http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/dining/your-next-lesson-chianti-classico.html 2014-09-15 23:16:10 Your Next Lesson: Chianti Classico Long before most Americans knew anything about Italian wine or food, there was Chianti. We’ll spend the next four weeks exploring Chianti Classico. === Wine School, a monthly column, invites you to drink wine with Eric Asimov. In each installment, Mr. Asimov chooses a type of wine for you to try at home. After a month, Mr. Asimov posts his reaction to the wine and addresses readers’ thoughts and questions. The next assignment takes us to Tuscany, and to one of the most famous yet abused names in Italian wine: Chianti Classico. Its fame speaks for itself. Long before most Americans knew anything about Italian wine or food, there was Chianti, even if its attractions had something to do with the novelty of the fiascoes, those straw-covered bottles. Much has changed since those red-checked tablecloth days, and change has been one of the problems facing Chianti Classico, as the heart of the historic Chianti region is known. From one decade to the next, it’s been hard to keep track of exactly what it means to be called Chianti Classico. The authorities have continually redefined the blend of grapes permitted, to the point where in the 1970s some of the best producers in the region threw up their hands and exited the appellation under the theory that they could make better wines without obeying the rules. Though things have stabilized somewhat in the last 20 years, the rules still permit Chianti Classico to be abused. To my mind, Chianti should be an expression of sangiovese, the glorious red grape of central Tuscany, sometimes abetted by an indigenous supporting cast of local grapes like canaiolo and colorino. Yet while the current rules require the blend to include 80 to 100 percent sangiovese, that remaining 20 percent can also consist of international grapes like cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Even that small portion can dominate a wine to the detriment of its distinctiveness. Some changes have been for the better. At one time, Chianti Classico was required to include some white grapes. They are no longer allowed. And, oddly, the wines once could not be made entirely of sangiovese. That, too, is a thing of the past. At its best, good Chianti Classico is joyous, with bright flavors of cherries and flowers tempered by a welcome earthy, dusty bitterness. Some Chiantis can be surprisingly tannic, which makes them a good partner for fatty meats. The three bottles I’ve selected are made only with the indigenous grapes. They are: Fèlsina Chianti Classico Berardenga 2011 (Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.), about $23. Fontodi Chianti Classico 2010 (Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), about $35. Montesecondo Chianti Classico 2011 (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York), about $28. As is so often the case, these wines will not be available to everybody. As alternatives, I also suggest wines from these producers: Monteraponi (a favorite of mine), Badia a Coltibuono, Riecine, San Giusto a Rentennano, Castellare, Castello di Ama, Castell’in Villa and La Sala. If you can’t find one of these wines, things may get a bit confusing. Seven other areas in the central Tuscan region are allowed to call themselves Chianti, with another local name attached, like Chianti Rùfina and Chianti Colli Senesi. There is also plain Chianti. All these wines have their charms, but for our purposes we’re looking for Chianti Classico. Also note that we are looking for plain Chianti Classico, not Chianti Classico Riserva, which is aged longer, or Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, an entirely new classification that supposedly will represent the best of the appellation. And, if you do happen to find a straw-covered bottle, don’t reflexively reject it. Some quality-minded importers with healthy senses of humor and irony are now specifically asking top producers to bottle a cuvée in fiascoes.