Ciao Tutti!
This weekend at Piazza Italian Market we are tasting the Chianti Classico DOCG ( ($25.95) from the Istine Winery in Radda In Chianti, Toscana. The black rooster decal on the bottle’s neck designates this wine as being from the original Chianti Classico designation whose boundary was determined by a race between knights from Siena and Firenze and that boundary still exists today. Istine’s three vineyards are located in Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti and Radda in Chianti. Even in warm vintages, the family’s 20 hectares thrive in the high altitude and rocky soils of their three vineyards.
Chianti Classico DOCG ( ($25.95) from the Istine Winery in Radda In Chianti, Toscana
The story of Istine begins in 1959, when Bruno Fronti established an agricultural business to provide earthmoving, green management and vineyard planting services. The second generation of the Fronti family expanded the business to include growing their own grapes. By 2009, Winemaker Angela Fronti oversaw the production of Istine’s first 3,000 bottles of Chianti Classico. She quickly became a rising star who has never rested on her laurels.
Angela Fronti
Angela Fronti’s high energy management style soon led her to be one of the first to join the nascent FIVI (the Italian federation of Italian Winemakers), founded the year before her first vintage. The FIVI symbol is shown on the neck of Istine’s wines to show she “cultivates her own vineyards, vinifies her own grapes, bottles her own wines, sells under her own responsibility, with her own name and label“.
Sangiovese is Toscana’s greatest grape and some wine experts consider it one of the world’s best red wine grapes. Angela Fronti’s organic Chianti Classico is 95% Sangiovese and 5% indigenous grapes of Toscana. The result is its bright medium red color, classic aromas of sour red cherry and strawberries with a bright acidity to accompany food and a long finish. Pair with traditional Toscana specialties such as sausages and beans, Bistecca alla Fiorentina, or burgers and pasta with meat sauces.
If you have not yet tried this Chianti Classico DOCG, come join me Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45.
Cin Cin!
Jenn
Piazza Italian Market is located at 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD.
Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual architecture and real estate careers since moving to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has re-established her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoon.
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