Who hasn’t seen that fat-bottomed bottle of Chianti? It’s the one with the basket around the bottom of the bottle. Or, if you’re old enough, perhaps you remember burning a candle in such a bottle in your younger days.
Italian wine has come a long way from the days of those Chianti jug wines, but if you’re nostalgic enough you can still find those. Chianti and Chianti Classico are readily available with a wide range of value and quality. The history of the grape is a lot of fun. It’s a history that dates back to the 13th century.
Let’s start with geography. Italy and France are the real “Old World” wine countries and designate their wines by region. Chianti is an area just south of Florence, Italy, in the heart of Tuscany. The Chianti Classico region is the very best growing region at the heart of Chianti.
The great Italian red grape is Sangiovese, the most widely planted grape in Italy. The grape is at the heart of Chianti as well as the big and expensive Brunellos and Super Tuscan wines. Many U.S. West Coast producers have started growing Sangiovese in recent years.
Italy, just like France, has a carefully governed wine industry. Wine regions are regulated and wines must contain certain percentages of certain grapes to carry the famous wine names.
Sangiovese is generally high in acidity and moderate in alcohol, which makes it a great food wine — especially with those red sauces associated with Italian food.
For years, Chianti was seen as not much more than jug wine or a step above that derisive label. But in the 1970s and 1980s, Chianti producers really took the grape seriously and started producing much better wines.
Sangiovese is a tricky grape, so producers have experimented with blends. To be called Chianti, the wine must be 80 percent Sangiovese. A number of varietals have been, and continue to be, used to balance the wine. The two most popular choices are Merlot and Italy’s native Canaiolo.
As a matter of fact, there has been controversy in the past few years about the amounts of Merlot added to the bigger Italian wines to soften their taste.
Never hesitate to ask questions at your wine shop. If the bottle doesn’t tell you the amount of grapes used in the blend, just ask. I like the traditional Canaiolo much better than Merlot. If you want a true representation of Chianti, I strongly recommend the Sangiovese-Canaiolo combination.
That combination gives you the rich and deep cherry flavor of classic Chianti. The Merlot blend tends to club the wine with overpowering blandness.
Howard’s Picks:
n 2008 Ruffino Chianti — This is a wine available in shops and many supermarkets. It’s a Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino blend. It’s got the cherry flavor with a hint of spice. The basket is gone but it’s a nice choice for $9.
n Fiorini Chianti Classico — This is an amazing Chianti Classico for roughly $13. It’s full-flavored with cherry hints and very smooth tannins. This is great Sangiovese-based Chianti with 20 percent Canaiolo.
Features
GRAPE SENSE: History of Chianti wine grape a lot of fun
- Features
-
-
Turning wrenches: If something’s broken, Joe Preston fixes it
Vintage photos of race cars — of the compact “midget” style — hang on the wall inside Joe Preston’s garage.
-
Kick off summer with Banks of Wabash Festival tonight
The 29th Annual Banks of the Wabash Festival will run from tonight through June 2 at Fairbanks Park in Terre Haute. The festival offers bingo, crafters, food, nightly music, a merchandise mart and will feature Luehrs’ Rides and Midway Games.
Admission and parking are free. -
Popular act The Van-Dells to play Boot City Opry
Rock ’n’ roll review band The Van-Dells have been called “The Three Stooges set to music.” The group has been entertaining audiences of all ages with its unique blend of comedy, costume changes, choreography and tight harmonies for close to four decades.
-
Rockville Cruise-In Street Dance set is June 2
Main Street Rockville will offer its Cruise-In Street Dance, combined once again this year with a motorcycle, scooter and bike show, from 4 to 8:30 p.m. June 2 on the courthouse square in Rockville.
-
'Planes, trains and automobiles' at Rosedale Strawberry Fest
Big kids’ toys will be prominently featured at the 2012 Strawberry Festival in Rosedale.
-
See ISU grad’s ‘I’m Too Young For This @#!%’ exhibit
John D. Shearer, photographer and Indiana State University graduate, will display his multi-media exhibit “I’m Too Young For This @#!%” during June at the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center in Bloomington.
-
The sky’s the limit
Backyard astronomers stare at the night sky, trying to remember how to find the North Star, the Big Dipper and Mars.
-
Actor to portray Ernie Pyle in one-man drama
Noted actor Rick Plummer and the Crosley Radio Players will team up to celebrate the life and times of renowned World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle in a special presentation Saturday at South Vermillion High School Auditorium in Clinton.
-
Top-10 Christian group Sidewalk Prophets in Terre Haute
Sidewalk Prophets will be coming to Terre Haute on Saturday for their “Live Like That” tour. Lead singer David Frey, a graduate from Terre Haute South Vigo High School, will be performing the first concert at his home church, Maryland Community Church.
-
Halcyon Gallery showcases art of Evalyn James during May
Evalyn Gertrude James settled in Terre Haute the first time in 1928.
-
International exhibit to feature painting in ISU collection
An oil painting from Indiana State University’s Permanent Art Collection will be featured at an international exhibition in Belgium.
-
Wabash Valley Art Guild’s Spring Show at Honey Creek Mall this weekend
The Wabash Valley Art Guild’s 35th Annual Spring Show will be open to the community Friday through Sunday in Honey Creek Mall. Artists from throughout the Wabash Valley will be represented and promise to show a surprising variety of art.
-
AUDIO: Sidewalk Prophets singer discusses Terre Haute boyhood, and Saturday's concert
Terre Haute native Dave Frey leads his Dove Award-winning band, Sidewalk Prophets, into a 7 p.m. Saturday concert at his hometown church, Maryland Community Church, joining opening performers Justin Hoeppner and Josh Wilson.
-
Mother's Day stories: Amazing, Loving, Patient, Faithful, Friend, Brave
It’s merely one word, yet the conjunction of those six letters conjures up so many meanings and feelings. While teaching us both the simple and profound lessons in life, mothers somehow can instill morals and memories. They can guide us on our journey, pick us up when we fall, and let go when we must find our own strength.
-
Opry brings in acts from around the country
The Boot City Opry is in its sixth season and going strong. The theater is full, and the parking lot is packed every Saturday night from April to December.
-
Bridgeton Art & Wine Fair May 12
The 10th annual Bridgeton Art & Wine Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the 1878 Barn in downtown Bridgeton.
-
REVIEW: ‘Look Out!’ pure rock ’n’ roll, with no detours
ashville music aficionados know Tim Carroll as the crafty guitarist and songwriter performing alongside his wife, critically-acclaimed Americana country singer Elizabeth Cook.
-
A craft and talent all their own
Take a fiber artist mother who is compelled to tell a story through her Early American-influenced rug hooking. Add a color-loving daughter who incorporates a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues with a twist of humor into her fiber and polymer clay jewelry. The result is an enthusiastic local duo that share an art studio and the designation of Indiana Artisans.
-
Register now for Children’s Museum camps
From wacky science and space exploration to fairy tales and superheroes, the Terre Haute Children’s Museum has scheduled an exciting list of summer programs.
-
Historical Fire Station No. 9 opens for season
Historical Fire Station No. 9 at 1728 S. Eighth St. will open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be open until September.
-
May Day Festival is Sunday in Sullivan
The May Day Festival is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday in Sullivan, rain or shine.
-
On The Line presents ‘The Miracle Worker’ this weekend
The theatrical production company, On The Line Productions, will open its third production, William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker.”
-
Marshall’s Got Talent seeking performers
In the spirit of the America’s Got Talent acts of today and the Vaudeville acts of yesteryear, Harlan Hall’s Entertainment Committee is now seeking individuals or groups with unique and appropriate acts or talents.
-
Mystery author to speak in Rockville
Mystery author Tony Perona will visit the Rockville Public Library at 6:30 p.m. May 15 to talk about Dec. 21, 2012 — a date the Mayans say the world will end.
-
Jason Petty brings ‘The Swinging Cowboys’ to Boot City Opry
-
What do you want to be?
For more than 43 years more than 14,000 high school students have been able to explore what their future job could be like, experience college campus life and earn university credit during one-week seminars in the Summer Honors Program at Indiana State University.
-
Community Theatre to stage auditions for An Evening of One-Acts
Community Theatre of Terre Haute will present An Evening of One-Acts by Jason Miller this summer on its smaller Oakley stage.
-
Mom Moments: Tell us your story
Mother’s Day is fast approaching. It’s a day we pay tribute to the women in our lives who have inspired us, made us laugh and taught us life-lessons.
-
The Woods presents world premiere of ‘La Providence’
When Michael Boswell, assistant professor of music at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, sang his first piece by Sydney Guillaume, a dynamic rising composer, in 2009, he thought, “This person feels music the way that I do.”
-
Taste the Music of the Night Rose-Hulman presents ‘Phantom of the Opera’
One of the best-known and most-beloved musicals of our time, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera,” tells the haunting story of the deformed and outcast Phantom who lives within the bowels of the Paris Opera.
- More Features Headlines
-
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Romney Campaigns Ahead of Claiming Nomination
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Obama Honors Medal of Freedom Recipients
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
White House: No Military Intervention in Syria
Police Probe Similarities in 2 Disappearances
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Panetta: Asia the 'Project' for New Navy Grads
Even Fla. Police Shocked by Face-Mauling Attack
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Couple doesn’t let tropical storm ruin their big day
Tori Bares Baby Bump in Monokini
Letterman on Family Life Post-Scandal
Evans: Serena in shock
Pregnant Reese Wears LBD
Volcano covers Colombian cities in ash
Meet the Crew and Good Ship 'Prometheus'
Los Angeles Bar Bans Bachelorettes
Hamster Plays Dead
Beyonce Shows Off 60 Pound Weight Loss at Concert
Drunk Women Breaking Into Houses: A New Trend?
LeAnn Rimes Rocks Short Shorts
Gordon Ramsay Carried Off Field
Man Dies Getting Lap Dance
Kim Kardashian Claims Items Stolen from Her Luggage
Bear cools off in Calif. family's pool
Ep. 3: Chopped Desserts
Air Force dad surprises family at baseball game
