Grape

Sangiovese

Sangiovese is Tuscany's defining red grape, and it does not speak with one voice. The same variety can taste bright and sappy in one place and deep and structured in another, which is why the grape name alone never tells you enough.

Key facts

Colour: Red, usually medium rather than opaque.
Acidity: High, which is why it sits so easily at the table.
Fruit: Sour cherry and red plum more often than dark, jammy fruit.
Other notes: Dried herbs, tomato leaf, tea, leather and earth as it ages.
Tannin: Firm and grippy, softening with time in bottle.

Known for

Chianti Classico, where it must make up at least 80 per cent of the blend, and 90 per cent for Gran Selezione
Brunello di Montalcino, which is made entirely from Sangiovese
Rosso di Montalcino, the same grape in a more immediate form
Being a wine that improves with food rather than without it

Stories

Regions
Chianti Classico: what the name actually tells you
Two words on a label carry a surprising amount of information, once you know how to read them.
Regions
Brunello di Montalcino: why patience is part of the wine
Montalcino built waiting into its rules, and you can taste the reason in the glass.
Learn
Super Tuscans, without the mythology
A commercial nickname that became a legend, and what it actually describes today.
Grapes
Sangiovese: Tuscany's grape, in more than one voice
One variety, several personalities, and why the grape name is only the beginning of the story.
Pairing
What to drink with Tuscan food
Salt, fat, char and bitterness on one side. Acidity, tannin and savour on the other.

Sources and further reading