Tuscany’s Chianti Classico Riserva
Chianti is an Italian wine that is made out of a blend of different kinds of grapes from the Chianti region. The chief dissimilarity between regular Chianti and others depend upon the minimum percentage permission of Sangiovese grapes i.e. 75% along with the rules that permit white grapes to be blended in as well. The alcohol content is normally around 11%.
The Wines
Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva are two of the best Chianti wines that are admired all over the world. Wondering what makes Chianti Classico different from regular Chianti? Chianti Classico has a minimum 80% of Sangiovese grapes and the rest of the blend is made using only red grapes. Some producers choose to make Chianti Riserva using 100% Sangiovese grapes but it is not a hard and fast rule. The alcohol content of Chianti Classico is at least 12%, and the beverage normally spends about 12 months in oak barrels to age well.
This is not where the Chianti variation ends, there is one more variation of Chianti and this particular variation is considered the most special and fanciest. It is called Chianti Classico Riserva. If you already guessed that Riserva means reserved in Italian then you are not only getting closer to Italian food but the culture and language as well.
Riserva
Chianti Classico Riserva on a wine bottle is the first clue that the particular bottle of Chianti that you are holding, stands above the rest of the Chianti variations, not only in quality but also in taste and value. Riserva on a Chianti basically means that the wine you are holding in your hands has spent at least two years in the oaks and at least three months in the bottle during the aging process.
Sangiovese
Only the best Sangiovese grapes are used in the production process of Chianti Classico Riserva, which makes it a predominantly venerated wine. Chianti Classico Riserva usually has a deep claret red color. The alcohol content in it has to be at least 12.5%. Chianti Classico Riserva is also a good candidate for added wine bottle aging, depending on vintage and the producers.
Where Chianti has less rules governing its production, the production of Classico is governed by a huge number of rules. Most people tend to assume that the different between Chianti and Classico is merely the difference between the grape compositions. While that is one of the things that differ between Chianti and Classico, there are several more factors such as different standards, ranging from from yield per hectare to the manner in which the plants are grown. Furthermore, the aging of Chianti Classico, defined by law, is at least 18 months, the more aged the Classico, the better. At Montemaggio, Chianti Classico is normally aged for about 20 to 24 months. The duration depends on a lot of factors. Chianti Classico Riserva however is supposed to be aged for at least 24 months according to the law. At Montemaggio, we age our Chianti Classico Riserva for around 26 to 28 months before aging it in the bottles.
Did you know you can order Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva online from Montemaggio? You can! Or you can schedule a wine tour and/or degustation to enjoy the wine and an experience on the vineyard. Order today and savor the true Italian flavors. We assure our customers that our wines are all made of the best quality Sangiovese grapes that are grown with special care in our vineyards.