Tuscany / Chianti

Chianti and the wider wine region of Tuscany may be Italy’s most famous, known mainly for making reds from the Sangiovese grape. With a climate similar to Bordeaux, it was perhaps natural that Tuscany became a table-red producer to the world. But these days the name Chianti is less likely to mean a rustic basket wine (fiaschi), and probably refers to a respectable and classic Italian red: dry with medium-body, bright spicy fruit and Sangiovese’s lovely acidity. Superb top wines and Riservas often come from Chianti Classico, the traditional heart of Chianti, with seven other notable villages like Rufina (Chianti Rufina).  Outside the Chianti zone, the slopes of hilltop villages like Montalcino and Montepulciano consistently produce some of the most revered and cellar-worthy Sangiovese wines in the world. Sangiovese often forms the core of the so-called "Super Tuscan" category, where blends of Bordeaux varieties and various other imports supply some of the most expensive wines in the world.