02/18/08 Email Questions

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and on today's program we are answering email questions. Recently a listener wrote to ask "I was told that Chianti is not a very sophisticated wine. Do you agree?" When a listener writes me and says they were told by someone that Chianti is not a very sophisticated wine - my first thought is who was it, and what did they mean? I don't have those answers but the question was did I agree  I am not certain however, I will say that of the many red wines there are to choose from I have been drinking Chianti for more years than any other. Yes I will agree the quality varies and I am more discriminating now than I was in years past. I enjoy Chianti for a variety of reasons  it is made in many different styles, it is quite versatile with food and it appeals to my dinner guests. Traditional Chianti is a blended wine made predominantly from Sangiovese, which is the primary red grape grown in Tuscany. Sangiovese is then blended with another red grape Canaiolo and about ten percent of white grapes such as Trebbiano or Malvasia. However, today many producers have abandoned the practice of adding white grapes and the resulting wines are less of the lighter fruity wines of the past and some are now quite deep and intense. The short answer to the question is no I do not agree that Chianti is not a sophisticated wine  I think quite the opposite there are some Chianti's out there that have it all goin' on! Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.