The most amazing thing about visiting and wine tasting in Chianti (besides the wines themselves) is its location. The Chianti wine region is incredibly located between the beautiful Italian cities Florence and Siena, which makes for a perfect day trip from either city.

What do you need to know about tasting through Chianti? Tasting your way through Chianti is one of the most accessible wine regions in Italy. To help you on your trip this article describes the Chianti wine region, Chianti wine tasting basics, Chianti history, and an itinerary to help you to immerse yourself further and feel comfortable on your trip.

Firstly, what is the Chianti region? The region consists of 8 zones, with the Chianti Classico region settled throughout the hills between Florence and Siena. Driving the Chianti Classico wine road or “Strada del Vino” towards “Greve in Chianti” is a lot easier than other Italian wine regions and perfect for a short wine excursion. Through the Chianti region is an incredible 1.5 hour enotourism wine road. It is a beautiful easy drive, full of winery options (almost too many to choose just a couple) through the vineyard filled rolling Tuscan hills.

History of Chianti Region

Dating back to the late 1300’s the name Chianti appeared written referring to wine. The Chianti region was constantly pulled back and forth between the powers of Siena and Florence, but the region was officially declared the area of “Gallo Nero” wines in the 1700s. The black rooster (or Gallo Nero), the famous symbol of Chianti, comes from a painting in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The Chianti Classico name was also added to distinguish Chianti from wines produced outside of the region.

What is Chianti wine? Chianti is one of Italy’s most important red wines. The Chianti name comes from the region, not the grape. The grape is Sangiovese, Italy’s most planted grape varietal. Sangiovese is a black grape which produces an acid, tannic, bold red wine. Tuscany is the main region for Sangiovese, but it is also grown throughout the centre of Italy. For most of history a small portion of Tuscan white grape varieties were permitted (and almost even expected) in Chianti wines. It wasn’t until 2006 that the use of white grapes (in small amounts) was banned from Chianti Classico, with regulations now 80% Sangiovese (up to 100%) with up to 20% other black grape varieties. 

Chianti wines have 4 categories based on time of aging: Chianti, Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. Chianti DOCG can comes from at least 70% Sangiovese grapes produced anywhere in the Chianti region. Chianti Classico DOCG is made from at least 80% Sangiovese grapes from the Chianti Classico region, with at least 12 months of aging. Chianti Classico Riserva is 80% Sangiovese with at least 24 months aging, 3 of which need to be in the bottle. Lastly, Chianti Classico Gran Riserva is 80% Sangiovese, all from the estate, with minimum 30 months aging (at least 3 of which are in the bottle).

What should you expect from Sangiovese? You can expect a soft, almost limpid red colour, dry palate, high tannins, high acid, red fruits, cherries, plums, vegetable notes, herbaceous notes, sometimes with memories of wild game, and often with notes of leather. It is a great wine, often easy drinking, in a wide range of styles, with variations of body.

Food pairings for your Chianti at meal times? Chianti goes well with most Tuscan foods. It pairs well with grilled things, the classic Fiorentina steak, vegetables, and aged cheeses and salami. It will usually also go well with rich soups like Tuscan ceci soup, or more complex pizzas and pastas. 

What are the roads like to drive on this day trip? The Tuscan roads are almost always smaller Italian roads, a bit windy and full of hills. They are fun to drive, and nothing too intimidating. From Florence you follow the well marked road signs for “Greve in Chianti” the road is called “Chiantigiana” which is the SR 222.

Potential itinerary/ example of a day of winery visits that I would do driving from Florence to Siena (in order of the road): 

1. Podere Poggio Scalette 2. Fontodi 3. Monte Bernardi 4. Monteraponi 

Fontotdi and Monte Bernardi are directly on route, the other two are a short detour. Total trip time would 2 hours instead of the straight drive between Florence and Siena of 1 hour. Continuing on from Siena the sea is about an hour away, after your city adventure taste your way through Chianti before a relaxing trip to the sea.

Accessibility in The Chianti Region

From my experience there Chianti seemed like one of the most foreign tourism friendly places to visit in Italy. They have catered to non-Italian tourists for years and have it pretty well mapped out so it comes off much less intimidating to visit as a non Italian speaking tourist. The road is well marked and it is a real luxury to have so many wineries on or so close to the road. It feels like much less of a wild goose chase for wineries than in other regions. Coming from Florence you will take via SR 222 Chiantigiana and SP70 towards “Greve in Chianti”. Coming from Siena you will take via SP51 and then SR 222 Chiantigiana. It seemed as though many wineries take drop in tastings and always had someone there, but as always in Italy (and especially if there are specific places you want to go) it is always best to book your tasting. 

Chianti is the quintessential Italian wine tasting experience. Wineries large and small populate the Chianti wine region, this is merely a guide of basic things to know to help you fully learn and enjoy the region. You could spend many days, weeks, or even a month wine tasting throughout Chianti, the thing that really stood out to me was how perfectly located the wine region is for a quick yet full wine tasting experience. Enjoy your time tasting in Tuscany!