Three Italian reds on the same list: a Chianti Classico at 40 euros, a Brunello at 180 and a Super Tuscan at 250. All from Tuscany. The owner wants to know what the extra money is buying. Only one of the three is even made from the same grape as the others.
Sangiovese, and Tuscany
Sangiovese is high acid, high tannin, medium colour, and tastes of sour cherry, herbs, tomato leaf and, with age, leather and earth. That mouthwatering acidity is why it is one of the great food wines and unhappy on its own.
| Wine | Composition | Ageing logic |
|---|---|---|
| Chianti DOCG | Sangiovese-dominant blend | Broad zone, large volume, early drinking |
| Chianti Classico DOCG | Sangiovese-dominant, from the historic heartland | Riserva and Gran Selezione tiers require longer ageing |
| Brunello di Montalcino DOCG | 100% Sangiovese | Warmer, drier site; a long compulsory ageing period of several years, at least two of them in wood, before release |
| Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG | Sangiovese-dominant | Between the two in weight and price |
Note the trap: Montepulciano is both a Tuscan town (making Sangiovese) and a grape grown in Abruzzo (making cheap, soft, dark Montepulciano d Abruzzo). They are unrelated.
The Super Tuscans
In the 1970s, producers on the Tuscan coast planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and blended in ways the DOC rules of the day did not permit. Their wines were therefore sold as humble Vino da Tavola and yet outsold classified wines by a wide margin. The law eventually caught up: today they mostly appear as IGT Toscana or under the Bolgheri DOC. The lesson here is exactly the one from the last lesson: appellation status describes the rulebook, not the quality. Price here is driven by international grape varieties, low yields, new French oak and global reputation.
The Veneto
- Soave — Garganega: dry, light, citrus and almond, sometimes bland at volume level, genuinely fine from the hills (Soave Classico).
- Valpolicella — Corvina-led: light, tart red-cherry, low tannin, drink cold and young.
- Amarone della Valpolicella — the same grapes, but dried on racks for months (appassimento). Water evaporates, so sugar, flavour and tannin concentrate. The dried grapes are then fermented to dryness, which is why Amarone is dry yet enormous: 15% alcohol or more, raisined black fruit, bitter-chocolate finish, and often a faint sweetness of impression rather than of sugar.
- Recioto della Valpolicella — same drying, but fermentation is stopped early, so it stays genuinely sweet.
- Ripasso — Valpolicella refermented on Amarone skins: a middle path, and excellent value.
The rest of Italy
- Campania — Fiano and Greco whites, Aglianico reds (huge tannin, volcanic soils).
- Sicily — Nero d Avola, and the high-altitude, ash-soil vineyards of Etna producing fresh, pale, mineral reds and whites.
- Puglia — Primitivo (the same variety as Zinfandel) and Negroamaro: ripe, soft, warm-climate volume.
Onboard Notes
Amarone is a trap at a long dinner. It is delicious, it is expensive, and at 16% it will finish the table. Pour it as a single glass after the main course, with hard cheese, and not as the wine to accompany a whole meal.