Where Chianti Classico Comes From

The Chianti Region

The Chianti Classico wine region has a long and exciting history: The first official mentions date back to 1398. In 1716, Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, officially set the boundaries of Chianti by decree. This made it the first legally valid document to define a wine region. Today, only wine originating from that precisely defined area between Florence and Siena can be called Chianti Classico.

On July 31, 1932, this very area, which is still valid today, was established by decree. The Chianti Classico region includes the area of Tuscany bordered by Florence to the north, Siena to the south, the Pesa and Elsa rivers to the west, and the Monti del Chianti to the east. In total, the area includes the complete municipal territories of

• Castellina in Chianti,

• Gaiole in Chianti,

• Greve in Chianti,

• Radda in Chianti

and partly the territories of

• Barberino Val d’Elsa,

• Castelnuovo Berardenga,

• Poggibonsi,

• San Casciano Val di Pesa,

• and Tavernelle Val di Pesa.

70,000 Hectares of Wine Paradise

This wine lover's paradise between Florence and Siena spans about 70,000 hectares in total. Around 10,000 hectares of that are planted with vineyards. 7,200 hectares are registered in the DOCG for Chianti Classico production. This makes the Chianti Classico appellation one of the most important in all of Italy. On average, about 35 million bottles of Chianti Classico are produced each year. The wine is exported to over 50 countries worldwide. Graphics provided by Consorzio del Vino Chianti Classico