A Brindis in Chianti Classico
Wine producers in the Chianti Classico area of Tuscany have surely been clinking glasses even more than usual since July 1st when the new regulations of Chianti Classico DOCG were finally approved by the EU and published in the Italian Official Gazette.
There are two particularly significant changes to the Disciplinare and both apply to the Gran Selezione category at the tip of the quality pyramid above Riserva and Annata[1].
The first has to do with grapes: While the other two categories of Chianti Classico must have a minimum of 80% Sangiovese and may utilize up to 20% of a long list of other approved grape varieties, Gran Selezione must now contain minimum 90% to 100% Sangiovese, with a possible 10% maximum of one or more of eight traditional red varieties; Colorino, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Mammolo, Pugnitello, Malvasia Nera, Foglia Tonda, and Sanforte. [It should be noted that many producers of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione already use 90-100% Sangiovese.]
The other and most notable addition to the Chianti Classico regulations is a category of official sub-zones called UGAs (Additional Geographic Units) within the wine growing area, an idea which had been scrupulously researched and heatedly discussed for nearly a decade.
Chianti Classico — birthplace of Chianti wine located at the center of the much larger (and younger) Chianti DOCG area — consists of eight municipalities, five in the province of Siena and three in the province of Florence.
Out of these eight townships, eleven individual UGAs have been formulated based on a particular unity of geologic, topographic and soil characteristics. Some municipalities were combined while others were (or will be) divided into smaller geographic units. Poggibonsi was paired with Barberino Tavernelle to create a geographic unit called San Donato in Poggio. The western wing of the butterfly-shaped township of Castelnuovo Berardenga will morph into a separate UGA called Vagliagli in 2027. And the large northern municipality of Greve in Chianti spawned three additional UGAs: the hamlet of Panzano has already become a separate geographic unit, while the towns of Lamole and Montefioralle will become independent UGAs in 2027[2]. The UGAs of Castellina, Gaiole, Radda, and San Casciano correspond to their municipal boundaries.
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione from one of the official Additional Geographic Units may also indicate the toponym of a single vineyard site.
Long in the making and highly anticipated by Chianti aficionados, consumers can expect to see bottles of Gran Selezione Chianti Classico labeled with one of the eight active UGAs in the very near future. While the new regulations of Chianti Classico DOCG officially took effect on July 1, 2023, use of the new UGA category is retroactive, meaning that any Gran Selezione-level Chianti Classico that adheres to the requirements of the Additional Geographic Unit[3] can partake of the Additional Geographic Unit indication.
At a press conference in New York on February 28, 2022, Chianti Classico Consortium President Giovanni Manetti said “With wine, terroir makes all the difference. This new initiative of official geographic units will focus in on the unique, distinctive areas within our historic territory and enhance consumer’s understanding of why a wine tastes like it does.”
[A question arose at the Q & A session of why the UGA indication would apply only to the Gran Selezione category and not to Riserva or Annata. The answer was that the number of Gran Selezione producers was much smaller than the other categories and requires a limited variety of estate-grown grapes so would be easy to monitor and the best place to start. Manetti suggested that the UGA indication might possibly expand to other categories of the appellation in the future.]
Accompanying President Manetti was maestro wine cartographer Alessandro Masnaghetti, who showed detailed maps of the proposed UGAs and discussed the topography and soils that distinguish each one, while participants tasted examples of wines from each area (though not officially labeled as such).
Masnaghetti published a definitive 460-page Atlas of the Vineyards and UGAs of Chianti Classico[4] a year-and-a-half ago in September 2022. I suspect he is having an extra brindisi too.
[1] The Gran Selezione category was inaugurated in 2013 and retroactive to 2010 for wines that met the qualifications. Gran Selezione currently accounts for approximately 10% of Chianti Classico production.
[2] To utilize the UGAs of Vagliagli, Lamole or Montefioralle a producer must have bottled a Gran Selezione from the same territory under the parent UGA — i.e., Castelnuove Berardegna or Greve — for at least one of the three years prior to taking effect.
[3] Key requirements of the Gran Selezione category: Wine must consist of 90%-!00% Sangiovese with maximum 10% of 8 approved traditional varieties; grapes must come from estate vineyards of the producer and be vinified in the winery of the estate; beginning January 1 following the harvest, the wine must mature for a minimum of 30 months including at least three months in bottle before release.
[4] https://www.enogea.it/en/product/chianti-classico-the-atlas/
