Chianti Hotels news and events

Bed and Breakfast in Italy

noreply@blogger.com (Ulisse 2000) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:45:00 +0000

A new website for those who are looking for bed and breakfast in Italy. A quality website aimed to offer a good photo selection, nice grafics, easy surfing and a direct contact with the innkeeper. This website offers olso a nice selection of small hotels in Italy, farm guest houses and independent apartments.

Visit Bed And Breakfast Italy .COM clicking here
http://www.bed-and-breakfast-italy.com/

The kingdom of Chianti has opened its doors to hospitality

noreply@blogger.com (Ulisse 2000) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:39:00 +0000

In the territory of Gaiole in Chianti, Badia a Coltibuono (click here to access the website) is the first wine resort in Chianti, opening it's doors to travellers and visitors who want to share a truly unique experience. Here it is possible to encounter the magic of a venue, to observe the slow yet intense rhythm of a 1000 year old abbey and farm and to sleep in history. Guests can rest and relax in the magnificent Italian style garden or, during the summer months, around the large open-air swimming pool. For the rest of the year, Badia a Coltibuono also has an indoor counter current swimming pool, with an annexed Turkish bath.

Badia a Coltibuono has 8 double guest bedrooms all with en-suite bathroom. Three of these are more spacious with views spanning the Valdarno valley and 5 rooms with views over the magnificent renaissance gardens. Each room has it's own unique charm, in décor and style reflecting the elegance of the surroundings.

In addition to the rooms, 2 self catering apartments are available for weekly rentals within the monastery's walls.

For around a century and a half the name and history of the Stucchi Prinetti family has been linked with Badia a Coltibuono. It was in fact in 1846 that one of the family's forbearers, the Florentine banker Guido Giuntini, acquired the beautiful Romanesque structure and the surrounding farms. Thanks to his complete dedication the entire property began to flourish and survived the second world war virtually intact.

A real experience!

http://www.charming-chianti-hotels.com/

Chianti Classico Wine: it is the land that makes the difference

noreply@blogger.com (Ulisse 2000) — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:44:00 +0000

Not all the wine produced in Chianti is Chianti Classico. Provenance from a determined territory is not sufficient to permit use of an appellation. The producer must respect all the rules stipulated in the production code. The first version of the DOCG production code for Chianti and Chianti Classico dates back to 1984, when Chianti Classico was still considered a sub-denomination of the omni-comprehensive Chianti DOCG, although with separate regulations that imposed production rules more stringent than those stipulated for the other Chiantis. But it was only in 1996 that Chianti Classico obtained the definitive consecration of its importance and its precedence. With the issuance of the Ministerial Decree of August 5, Chianti Classico was recognized as an independent appellation, establishing once and for all its diversity and independence of the other Chianti wines. With the latest modification of the production code, new rules were adopted that benefit the quality of the wine and the appellation. An important change concerns the ampelographical base (the types of grapes that can be used in the production of the wine). In the new production code, the minimum percentage of Sangiovese, the typical red variety of the zone, that must be used is increased from 75 to 80%. Obviously, that grape can be used alone (100%). In addition to Sangiovese, producers may use other native red grapes, like Canaiolo and Colorino, or "international" types, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a maximum ratio of 20%. Trebbiano and Malvasia, both white grapes, can no longer be used, beginning with the 2006 vintage. The minimum alcohol level is 12° for the regular wine and 12.5° for the Riserva. For a wine to be described as a Chianti Classico, other extremely important production requirements must be met. A new vineyard may only begin production four years after planting. Yield per hectare must not exceed 75 quintals (3.34 tons an acre), the equivalent of 52.5 hectoliters (559 U.S. gallons an acre) of wine. Output per vine is limited to three kilos (6.6 pounds). To ensure that all the various components of Chianti Classico wine will be harmoniously balanced, its release for consumption is authorized only after October 1 of the year following the harvest. For the Riserva type, minimum maturation of 24 months, including at least three months of bottle aging, is required.In addition to the alcohol level already indicated, Chianti Classico wine must have the following precise characteristics, as prescribed by law:Color: a bright ruby-red tending to garnet with maturation.Odor: vinous, with a scent of violets and a pronounced finesse that develops in the maturation phase.Flavor: balanced, dry, sapid and lightly tannic, fining in time to a velvety softness.Sugar: maximum of 4 grams per liter of reducing sugars.Minimum net dry extract: 23%.Minimum total acidity: 4.5 ppt.Another element of the production code, which is of fundamental importance, is the requirement that, in addition to vinification, all operations involving the preservation and bottling of the wine as well as its fining in the bottle must be carried out within the production zone.The grape that makes the most important contribution to the production of Chianti Classico, with a ratio that ranges from 80 to 100%, is Sangiovese. That variety is now used in all the leading DOC and DOCG red wines of central Italy. This grapes is extremely sensitive to external factors, such as terrain and climate, and it certainly does not ripen precociously or uniformly. However, it is rare to find another variety that so faithfully interprets the characteristics of the soil in which it grows and modifies its odors in accordance with the terrain. Sandstone is responsible for the wine's flowery bouquet, calcareous soils produce scents of wild berries and tufa or volcanic soils yield fresh odors of tobacco. But a scent of violets, which the production code identifies as a characteristic and specific element of Chianti Classico, is always present no matter where the vines grow. Producers may combine typical grapes of the zone, such as Canaiolo Nero, Colorino and others, as well as international varieties, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and others still, with Sangiovese. Since Sangiovese is the grape of the greatest importance, the real soul of Chianti Classico, the production code has authorized its use alone in producing the wine as long ago as 1996.

Source:
http://www.chianticlassico.com