Italy: Chianti
2015: Gold 3 Silver 7 Bronze 2 Commended 4
2014: Gold 1 Silver 3 Bronze 2 Commended 3
As most customers’ go-to Italian wine DO, this is a crucial flight in the Sommelier Wine Awards. Not one of the biggest, necessarily, but certainly one of the most important. Our teams want wines that are food-friendly, but balanced, typical but not astringent, and fairly priced.
Interestingly, the latter has been the biggest problem over the past few years. To find wines that they liked, our tasters often had to head so far up the price scale that there was rarely room for more than one wine on the list. So to find two Golds and a record number of Silvers at prices that ought not to be out of the range of most venues was a good result this year. The days of the bargain basement Chianti might be long gone, but there was still plenty here to celebrate.
From the Tasting Teams
‘I was less keen on the wines with sweeter fruit and sweeter oak. There’s a risk in making wines that are for the customer rather than an expression of the land. I liked the grippy tannins though – and that was consistent throughout.’ Matteo Malquori, Hakkasan Hanway Place
‘The lower end was a bit of a struggle, but over the £12 mark it got really quite good. There was lovely varietal expression, acidity and nice tannic structure.’ Laura Rhys MS, team leader
‘Chianti has slightly fallen off the radar for us. The older clientele quite like it, but the younger guys don’t seem to be engaging with it so much.’ Charles Van Wyk, FJB Hotels
‘For Chianti, it’s better to list a good example or not at all.’ George Bergier, The Victorian Chop House Company
‘[The Ruffino Riserva Ducale] is a great example – good body and juiciness, plus spicy and complex. It really delivers for the price-point – the kind of bottle that should change people’s mind!’ Caroline Brangé, 28º-50º Mayfair