As we enter the last episodes of Chianti Classico Diaries before next week’s finale, we meet arguably the quintessential comune of Chianti Classico: Greve in Chianti. Not only is it the largest comune in Chianti Classico, home to around 15,000 people, but it’s also the most popular with tourists. As

In episode six we meet two wine producers with quite different philosophies in the comune of Radda in Chianti, the geographically central commune of Chianti Classico. The first is Giovanella Stianti, owner of Castello di Volpaia. Volpaia is a “castello” or castle in the sense of being a fortified village,

Welcome to Episode V and welcome to Castelnuovo Berardenga. As one of the larger comunes of Chianti Classico, we thought we better visit three of the top producers and see what they have to say. Castelnuovo Berardenga sits right on the northwestern edge of Chianti Classico, and Giuseppe Mazzocolin of

In episode IV, we’re off to the western side of Chianti Classico visiting the commune of Castellina in Chianti. You’ll see that in the village (remember that each commune is a village as well as a larger surrounding area) most of the fifteenth and sixteenth century architecture still survives, but

In our third instalment of “Chianti Classico Diaries” we visit the commune of Gaiole in Chianti. The commune can be found on the far east of Chianti Classico, and is one of the smallest in terms of population with only around 2,000 inhabitants. First up you’ll meet Roberto Stucchi, whose

In the second episode of “Chianti Classico Diaries” we visited the northern commune of San Casciano in Val di Pesa. This commune is only 15 kilometers south of Florence, making it the closest one to the famous Tuscan city.  San Casciano sits at a medium altitude –compared to other communes–

Ask any wine drinker on the planet, and chances are they’ll have heard of “Chianti”. Yet even 80 years since the top area was set aside as “Chianti Classico”, surprisingly few appreciate the vast difference in quality between Chianti Classico and other subregions in Chianti. What sets the black rooster

I tasted about 1,000 Tuscan wines this year, and there are so many outstanding wines to buy in 2014. The big news will be the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino, but the actual bottles will not be released on the global market until January 2015. So, I didn’t include the 100

After tasting more than 1,100 Tuscan wines this year, James chose his top 100 wines of 2014. The report covers the 2011 vintage as well as a few late releases. With its diverse climates and spectacular landscapes, Tuscany remains one of the top wine growing regions in the world.  In this