Manuela Niederacher is Liaison Officer at the Dievole estate in Tuscany. It might sound like any old job in the wine business, if Dievole were any old winery. They just happen to be custodians of a 900 year heritage.

Manuela, tell us about Dievole, when did it all begin?

Wines have been made on this site for over 900 years, the first vintage going back to 1090 when the land was known as “Dieulele”, or in English, “divine valley”. Since then the estate has been passed on through various farming families and some of the families who live and work on the estate have been on the land for hundreds of years. This isn’t a place of work; it’s a home, a way of life, and much more than that to so many people.

What makes Dievole different from other Tuscan wineries?

For us, we have a great winemaking tradition and history, and a long, rich experience of Chianti winemaking, longer than most. With that in mind we’ve a lot of past success and heritage to live up to. We occupy a very special place here, right in the heart of Chianti Classico, and no doubt, the terroir we have to work on is second to none, but I think the people also make us unique. Everyone feels they have a role to play in keeping impeccably high standards in everything they do. It’s an ingrained determination to live up to a quality associated tradition, and what is now a world renowned reputation for quality. We have to use modern practices and technology to make the best wines possible but we have to repect the land and the traditions here as well, otherwise what’s the point.

Tell us about the Sangiovese grape, what’s all the fuss about?

The conditions here are near perfect for growing this native variety. It’s a grape that, if not ripened properly, can be a little harsh and acidic, but here in Chianti we achieve a wonderful balance. They are full, fruity and elegant. A real expression of Tuscany we think, and even better when enjoyed with good food. It’s our noble grape and a real expression of Tuscany we feel.

You have a Nero d’Avola from Sicily. What’s the connection there?

We have our own team in Sicily, employed by and part of the Dievole winemaking family, who source grapes from trusted growers who we’ve had a good relationship with for many years. The wines are made in Sicily by our own people who use contracted winemaking facilities and then the juice is brought to the Dievole estate here in Chianti where we bottle the wines. We use the same strict quality control procedures that all our Tuscan wines receive.

What is your favourite Dievole wine?

That’s a tough one! The Novecento is probably our most complex and luxurious wine. It’s our top Chianti and I would be hard pressed to go for anything over that. But the Vendemmia is our best selling Chianti, our customers love it. For everyday drinking probably the Dievolino. It’s a very good inexpensive Sangiovese.

To view the range from Dievole, with 20% off until the end of April, click here.

The Chianti Classico Consorzio has created a new classification – Gran Selezione – to sit at the top of its hierarchy. Once the Italian Ministry of Agriculture gives its approval the new law will come into effect later this year and wines from the 2010 vintage – not yet sold – can qualify for the title.

In essence a designation for single-estate wines (much prized in the wine world), products in this new category must be crafted solely from grapes grown by the proprietor (i.e. not bought on the spot market or from contract growers), cannot be sold within 30 months of the harvest (6 months longer than Riserva) so as to allow time for Sangiovese’s classic astringency to resolve, and must receive at least three months’ pre-sale bottle maturation. Yields are kept at 52.5 hectolitres per hectare, the same as for regular Riserva.

The idea isn’t to eclipse what was until now the DOCG’s flagship band, Chianti Classico Riserva, but to highlight an especially-deserving subset of these wines. The quality of Chianti Classico, of which 78% is exported, has never been higher – 60% of the vineyards have been replanted with superior clones over the past fifteen years – and this latest measure is an attempt to further raise the bar for producers and for the prestigious DOCG to differentiate itself from its less celebrated sibling, Chianti. Estates expect to be able to charge a significant premium for their Gran Selezione offerings too.

Reaction has been mixed with some big names like Piero Antinori heralding the new measure as a major improvement: “Chianti Classico bought in bulk and bottled by wine merchants won’t be allowed to use Gran Selezione on the label”, he notes approvingly. Some are not sure, with one bet-hedging producer saying he didn’t know if Gran Selezione was going to be a “Gran Successo (a big success) or just a Gran Casino (a big mess)”.

Others have outright dismissed the new category as mere “bureaucratic tinkering” that doesn’t add any value to Chianti Classico or do anything to shine a spotlight on the region’s choicest terroirs.

One of the most valid criticisms levelled at Gran Selezione is that the typical consumer is already unsure or unaware of the difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico (answer: the latter represents the historical heartland of the production zone, must adhere to stricter production laws, and has to be at least 80% Sangiovese, as opposed to 70% for the standard version) and that introducing new terminology will only muddy these waters even more.

If drinkers understand the Chianti / Classico distinction then they have to get their head around what Riserva means as well (answer: the wine has been aged for an extended and legally-defined period of time). It is easy to imagine that only the most involved wine drinkers will go to the trouble of comprehending all of this and then trying to assimilate the details of Gran Selezione too.

And as if all that wasn’t enough to absorb, in a side measure the Consorzio decided that the trademark black rooster logo that graces the necks of all Chianti Classicos is to be redesigned. No one said it’s easy trying to keep on top of the Italian wine world.

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Note: Image sourced from the official Chianti Classico website.

A renowned and outstanding Chianti Classico producer, the Dievole estate in Tuscany is sitting on 900 years of wine-making heritage.

On the 10th of May 1090, Vinizio, son of the late Sichelmi, and Rodolfino, son of the late Ardimanno, paid six ‘Denari Lucchesi’, two capons and three loaves of bread for the yearly rent for a vineyard in ‘Dieulele’ – the divine valley. That same century the Chinese discovered gunpowder and the Icelander Leif Erikson discovered North America.

Today, Dievole is one of the most innovative producers in Tuscany but remains firmly dedicated to its past. Master viticulturists were brought in to counter regional uniformity and monotony, reintroducing ancient indigenous varietals such as Barsaglina, Aleatico, Foglia Tonda, Ciliegiolo, Prugnolo Gentile, Mammolo and Saragiolo, planting alongside contemporary classics such as Canaiolo, Syrah, Petit Verdot and various Sangiovese clones. Everything, from selecting mother vine stock and clones to vintage planning and innovation in the vineyards and wine cellar, is determined by one single objective: creating authentic wine of exceptional character and quality.

Best buy: Dievole La Vendemmia Chianti Classic 2009 (€19.99) Aged for 12 months in French and American barriques, heady aromas of dried fruit, coffee and spice, rich, smooth and long on the finish.

See the new Dievole range here.

Like most young people and wine I started with the New World. The quirky, colourful packaging and the information contained within would tell me what grape variety was used to make this wine. Where it was made. Who made it and what they did to it to put their stamp on it. And of course, being an ignorant so and so who never bothered to learn any other language other than his native tongue, it was SO useful to have it written in English.

Until I started working in wine I was sure Old World winemakers were trying to confuse me for the fun of it. It didn’t, however, take me long to get to grips with the basics of each country and region. I learned very quickly that many Old World  producers expect you to know the style, quality and sometimes even the grape varieties of the wine inside the bottle just by working out where it is from. Ironically, these days I regularly find myself helping other people get to grips with the basics, and it’s not difficult to teach ourselves with a wealth of information at our fingertips through a few clicks of a mouse.

To keep you even more on your game, the people who make the rules often like to change the rules. Regions of production may be amalgamated with neighbouring areas, or some may break away. The technicalities of wine production may be amended in an attempt to raise quality or perhaps even lower the barriers to more winemakers who want to carry the name of the denomination. New classifications may crop up promising the use of grapes sourced from certain plots of land or the minimum amount of time it must be aged in oak before bottling.

Recently it was agreed by a ruling council that a new top-tier classification would be introduced into the great Tuscan wine producing region of Chianti. Generally speaking, the quality improves (and you pay more) from basic ‘Chianti’ to ‘Chianti Classico’ and finally ‘Riserva’. Although no name has yet been given, the new classification will sit above Riserva and essentially represent single vineyard wines that can only be released thirty months after harvesting. It is supposed to create another distinction. To create a higher value brand and guarantee the very best quality.

Undoubtedly the regulations and labelling of ‘appellation’ wines does help us find the quality and style of wine we enjoy. Practice makes perfect in my opinion. It’s important to be inquisitive, research or ask for advice when choosing your wine. Build up a familiarisation of what each region has to offer. Often it’s not all about the grape variety, which perhaps the big New World brands have us looking for.

At the same time, keep in mind that there’s no exact science to these things. Just because one wine has come from organic vineyards and had two years ageing in barrel doesn’t mean you’re not going to prefer the inexpensive regional blend aged in stainless steel tanks for three weeks. It’s all about personal taste.

Those who have been to Tuscany will know all about the riches that lie within, including Chianti, arguably the country’s most important wine region and the producer of one of Italy’s finest wines, Chianti Classico. From top to bottom, it stretches almost 100 miles, making it even more extensive than Bordeaux. The original Chianti zone, drawn out in 1716, produces Chianti Classico. In 1932 the line was redrawn and the area expanded out to include seven sub-regions.

In the eighteenth century Italian statesman Bettino Ricasoli developed a recipe for Chianti that was based primarily on Sangiovese, with up to 10% of the white Malvasia. When the DOC laws defined Chianti in 1963 they insisted on a minimum of 10% and allowed up to 30% white grapes, which now included Trebbiano. Red from Southern Italy was brought in to help beef up the wines, such was the underwhelming character of those produced around this time. Something had to give – either the rules had to change or the producers had to make their best wine under a different name.

In 1975 a rebel wine was released from the ancient Antinori family. This Chianti-style wine, called Tignanello, ignored the DOC regulations, releasing a Sangiovese blended with a small proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon. Other producers soon followed suit, some producing straight 100% Sangiovese, others even using the Bordeaux blend of Cabernet and Merlot. These wines became known as “Super Tuscans”, and before long a lot of them started to fetch higher prices than the DOC regulated wines. As a result the rules were then reviewed to encourage more producers to bring their wines back in under official regulations.

Chianti Classico emerged from the Super Tuscan debacle. Better quality clones of Sangiovese and better ways of growing them were identified. Today the wines are taken very seriously by consumers and critics alike, and rightly so. They are predominantly from low-cropped, top-quality Sangiovese vines, aged in large and/or small oak barrels, and have a typical life expectancy of ten years or more. If not going with 100% Sangiovese, up to 20% of the blend can include the traditional red Canaiolo grape variety, the deeply coloured Colorino and the international varieties of Merlot and Cabernet.

More often than not the challenge in the vineyards of Chianti Classico is to ripen the sugars and the tannins from the relatively late-ripening, light-coloured, high-acid Sangiovese. The wines are firm and savoury, made for food. Some will only come around after ten years in bottle, but be sure to ask your wine merchant for advice on what’s drinking well now and what needs more time. These are serious, but very rewarding wines.

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Sometimes it is nice not to have too much of a good thing too often. Maybe you don’t see someone for some time, or don’t experience something, maybe for a few weeks, a few months or perhaps a number of years. Then you go back to be reminded of how good it is, all over again.

I was reminded on Sunday night of how much I love a good Sangiovese. In this trade, you have the fortunate opportunity of tasting a lot of wine. But that is ‘tasting’. Many would agree with me on this, you don’t really get to know and appreciate a wine unless you bring it home and spend time over it. Enjoy it in a relaxed atmosphere with friends and family. Oh, and in this case, have a bloody good meal to partner it.

In actual fact, I was looking for a wine to accompany the food. Not the other way around. My girlfriend was taking the reigns in the kitchen on this occasion. We like to take turns cooking for eachother. I told her the options I had at hand and she picked a Chianti, which had kindly been given to us by a supplier of ours.

Sangiovese and Chianti are one of the true great matches in the world of wine in terms of grape variety and terroir. Like Pinot Noir, it has a knack for taking on the characteristics of where it is grown. Although not an easy grape to work with, Tuscany provides the necessary heat, long growing season and fair autumns required for this late ripening variety.

I read over at Decanter that the French will now be experimenting with Sangiovese after Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo, the world’s largest cooperative nursery, sold about 170,000 vines to five Herault producers. That will be worth keeping an eye out for in the future.

We had the Bibbiano Montornello Chianti Classico with our meal, which had the trademark earthy, red cherry Sangiovese aromas and flavours, medium bodied with supple tannins and a striking backbone of acidity. Being such a great food wine, it turned out to be a fabulous match for our Beef Bourguignon, as well as a pleasent reminder of what I had been missing.

When the Romans started to recognise wine for its commercial possibilities, the aim was to produce as much wine as possible. But not today. It is only really in the last 40 years that Italy has really started to raise the bar, as export markets demanded a rival to France. They are now associated with some of the best-made wines in the world.

One of the must-see countries of the world, Italy boasts a rich history (dating back some 200,000 years) and strong cultural traditions, with wine and food always playing a central role. So here’s our Top 5 did-you-knows on Italy’s favourite accompaniment to food…

1. The early Italian vineyards were planted by Greek settlers, thought to be as early as 800BC. The Romans were probably the first to produce wine for keeping. They put the wine into storage jars with a layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation.

2. The Italian government has officially recognised the traditional wines of Italy and has set up a system, similar to France, in an attempt to categorise quality. If you see IGT on a bottle, it is a table wine (like VdP in France). DOC is the next level up and DOCG is the highest status conferred to Italian wines.

3. The range of grape varieties grown in Italy is vast. There are believed to be more than 1,000 common grape vines. Many are native to Italy and not found elsewhere in the world. Among the most popular reds are Montepulciano and Nebbiolo, while Pinot Grigio and Trebbiano are the best known white varieties.

4. Italian wine is designed for food. It’s not just Italian food that they will accompany. The crisp acidity of Italy’s whites cut through the richness of classic French dishes, and the liveliness of many reds provides a thirst-quenching relief with Tex-Mex. Name the food, and they’ll match it!

5. Chianti Classico is one of the most recognisable DOCG wines, and a favourite of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It must be made from the Sangiovese grape (although blending with others varietals is allowed) and have a minimum alcohol content of 12%. Chianti Classico must have an alcohol level of at least 12.5% and three years aging prior to release.