I always associate particular red wines with autumn; mists, wood smoke and decaying leaves mean soft, maturing Rioja, Burgundy and Bordeaux. I also think of Tuscany and Chianti, a region with all of the autumn foods in abundance, including truffles, game, mushrooms and chestnuts. The olive oil season is about to start – the smallest drizzle of new season Tuscan olive oil will instantly transform your simple bean dishes or a slice of sourdough toast.
Chianti means Sangiovese, one of the great grapes varieties of the world, but rarely found outside of Tuscany. On a visit to Fèlsina Berardenga earlier this year, the reflective Giusseppe Mazzocolin told me “Sangiovese has the purity, the freshness, the drinkability; never too sweet, never too easy to drink. I love the acidity. There is something very Italian about Sangiovese, and Nebbiolo and Aglianico. If you like acidity you will like Italian wines.”
The finest Chianti comes from the smaller Classico region (this year celebrating 300 years as a demarcated region, getting one up on the Douro Valley, celebrating a mere 260 years) although there are good producers elsewhere in Chianti. That acidity and savoury note mentioned by Mazzocolin make the wines perfect partners for food, and the aforementioned mushrooms and game in particular.
Wealthy rock stars and movie celebrities are often very keen to acquire a wine estate – I wonder who will end up with the Provence rosé Miraval in the Brangelina split. They don’t come much bigger than Sting and Trudi Suyler; in 1999, they bought Il Palagio, a 350 hectare estate in Tuscany, where they produce four wines, three named after songs by the artist. I have featured When we dance, their Chianti here before.
Earlier this year, Sister Moon 2011 (€35-€40) was rated as one of the top 100 wines of Italy by a panel of experts. The estate is now entirely organic. Alongside the main villa, there are three smaller houses and two villas, all available for hire as a wedding venue, suitable for 50 guests. The price, around €50,000, may deter prospective brides though.
Fèlsina Berardenga is a large estate just inside the border of Chianti Classico. The wines are generally the most powerful of the area, and age wonderfully. Like many of the wine estates of Tuscany, Fèlsina also produces excellent olive oil. Poggiotondo is the home estate of Alberto Antinoni, one of the best, and most influential wine consultants in Italy and South America. Located outside of the Chianti Classico, it has many of the qualities without quite the same lofty price tag. The organic Cerro del Masso is made from 80 per cent Sangiovese, in a lighter juicier style that really works well with lighter foods.
