Chianti Classico Collection 2019: Spring awakening in Chianti Classico!
Chianti Classico Collection 2019
At the beginning of this week, the time had come once again in springtime Florence: the Chianti Classico Collection 2019 - the trade fair for Chianti Classico - marked the unofficial start of the new Chianti Classico wine year after the winter break.
Winter is leaving, the winemakers are coming to Florence - and Nina in Chianti is back!
An incredible 195 wineries welcomed traders, journalists, critics, restaurateurs and this year, for the first time, end customers from all over the world to the unique setting of the "Stazione Leopolda". Once again, the steadily increasing number of exhibitors illustrates the great importance of the entire region and its products.
And of course I sniffed, tasted, listened and chatted a lot again. Including with the new president of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, Giovanni Manetti, and with Carlotta Gori, director of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico. Of course, it was all to track down the best wines and vintages and the latest trends. The winter break is now officially over for me too and I am starting a new, wonderful Chianti Classico wine year with full vigor - Nina in Chianti is back!
Giovanni Manetti (President Consorzio Chianti Classico), Nina in Chianti and Carlotta Gori (Director Consorzio Chianti Classico)
The trend is towards "Solo Sangiovese!"
An interesting observation, or almost a trend, has accompanied me throughout this year's collection: Whereas a few years ago, Chianti Classico was mostly a blend of Sangiovese with a small but certain proportion of other grape varieties - Canaiolo, Colorino, Malvasia, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and others - the trend in the current vintages is clearly moving towards 100 percent Sangiovese.
Be it for the Chianti Classico, the Riserva or the Gran Selezione. The motto across the board is "Solo Sangiovese!" A trend that I personally very much welcome. Why? Quite simply because it allows the terroir to be recognized even more intensively. Because if Sangiovese is not influenced by other grape varieties in its development, the full, unadulterated taste can only really reveal itself in its full beauty and uniqueness on the nose and palate.
Visiting the Gagliole stand: Giulio, the cellar master, explains to me what's new with Gagliole wines
New year, new game, new wine luck!
The focus of the 2019 Chianti Classico Collection was clearly on the 2016 Chianti Classico vintage and the 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva - i.e. the wines that will soon be released or have just been released.
All in all, we have two outstanding vintages in the bottle here, with which the winegrowers themselves are also very happy. Because both the quality and the quantity are right. Some winemakers have even already provided a glimpse of the 2018 vintage. Just this much can be said: this promises to be an extremely good and high-quality vintage! Everything is already very fine - both the acidity and the tannins. And the shining eyes of the winemakers when they talk about the eighteenth vintage also give us hope for a great wine year.
My tip: make a note of this vintage now. Some winemakers have already "looked into the barrel" for the 2017 vintage: We can look forward to a top vintage there too!
Nina meets Paolo Salvi - consultant oenologist at Le Cinciole, Gagliole and Fattoria di Rignana, among others
"My" winegrowers and new wineries
My personal trade fair success message: I was able to visit almost all of "my winemakers" who are represented with their wines on ninainchianti.com - with one exception: Savignola Paolina. But of course I tasted and enjoyed my other eleven winemakers to the full - almost 180 different wines!
Among them, of course, were wines from winemakers that I had already had my eye on on other occasions. After all, you should always be open to new things... For example, the Istine winery from Radda in Chianti, which scores with very high-quality wines. Podere Capaccia, a small estate with only around four and a half hectares of vineyards, is also located in Radda in Chianti. Only a Chianti Classico and a Riserva are produced here - but these are extremely impressive - and there was another Radda winery that I visited at the fair: Val delle Corti.
A visit to Emilia von Casaloste
I also paid a visit to the winemakers at Villa Pomona in Castellina and the Caparsa winery in the Greve in Chianti area. They also produce a Chianti Classico and a Riserva called Doccio a Matteo. Last but not least: As at the Expo del Chianti Classico last fall in Greve, I once again tasted the excellent wines from Cantalici. Very promising! Let's see if we can find one or two new candidates for ninainchianti.com....