The
Sangiovese grape is a red Italian wine grape variety. It gets its name from the
latin words sanguis Jovis, which means “the blood of Jove”. It is most notably
grown in the Tuscany region in Italy.
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| Italian wine regions |
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| Tuscany, in green, where Sangiovese is grown |
It is most famous for its use in the
Chianti wine blends. It is also used in Carmignano, Vino Nobile di
Montepulciano, and Morellino di Scansano blends. It can be used to make
varietal wines such as Burnello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, or
Sangiovese di Romagna.
Its flavor profile significantly
consists of fruity flavors, especially strawberry and a slightly spiciness. Other
fruits used to describe wines with Sangiovese would be black cherries, red
plums, and blueberries. It also can have a few floral notes, especially violet.
The spiciness of Sangiovese can also sometimes be described as a cinnamon
smell. Although, when the wine is aged in oak barrels, it can be described as
oaky or even tarry if in the barrel for too long or simply not in the barrel
correctly. It is very prone to being overwhelmed by other flavors.
Sangiovese wines are generally best
consumed within two to four years of its harvest.
Sangiovese is grown world-wide, but
as mentioned earlier; it is most notably grown in Italy, especially in the
Tuscany region. It can be found in other areas of Italy such as the Romagna
region. It is also notably grown in the United States, Australia, South and
Central America, and some parts of South Africa as well.
It
can be grown all over the world due to its viticulture. It is adaptable to many
types of soil, but seems to do best in soils with a high concentration of
limestone. Although, in the Chianti region, Sangiovese thrives on the highly
friable shale-clay soil known as galestro.
This grape also requires a sufficient
amount of warmth to ripen fully so it needs to be in areas that stay warmer for
longer periods of time, which is why most of the areas that grow Sangiovese
have long summers. Although, these grapes are very prone to rot if in the sun
too long. Also, due to the grape’s thin skin, it is also prone to rot in the
middle part of autumn with a lot of rainfall.
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| Sangiovese on the vine |
Sangiovese
has a lot of clonal variations. At least fourteen different variations exist
today.
The sangiovese grape is also very
prone to overproduction due to its vigorous growing along the vine. Although,
if you decide to try and curb this by planting vines in high densities to stop
this, the vines will actually block the sunlight and the grapes won’t get enough
light. The ideal yield for Sangiovese grapes is 3 pounds of fruit per vine.
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| Sangiovese foliage |
A problem Sangiovese also has is
that if it has a high-yielding vine, the wine tends to be lighter, highly
acidic, but with less alcohol. This causes the wine to easily oxidize
prematurely which also results in a lower concentration of tannins and
anti-oxidants. Ideally with Sangiovese you want to keep a “smaller” amount of
plants because of the way it vigorously grows.
Sangiovese accounts for
approximately 10% of all vineyard plantings in Italy, with more than 100,000
hectares of clonal variations. Tuscany has over 63,000 hectares of Sangiovese
currently. Argentina has 2,800 hectares, Romania has 1,700 hectares, Corsica
region in France has 1,663 hectares, and California has 1,371 hectares and
Australia with 1,087 hectares. All in all, Sangiovese is grown mainly in Italy
and is the pride and joy of the Tuscany region, where they also make Chianti
wine out of the Sangiovese grape.
Chianti wine is a stout bottle that’s
in a straw basket and is made out of the Sangiovese grape, or at least 70%.
These wines were the general basis idea that jug wines came from. Now days,
Chianti wine is bottled in just regular bottles.
Due to its flavor profile,
Sangiovese should be paired with rare steaks, roasted game birds, rich chicken,
mushroom dishes, or anything with tomato sauce. It’s vibrant acidity and
substantial tannins really help bring out the flavors in these foods. These
foods also help bring out the cherry taste and herbal scents in the wine. One
of the most notable pairings as well would be a bottle of Chianti with a plate
of spaghetti.
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| Banfi Chianti Classico Riserva 2008 |
Although, this is not always the best pairing for Sangiovese
grapes because sometimes the tomato can clash with the acidity of the grape. To
be on the safe side, pair with red meats, wild game, and roasted vegetables
with herbs.
In Tuscany, Sangiovese is the only
grape variety that is permitted in the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG.
Furthermore, in Italy most “wine snobs” also consider Sangiovese to be the
prominent grape necessary for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The Italians take
the Sangiovese grape very seriously.
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