Only wine from this area is allowed to call itself Chianti Classico and it is so marked with a rooster on its pink label on the necks of their bottles. However, other regions may produce Chianti and very good Chianti outside of this border, so it is important to keep in mind that the “Classico” designation does not indicate quality. It is like so many things mostly a marketing tool.
Chianti Classico Riserva however refers to wine produced on special vines. Riserva, whether of chianti or another wine, was traditionally the wine reserved for the family itself so it was of higher quality, but it was also kept ”in reserve” should anything happen – drought, flood, lenthgy siege. It is of a higher alcohol and sugar content so it matures more slowly. The higher the alcohol and sugar content of a wine, the longer and better it will age. Color of course is a good indicator of age – younger wines are more of a ruby while older wines take on the color of garnet.
This I learned at the Castle of Verazzano which became home to the Verazzano family in the 7th century. The “vineyards situated in Verazzano” are mentioned in a manuscript which dates back to 1170. Giovanni da Verazzano, who discovered the Hudson Bay in 1524, and for whom the Verazzano Narrows Bridge is named, was born at the castle there in 1485.
After touring the cellars and learning about the process by which they make their wines and other products which include vin santo, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and wild boar salami, we sat down to a wine tasting with lunch. (There are wild boars all over the hills of Tuscany and are quite a problem because they like to eat the grapes especially at this time of year during harvest).
 |  |
The wines were all wonderful as was the lesson from the sommelier on smelling and tasting them, but probably the best part of our time there was the small spoonful of balsamic vinegar that we were each given to taste, available for purchase at about $67 for 3 oz. I will take that medicine any day. It was mind-blowing and so unlike what I thought was balsamic vinegar. “Real” balsamic is aged over many years in small barrels and moved from barrel to barrel made from different wood (mulberry, chestnut, oak, cherry, ash) so that it takes on the flavor of each wood. The result is a dense syrup of very complex flavors and it is not something one would waste on lettuce but serve drizzled sparingly on fruit or chunks of parmigiano reggiano.
Our time at the Antinori vineyard was also very enjoyable and also included a tasting. Again Antinori is a much larger producer so this winery at Badia di Passignano is one of several in Italy. It is an old abbey founded in 395 and monks of the Vallombrosian Order still live there but Antinori leases the property from the church. Here Chef Valter arranged for us to meet with the winemaster, the head guy in charge of the winemaking at this location.
 | < |
Most interesting was his perspective on the wine market. He said that Italian winemakers recently did a survey of the US market and found that the large majority of Americans drink the wine they buy within 50 minutes of purchase. Sounds about right. What this tells them is that, as the US is the driver of the market at this time because it is the biggest, is they need to concentrate on producing more reasonably-priced wine meant for drinking and less wine meant for collecting, and they have made changes in their vineyards and practices to account for this.
But this does not mean they are concentrating on producing an inferior product. It means they have turned over much of their acreage reserved for the expensive varieties to the less expensive ones, that they have reviewed and reformed production techniques looking for efficiencies so as to keep costs low but quality high, and that especially they will try hardest to get their products directly to consumers rather than distributors who will hoard vintages in an effort to artificially manipulate the market. There is only so much wine that can be produced. The US wants more and more because we are beginning to understand wine and eat better, but there is only so much land in Italy and it is a crop influenced by the whims of nature – blight, disease, global-warming. For instance, this summer was very dry and hot and much money had to be spent hauling water up a very winding rough road for the vines.
Wine producers in Italy know that this is inability to meet demand is a temporary situation, however. And the same could be said about French producers. It is not that they think they will be able to produce more and more or that demand will decrease. It is that soon there will be a glut of good wine competing with Italian and French wines from every corner of the world as word of the profitability in wine spreads and different countries turn their focus to producing quality wines. We are already seeing this in Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, Washington State, Long Island, etc. That’s a lesson in our free market economy. As soon as you create a demand, there will always be someone preparing to supply that demand when you cannot.
Click here for more pics of wine country.
Wine Tips of the Day
#1: Chianti Classico Riserva reaches its peak 5 – 8 years after bottling, so look for vintages from 1999 – 2002, or buy a 2004 and wait . . . yeah, right.
#2: Antinori wines are widely available in NYC and online of course. Their top of the line is Tignonello which can go for hundreds a bottle at a restaurant. Look for their Peppoli label which is the same aging process, same varieties, just on younger vines than the Tignello and at $30 on wine.com as opposed to $90. The Peppoli vines are currently about 10 years old. When they are 15, they will be turned over to produce the more expensive wine.
No comments:
Post a Comment