Sangiovese is undoubtedly one of the most popular grape varieties in Italy. The areas cultivated by this black berried grape cover 11% of the national wine-growing area. Traditionally the most common vine in Tuscany and is cultivated from Romagna to Campania.
This famous grape is part of hundreds of blending of Italian wines, such as: Carmignano, Rosso Piceno Superiore, Rosso Conero Riserva, Chianti and Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Montefalco rosso, Sangiovese di Romagna, Morellino di Scansano and many others less known but equally valuable.

History of the vine

The origin of the Sangiovese name is uncertain. Some argue that it derives from "Sangiovannese" that is originally from San Giovanni Valdarno, while others argue that it derives from "sanguegiovese", that is "blood of Jupiter", referring to Monte Giove, near Santarcangelo di Romagna. The term Sangiovese defines a large number of varieties, or clones, in which the vine has differentiated over the centuries, adapting to the different territories.

Diffusion of the vine

In Tuscany, the traditional differentiation between Sangiovese Grosso, known as Brunello in Montalcino and Prugnolo Gentile in Montepulciano and Sangiovese Piccolo, widespread in most of the region, has no scientific basis and is being progressively abandoned. Even the disciplinary of the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG no longer mentions the "Sangiovese Grosso", but only "Sangiovese". Sangiovese also plays an important role in Umbria, where among the most representative reds, in purity or in blending, we remember Torgiano, Rosso di Montefalco, Rosso dei Colli Amerini, Colli del Trasimeno and Colli Martani. In the Marche, Sangiovese plays a leading role together with Montepulciano: for example in Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno. In Emilia-Romagna Sangiovese is found as Sangiovese di Romagna and in the Hills of Faenza. We also find Sangiovese in Lazio and more marginally in many other regions. Outside Italy, Sangiovese is grown in modest quantities in California (Napa Valley, Sonoma and Sierra Foothills), Argentina (Mendoza) and Australia. Sangiovese is also grown in Corsica where it is known by the name of Nielluccio. This diffusion makes it difficult to give an absolute description of the wine that is obtained from Sangiovese, the various expressions of which range from the cheapest red wine to the qualitative top of Brunello di Montalcino. Generally we can say that wines produced with pure Sangiovese have a rather high acidity and a high content of tannins, moderate color and medium structure. The high productivity of Sangiovese forces producers to use scrupulous cultivation practices to mitigate its impetuousness. Often to mitigate its natural "roughness" Sangiovese is blended with wines produced from other grapes, such as Canaiolo Nero in Chianti and Torgiano Rosso in Umbria. Sangiovese is a late ripening grape, with an excellent ability to adapt to different types of soils. It prefers soils with a good percentage of calcareous sediments capable of enhancing its best and elegant aromas as well as its best qualities. Sangiovese has a certain sensitivity to molds, especially in cold and humid years or in areas where the autumn season is particularly rainy.

General information on the vine

Berry color: Black berry
Main Italian regions: Toscana, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Molise, Umbria
National vineyard area: 71600 ha
Year of registration: 1970
Prefer location: Hilly
Requires pruning: Mixed pruning
Forcefulness: High vigor
Farm type: Spurred cordon
Characteristics of the leaf: The Sangiovese vine has medium leaf, five-lobed leaf, three-lobed leaf.
Characteristics of the bunch: The Sangiovese grape variety has compact cluster, medium cluster, cylindrical cluster, pyramidal cluster. Wings in the cluster: 1 wing.
Characteristics of the grape: The Sangiovese grape variety has berries Acini of medium size, large berries, ovoid-shaped, with pruinose skin and blue-black skin.

Characteristics of the wine

The wine produced from each vine, vinified in purity, has very specific organoleptic characteristics. The wine obtained from the Sangiovese grape is ruby red in color. On the palate it is warm, fruity, tannic and has an excellent structure.