History of Chianti
Baron Bettino Ricasoli, the future prime minister in the Kingdom of Italy created the first known "Chianti recipe" in 1872, recommending 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia bianca.
In 1967, the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) regulation set by the Italian government firmly established the "Ricasoli formula" of a Sangiovese-based blend with 10-30% Malvasia and Trebbiano.
The success of these wines encouraged government officials to reconsider the DOCG regulations with many changes made to allow some of these vino da tavola to be labeled as Chiantis.
[1] 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.
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.
Amphora remnants originating from the region show that Tuscan wine was exported to southern Italy and Gaul as early as the seventh century BC before both areas begun to actively cultivate grape vines themselves.
Its closest trading partners, France and Austria, were separated from Italy by the massive Alps Mountains and also had ample supply of their own local wines.
During the Renaissance, the city of Florence experienced a period of growth that brought with it an emerging middle class of guilded craftsman and merchants.
[4] The earliest example of Chianti was as a pale, light white wine being sold by the merchant Francesco di Marco Datini in 1398.
[1] It eventually evolved into a coarse, deep color red wine that Sir Edward Barry described as having "disagreeable roughness and other qualities, seldom drunk."
In 1716 Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany issued an edict delineating the boundaries that would eventually become the heart of the Chianti Classico region.
[1] Prior to becoming Holy Roman Emperor, the policies Peter Leopold as Grand Duke of Tuscany encouraged many landowning families to invest in improving and expanding their vineyards.
Ricasoli traveled throughout France and Germany, studying the latest winemaking methods and brought back with him vine cuttings of new grape varieties.
Wine expert Hugh Johnson noted that the relationship that Ricasoli describes between Sangiovese and Canaiolo has some parallels to how Cabernet Sauvignon is softened by the fruit of Merlot in the traditional Bordeaux style blend.
During this time the tides of the Risorgimento were growing stronger and Ricasoli found himself in the political arena which would eventually lead to him becoming the Prime Minister of Italy.
[4] The 20th century saw peaks and valleys in the popularity of Chianti and eventually led to a radical evolution in the wine's style due to the influence of the "Super Tuscans".
However, during this same time a group of ambitious producers began working outside the boundaries of DOC regulations to make what they believed would be a higher quality style of Chianti.
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 varietys.
