After years of discussion and preparation, the members of the Chianti Classico consortium have adopted significant changes to the rules and regulations. With the introduction of the Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGA), "additional geographical units", the DOCG Chianti Classico gets 11 new sites: Castellina, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Gaiole, Greve, Lamole, Montefioralle, Panzano, Radda, San Casciano, San Donato in Poggio (including Barberino Tavarnelle and Poggibonsi) and Vagliagli.
The selection of the areas is based on criteria such as the recognisability of the wines, the history, the degree of recognition and their importance in the scope of production. The consortium emphasises that, for the time being, only the top category Gran Selezione is allowed to carry site names on the label, but that there is a willingness to allow the use of the two other typologies Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva in the near future. This was a strategic decision. With the UGAs, which mark the outstanding areas of a territory, the competitiveness towards the great wines of the world should be strengthened, he said.
"It is the territory that makes the difference, that has always been one of our favourite mottos. Chianti Classico is really a unique territory. Two-thirds of it is made up of forests and only one-tenth of the territory is dedicated to viticulture and, what's more, 52.5 percent of it is certified organic today," explains Giovanni Manetti, a long-time organic winemaker (Fontodi) and president of the consortium.
Another innovation is the varietal composition of the Gran Selezione. It must now consist of 90 (instead of 80) percent Sangiovese and it may only be blended with indigenous red varieties. The Gran Selezione typology, which was adopted with the last rule change in 2013, now accounts for six percent of total production. So far, 154 wineries have put 182 different Gran Selezione on the market. vc
