and do not have to meet the specific percentage grape guideline.

Although I could continue to dive into the complexity that is winemaking I think that is enough for now. Wine is a complex being and is something that no one can ever know everything about. If you choose to go on wine tours and you already know some things about wine I suggest you still simply open your ears and listen as if you know nothing at all. I say this because in the grand scheme of wine most of us still don’t truly understand what it means to make a quality wine. You can learn something new even on the most basic of tours.

I will continue to add more information about wines of Italy and the other styles and regions so stay tuned!