This beautiful wine region was once simply known as Chianti (which you can glimpse in the map above) and is framed by Florence to the North and Siena to the South in a timeless landscape of hilltop towns, ancient farmhouses, castles, abundant woodland, cypress trees, olive groves and vineyards.
Centuries of winemaking ancestry have left records of fine wine deriving from the poor rocky slopes of three river valleys in the heart of Tuscany: Val di Pesa, Val di Greve and Val d’Arbia, the area that is now known as Chianti Classico. History reveals centuries of bitter conflict in the region beginning in the twelfth century when it was a battlefield between the two cities and perhaps as a result of these territorial conflicts, it has been mapped and re-mapped with a good degree of precision. This mapping has led to a rich understanding of the intricacies of the territory and in turn, an elaborate knowledge of the soils and viticulture has emerged.
In 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici issued an edict, outlining the boundaries of the region that was considered ideal for the production of high quality wines, but it wasn’t until 1924 that the Consortium of Chianti Classico, also known as the ‘Gallo Nero’ was formed. The consortium still thrives today and we are proud to be a member of this group who not only coordinates a regional marketing effort, but has also been instrumental in the recognition the cultural landscape of Chianti Classico in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
If you would like to know about how the Gallo Nero became associated with our region, here’s a short film that’s worth a look https://leggenda.chianticlassico.com/. And anyone wishing to know more about the region of Chianti Classico would enjoy Alessandro Masnaghetti’s superb new book ‘Chianti Classico: The Complete Atlas of the UGA Vineyards’: https://www.enogea.it/en/product/chianti-classico-the-atlas.
