Italie centrale Flashcards
What is the climate of Central Italy?
Tuscany generally enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate near the coast which becomes more Continental inland, but mesoclimates exist amid the hilly terrain.
Altitude and sea breezes help provide coolness.
Chianti is situated between which cities?
Pisa, Florence and Siena
What are the permissible grapes in Chianti Classico DOCG?
Sangiovese is the dominant grape that goes into Chianti Classico. Other red grapes allowed in the blend include COLORINO, CANAIOLO, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
White grapes are no longer permitted in Chianti Classico DOCG as of 2006
There are 7 subzones of Chianti DOCG.
Which two subzones have reputations for producing higher-quality Chianti?
Chianti Rùfina DOCG
Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG
What is the dominant grape variety used in Chianti DOCG?
Sangiovese is the dominant grape used in Chianti DOCG.
Other grapes allowed include Trebbiano and Malvasia (white), Canaiolo and Colorino, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
What is the aging requirement for Chianti Classico DOCG?
12 months prior to release
What are the aging requirements for Brunello di Montalcino DOCG?
Brunello di Montalcino must be aged at least 5 years prior to release, 2 years of which must be spent in wood.
What % Sangiovese must Rosso di Montalcino DOC be?
100% Sangiovese
Under what designation (IGT, DOC, DOCG) are most Super Tuscans released?
IGT Toscana or IGT Rosso Toscana
Most are released with the name of the producer and a fantasy name
Which 2 important DOCs can Tuscan producers use that allow for non-Italian grapes, such as Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon?
Bolgheri DOC and Maremma Toscana DOC
Some Super Tuscans are bottled under these DOCs.
Tuscany is on which sea?
Tyrrhenian Sea
What is the hierarchy of Italian wine classifications?
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG)
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)
Indicazione di Geografica Tipica (IGT)
Vino da Tavola (VdT)
What mountain range is the northern boundary of Tuscany?
The Apennines
What is the hierarchy of Chianti Classico and what is each level’s aging requirement?
Lowest to highest:
- Chianti Classico must be aged at least 12 months
- Chianti Classico Riserva must be aged at least 24 months
- Chianti Classico Gran Selezione must be aged at least 30 months
Tuscany can generally be split into 3 areas. Describe each.
The northern part of Tuscany is mountainous and quite hilly; this is where Chianti is.
The southern part has lower altitude hills and valleys, and is generally warmer; this is where Brunello di Montalcino is.
The coast is mostly flat terrain that’s cooled by sea breezes; this is where Bolgheri is.
In order to use the Gran Selezione designation, where do the grapes have to come from?
Gran Selezione grapes must come from a single estate
Is the Chianti Classico DOCG a subzone of Chianti DOCG?
No, Chianti Classico is not a subzone of Chianti.It is its own DOCG with vineyards that arehigher in altitude than Chianti DOCG.
If a producer wants/needs to declassify their Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, what is the classification they can use?
Rosso di Montepulciano DOC
What is the dominant grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG?
Sangiovese is the dominant grape, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano can have up to 30% other local grapes (red and white) in the blend.
Is Umbria landlocked or does it abut a sea?
What is the most important red DOCG of Umbria?
Umbria is landlocked. It has no Mediterranean influence
What grape goes into Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG?
100% Sagrantino
What is the most important DOC in Umbria that makes white wine?
Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG
What are the grapes that go into Orvieto DOC?
Orvieto DOC
What are the grapes that go into Orvieto DOC?
Orvieto must be a blend with a majority of:
Grechetto and Trebbiano
Other local white grapes grown in Umbria are allowed in the blend.
What are the main grapes of Lazio?
Trebbiano and Malvasia
What are the base white grapes for Frascati DOC?
Malvasia and Trebbiano
Fresh and unoaked, Frascati is a lightly floral and citrusy, medium-bodied wine.
Le Marche is on which sea?
What is the most important white grape in Le Marche?
Adriatic
Le Marche is roughly at the calf of Italy’s boot, on the eastern side of the Apennines.
Verdicchio
What is the well known DOC for Verdicchio in Le Marche?
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC
What is the best known DOCG red from Le Marche?
Conero DOCG
is based on the Montepulciano grape and typically has Sangiovese in the blend.
Which region is to the north of Abruzzo?
Le Marche
What is the climate of Abruzzo?
What is the main red grape in Abruzzo?
What is Abruzzo’s best known DOC?
Mediterranean
Montepulciano
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
Montepulciano in Tuscany and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – what’s the difference?
Montepulciano is both a grape variety and the name of a village. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the wine produced from the Montepulciano grape when grown in the Abruzzo region.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is produced with Sangiovese grape in the Tuscany region.
What is special about the soils in Orvieto DOC?
volcanic, marine sedimentary clay, and sandy soils
