Chianti Classico Collection 2019: Spring Awakening in Chianti Classico!
Chianti Classico Collection 2019
Earlier this week, it was time again in spring-like Florence: With the Chianti Classico Collection 2019 – the trade fair for Chianti Classico – the unofficial start of the new Chianti Classico wine year kicked off after the winter break.
Winter is leaving, winemakers are coming to Florence – and Nina in Chianti is back!
An incredible 195 wineries welcomed dealers, journalists, critics, restaurateurs, and for the first time this year, even end customers from all over the world, all within the unique setting of the 'Stazione Leopolda'. Once again, the steadily increasing number of exhibitors highlights the great importance of the entire region and its products.
And of course, I sniffed, tasted, listened, and chatted a whole lot again. Among others, with the new President of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, Giovanni Manetti, and with Carlotta Gori, Director of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico. Of course, all just to sniff out the best wines and vintages and the latest trends. So, for me, the winter break is officially over, and I'm starting a new, wonderful Chianti Classico wine year with full enthusiasm – Nina in Chianti is back!
Giovanni Manetti (President Consorzio Chianti Classico), Nina in Chianti, and Carlotta Gori (Director Consorzio Chianti Classico)
The trend is towards 'Solo Sangiovese!'
Something interesting, almost a trend, really stood out to me throughout this year's Collection. A few years back, Chianti Classico was usually a blend of Sangiovese with a small but noticeable amount of other grapes like Canaiolo, Colorino, Malvasia, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and so on. But now, with the latest vintages, the clear trend is towards 100% Sangiovese.
This goes for Chianti Classico, Riserva, and even Gran Selezione. Across the board, the motto is 'Solo Sangiovese!' By the way, I personally really love this trend. Why? It's simple: it lets the terroir shine through even more intensely. When Sangiovese isn't influenced by other grape varieties, its full, pure flavor can truly show off all its beauty and uniqueness on your nose and palate.
Visiting the Gagliole stand: Giulio, the cellar master, tells me all about the latest news from Gagliole's wines.
New year, new game, new wine delights!
The 2019 Chianti Classico Collection really focused on the 2016 Chianti Classico vintage and the 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva – basically, the wines that are either just hitting the market or are about to.
Overall, we've got two fantastic vintages in the bottle here, and even the winemakers themselves are super happy with them. Both the quality and quantity are spot on. Some winemakers even gave us a sneak peek at the 2018 vintage. All I can say is: it's shaping up to be an incredibly good and high-quality year! Everything is already super refined – both the acidity and the tannins. And seeing the winemakers' eyes light up when they talk about the '18 vintage really makes us hopeful for a great wine year.
My tip: make a note of this vintage right now. Some winemakers even let us 'peek into the barrel' for the 2017s: we can look forward to a top-notch vintage there too!
Nina meets Paolo Salvi - a consulting oenologist for wineries like Le Cinciole, Gagliole, and Fattoria di Rignana.
My winemakers and new wineries
My personal success story from the fair: I managed to visit almost all 'my winemakers' who have their wines featured on ninainchianti.com – with one exception: Savignola Paolina. But of course, I tasted and thoroughly enjoyed the wines from my other eleven winemakers – almost 180 different wines in total!
Among them, of course, were also wines from winemakers I'd already had my eye on at other times. After all, you should always be open to new things... Like, for example, the Istine winery from Radda in Chianti, which really scores with its high-quality wines. Also, Podere Capaccia, a small estate with only about four and a half hectares of vineyards, is also in Radda in Chianti. They exclusively produce a Chianti Classico and a Riserva – but they do it incredibly impressively. And one more Radda winery I visited at the fair: Val delle Corti.
Visiting Emilia from Casaloste
I also stopped by to see the winemakers from Villa Pomona in Castellina and the Caparsa winery from the Greve in Chianti area. They also produce a Chianti Classico and a Riserva called Doccio a Matteo. Last but not least: just like at the Expo del Chianti Classico last autumn in Greve, I tried the excellent wines from Cantalici again. Soooo promising! Let's see if one or two new candidates for ninainchianti.com pop up there...