A wine that makes me thankful: ChiantiChianti makes me thankful because it goes all the way back to the dawn of my journey with wine. I enjoyed it as a teen-ager, allowed a glass while visiting Italian-American friends in Queens and the Bronx. Ours was mixed with 7-Up, and there was nothing the matter with that. It made me feel grown-up anyway.
I wasn't much older, but able to drink legally, when I parlayed that youthful experience to make Chianti my drink of choice with pizza and pasta at Italian restaurants, and felt sophisticated because I knew the wicker-wrapped bottle was the way to go, or so I thought.
Years after that, when I started writing about wine, it went without saying that Chianti would be the first wine region I would visit outside the United States; and the memories of that trip to Florence, Montalcino, Siena and the wine villages and vineyards of the region remain vivid.
I've been back many times, and seen the wicker-wrapped
fiasco bottles give way to standard bottles as Chianti – and its upscale sister "Super Tuscans" – gained respectability and, in many cases, went up in price. Sometimes way up in price. The legally allowed "recipe" changed, minimizing the old, traditional splash of white wine to temper the blend but allowing French varietals, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, into the mix. More power to them. Sometimes, though, I still like nothing more than to pick up a bottle with a familiar old label, open it with a bowl of pasta or a pizza, and enjoy. With gratitude.
Ruffino 2015 "Aziano" Chianti Classico ($16.99)
If you want a good Chianti that could serve as the picture next to the definition for
Chianti in the dictionary, I don't think you could do much better than the Ruffino "Aziano" Chianti Classico featured in this week's column. It shows the reddish-purple color and ruby flashes that are typical of this beloved Tuscan Sangiovese blend, and its aroma and flavor offer the typical dark cherry and dried-cherry fruit that describe Chianti, plus a subtle earthy note. It's brisk and tart in the mouth, with rational 13 percent alcohol and the mouth-watering acidity that makes Chianti a wonderful companion with the Italian tomato flavors of pasta and pizza sauce and cheese, but it's not too harsh to sip on its own, at least not for me. Sour cherry flavors linger in the long finish, along with crisp acidity and a whiff of tannic astringency. U.S. importer: Ruffino Import Co., Rutherford, Calif. (Nov. , 2018)
FOOD MATCH: As noted, tomato-based pasta and pizza are the standard companions, but Chianti is fine, too, with red meat, game, or grilled poultry, as well as cheeses and cheese sauces that help temper its food-friendly acidity.
WHEN TO DRINK: There's no rush, although it's not a wine meant for extended aging. I'd drink it up by 2020 unless you have excellent cool-temperature storage conditions.
VALUE: It's a splendid bargain at
Wine-Searcher.com's $13 average retail, and I'm not complaining about having spent a few dollars more.
WEB LINKHere's an English-language fact sheet on Ruffino's Aziano information page.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:Check prices and find places to buy
Ruffino "Aziano" Chianti Classico on Wine-Searcher.com.
Find dozens of Chianti Classico wines and vendors, plus a concise article about Chianti Classico [url=regions-chianti+classico?referring_site=WLP]on this Wine-Searcher link[/url].