Tuscany - Italy - page 166

Florence and Siena fought for dominance of the Chianti area from the 13th
through the 15th centuries, each of the city-states building castles in the area to
protect its interests. Under Florentine organization, the military “Lega del
Chianti” (Chianti League) was formed in 1255 by the cities of Radda, Castellina,
and Gaiole. They chose the “Gallo
Nero” as their symbol, the same black
rooster silhouette which serves as the
symbol of Chianti Classico wine
today.
Wine from the region took on the
Chianti name by the early 15th cen-
tury. In the early 1700s, Chianti
became the first official government-
designated wine area in the world. In
the 1830s, Bettino Ricasoli, “The Iron
Baron,” brought professional processing techniques to wineries on his estates. He
experimented with different combinations of grapes until he created the standard
blend that has been known as Chianti ever since.
To protect the Chianti name, a group of winegrowers in the region formed the
Chianti Classico Consortium in 1924. They then adopted a set of regulations
regarding the blend of the wine, the production techniques, and, of course, the
area from which the grapes must come. Today, nearly 104 sq. km (40 sq. miles)
of Chianti are covered with over 6,800 hectares (17,000 acres) of grapevines pro-
ducing some 90 million liters of wine per year.
LAY OF THE LAND
You have two choices for touring the region: Drive your own car, or join an
organized tour from a nearby city. Driving obviously gives you more freedom to
explore the less-touristed, smaller wineries and wander back roads to your heart's
content. The drawbacks are that you won't be able to sample as many wines as
you'd like if you're the designated driver, and it's very easy to get lost. If you do
decide on driving yourself (and I'd recommend it), take the scenic N2 highway
between Florence and Siena, exiting on some of the smaller side routes to reach
the central S222. To see the best of Chianti in a single day, cruise the S222, and
stop in Greve and Rada.
With an organized tour, you can sit back and let others do the work, and not
worry about getting lost. But these tours only go to the places that can accommo-
date hordes of visitors, have their own fixed schedules, and eliminate some of the
adventure that makes travel fun. Keep in mind that wine-tasting tours aren't the
only option; you can combine them with cooking classes, biking or hiking trips,
and shopping. The Chianti area has tourist offices in Greve (Via Giovanni da
Verrazzano, 59, and Piazza F. Mori; % 055-8546287; www.comune.greve-in-
chianti.fi.it; Mon-Sat 9:30am-1pm and 2:30-7pm), in Castellina (Via Ferruccio,
40; % 0577-7741392; 10am-1pm and 3:30-7:30pm, Sun closes 1pm), and in
Radda (Piazza del Castello, 6; % 057-7738494; 10am-1pm and 3:30-7:30pm).
For general area information visit www.chianti.it/turismo and www.terresiena.it.

“ Good Chianti, that aged, majes-

tic and proud wine, enlivens my
heart, and frees it painlessly from all
fatigue and sadness.

”

—Grancesco Redi, Bacco in
Toscana, 1685