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Chianti Road

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Simon Morley
Simon Morley
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4 out of 5
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1
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The Chianti Road

  • November 28, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Simon Morley from Denville, New Jersey
The Chianti Road

To most Americans, the word Chianti brings to mind low priced, low quality wines packaged in straw wrapped bottles. The "good" Italian wines have names like Barolo or Valpolicella and people think that poor old Chianti is just a second cousin to these other great red wines. Not true! We drove the Chianti road out of Siena and all through Tuscany (tours and maps are available, ask at your hotel) and found the wines rich, deep red, full of body and flavor and very affordable because they make a ton of it. Many small vinyards have tasting rooms so plan on using a designated driver (or do as the pros do, spit out the wine.) or you will be loopy by the third winery. Be aware, that the person serving the wine will probably start your tasting with their youngest, most fruity wines and hold back the better wines. This is done to see if you have educated taste buds. (Why waste it on someone who can't tell the difference?) We learned this trick early on and by waiting and asking for "better" wines got to sample some extraordinary vintages. Some of which followed us home on the plane. (The 1997 vintage is wonderful.) Also, I suggest you examine the corkscrews they sell. A well made corkscrew is a vital tool if you plan on buying wine and having picnics along the way. The ones I saw at most vinyards were well made and inexpensive.

From journal Tuscany in the Spring

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