Sangiovese

Sangiovese is the most planted grape in Italy and the base of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The name derives from sanguis Jovis, the blood of Jupiter. It is genetically a crossing of ciliegiolo and a southern Italian grape called calabrese di montenuovo, so it is Tuscan by adoption rather than by origin.

The wine is defined by acidity. Sangiovese has high acid and firm, fine tannin, moderate colour, and a flavour of sour cherry, dried herbs, tomato leaf and, with age, leather and tobacco. It is savoury rather than sweet-fruited, which is why it is such a good food wine and why it can taste austere on its own. It is also highly variable: there are many clones, and the difference between a poor and a good one is large.

Chianti Classico, in the hills between Florence and Siena, is the heart of it. Montalcino, warmer and drier, makes Brunello from a local clone with longer legal ageing. Along the Tuscan coast the Maremma makes softer, riper versions. It is the third most planted grape in Corsica, as nielluccio, and shows up across central Italy under a dozen local names.