Wine Grape Cheat Sheets: Sangiovese

The Soundbyte:  It is widely accepted that Sangiovese was well-known to the winemakers of Ancient Rome, and it is suspected that the grape was known in Tuscany as far back as the time of the Etruscans. The grape is still widely grown throughout Central Italy, from Romagna to Lazio, and throughout Italy down to Campania and Sicily.

Outside of Italy Sangiovese is mainly known as the main grape of Chianti, in all its forms, but Italian wine lovers know that it also stars in Carmignano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, and Sangiovese di Romagna, among many others.

While often used in a blend, Sangiovese is increasingly seen as a stand-along varietal.  In addition, it is now being used in blends with “international varieties” such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.  You may know these wines as “Super Tuscans”, whose style is now being imitated in other parts of the world.

In a country growing hundreds (if not thousands) of different grapes, Sangiovese reigns as the number one grape varietal in Italy, where it accounts for 10% of the entire wine grape crop.

Typical Attributes of a Sangiovese Based Wine:

• The flavor profile is complex, with earthy aromas often overtaking the aromas of fruit, spice, flowers, and oak.
• Sangiovese has a moderate to high level of natural acidity.
• Medium to full-bodied, with descriptors ranging from supple and elegant to assertive and robust.
• The finish tends towards bitterness.  I often describe it as “bitter cherry”.
• Medium to medium-plus tannins, often assuaged with oak contact.
• Sangiovese is often used to produce a “lighter” style red wine, and this approachability has made it a consumer favorite.  Sangiovese makes a wonderful, spicy rosé, and stars in many an Italian rosato.

Typical Aromas of a Sangiovese Based Wine:

• Fruity:  Plum, Cherry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Blueberry, Mulberry, Orange Peel
• Spicy:  Tea, Clove, Cinnamon, Thyme, Anise
• Floral:  Violet, Dried Flowers
• Wood-derived:  Cedar, Oak, Vanilla, Sweet Wood, Smoke, Toast, Tar
• Earthy:  Wet Leaves, Wet Dirt, Forest, Tobacco, Tea, “Dusty”, Herbal

Where The Best Sangiovese is Grown:

• Italy, its native home, where it is the most widely-grown red grape variety.
• It especially thrives in Tuscany, where it forms the base of the wines of Chianti and Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montalcino as well as many other wines. It is sometimes part of the blend—often alongside Cabernet Sauvignon—in the wines known as the Super Tuscans.
• Beyond Tuscany, it is found throughout Italy and is a main grape in Umbria, Marche, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and as far south as Campania and Sicily.
• Italian immigrants brought Sangiovese to California.  The earliest recorded Sangiovese vineyard in California is the Seghesio Family’s Chianti Station Vineyard, planted near Geyserville in 1910.
• Sangiovese never really took off in California until the Super Tuscan movement of the 1980’s.  Since then, Sangiovese has been gaining popularity in the United States and is now grown in Napa, Sonoma, and The Sierra Foothills.
• Flat Creek Estate in Marble Falls, Texas created a Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend they call a “Super Texan” in 2005. The wine immediately commanded world wine attention when it won the coveted Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition that year.  The “Super Texan” style of wine seems a natural fit for Texas terrior and has now been duplicated by adventurous winemakers all over Texas.
• Oregon, Washington State, Virginia, and The Niagara Peninsula now have Sangiovese plantings, as do Australia, Argentina, Romania, Corsica, South Africa, and Chile.

 Food Affinities – Base Ingredients: 

• Beef, Lamb, Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Hard Cheeses
  

Food Affinities – Bridge Ingredients:

• Simple, rustic dishes, Grilled Foods, Fresh Herbs
• Tomatoes, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Tomato Sauces
• Onions, Garlic, Mushrooms, Eggplant, Fennel, Roasted Bell Peppers
• Green Olives, Black Olives, Capers
• Pecans, Walnuts
• Pasta Dishes, Risotto Dishes
• Proscuitto, Pancetta, Bacon

Note: When it comes to food pairings, by all means—drink what you like!

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of Austin, Texas….