If there were one grape to know in Italy that grape would be Sangiovese, over 10% of the vineyard land in Italy is dedicated to Sangiovese, the most planting of any of the 400+ grapes that are grown commercially in the country. The wine is made into a wide range of wines, from light and pretty rosés, to bold age worthy reds, the refreshing bubbles and chillable lighter style reds. The grape is versatile in what it can be and where it can grow.

To show off the versatility of the grape we’ll be trying four different Sangiovese based wines from Tuscany, but before you join us we wanted to lay out some terms to know when it comes to Sangiovese so you can be sure you know what you are getting into!

Chianti: This is the most widely known wine that is made with Sangiovese, people don’t always realize that Chianti is a subregion of Tuscany and the wines there must legally be 70%+ Sangiovese (80%+ if it is from Chianti Classico). Chiantis tend to be ready to drink fairly young.

Brunello di Montalcino: Literally meaning Brunello from Montalcino, Brunello is the local name for Sangiovese in this hilly Tuscan town, both Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino must be 100% Sangiovese. These wines tend to be the most long lived and complex of the Sangiovese wines.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Our Wine Director, Luke, thinks that Vino Nobile is one of the most overlooked wines in all of Italy, it was actually one of the two first DOCGs in Italy in 1980. The wines here are 70%+ Sangiovese (here the grape is called Prugnolo Gentile) and we like to think they sit somewhere in between Chianti and Brunello.

Sangiovese’s name comes from Latin meaning "blood of Jupiter, but it has a variety of other names, here are a few: brunello, calabrese, cardisco, maglioppa, mercatale, morellino, nielluccio, sangineto, Sangiovese gentle, Sangiovese grosso.

We hope you can stop by and try some delicious Sangiovese with us this week and really get into the weeds of how unique the wines can be!