Wine made in Tuscny primarily from Sangiovese
(Key-ante) You cannot miss this wicker-encrusted Italian red. Wonderful when served with a large pile of spaghetti and meatballs (vegetarian, of course). Try it with soft violins, mandolins and a Tramp. One of the more utilitarian wines since the bottle is designed to hold standard candles.
Name of a specific geographical area between Florence and Siena in central Italian region of Tuscany.
(k'yahn-tee) One of the most famous of the Italian red wines. Made from the Sangiovese grape, although a small amount of the white grapes, Trebbiano or Malvasia, may be added for finesse. The Chianti region encompasses much of the hills of Tuscany with the higher quality Chianti Classico region being a smaller and more defined "classic" region for producing the wine. In times gone past, Chianti was often sold in a straw covered bottle called a "fiasco." This has mostly given way to modern bottles.
A sturdy dry red Italian wine that is was packaged in a straw covered bottle (now more commonly in a Bordeaux-type bottle). The word "Riserva" on the label indicates a superior Chianti that it has been aged in oak for at least 3 years.
A wonderfully agreeable and, in some cases, quite distinguished Italian red wine from Tuscany. Chianti is normaly consumed while still young, and sometimes looked upon as an inexpensive table wine of indifferent quality. Better examples of Chianti can be complex and enjoyable, and very pleasing with Italian food.
