Sangiovese is the most cultivated red grape variety in Italy, known all over the world for the production of excellences such as Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Supertuscan.
“Sour and bitter to eat, but juicy and full of wine”, Sangiovese is the undisputed king of the red wines of central Italy.

According to an ancient myth, the name Sangiovese derives from the Sanctus Giove, the god of the Romans. Another legend has it that the name derives from Sanguis Jovis, the blood of Jupiter, the name given by the Capuchin monks of a convent on Mount Giove in Santarcangelo di Romagna.
Others argue instead that the name Sangiovese derives from ‘Sangiovannese’, or rather a native of San Giovanni Valdarno, in Tuscany. It is certain that the Sangiovese grape was already widespread in the Etruscan era, and it is equally certain that it was cultivated in the south: a DNA analysis in fact found that it was born from a spontaneous cross between Ciliegiolo and Calabrese di Montenuovo.
Today it is the most cultivated red grape variety in Italy, in particular in Tuscany, Romagna and Umbria. In the last decade, thanks to the international success that the Supertuscans have had, Sangiovese has also taken hold in overseas wine-growing areas such as in the province of Mendoza in Argentina or in Napa Valley in California. Sangiovese has found the best place to express itself in Tuscany, where it is vinified alone or vinified together with other local or international grapes. In the Tuscan hills, starting from Sangiovese, oenological excellences are produced such as Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Nobile di Montepulciano or Morellino di Scansano, but also the famous Supertuscan and excellent IGT wines. on the palate the Sangiovese wine is enveloping, warm and full-bodied, with a marked acidity and an important tannic structure, which sometimes if unripe can be astringent. It has a rich and greedy drink and a long and intense persistence.
The moderate acidity and good tannic structure make Sangiovese a wine with an extraordinary aging power, particularly suitable for aging in large barrels (the use of barriques, especially if used for the first time, flattens its peculiarities).
Sometimes the varietal impetuousness of tannin and acidity can lead to gustatory imbalances, which is why it is often resorted to blending Sangiovese wine with other varieties capable of softening its character. Sangiovese can be blended with Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah or with native varieties such as Canaiolo, Colorino and Pugnitello.

The combinations of Sangiovese wine and Pappardelle with wild boar ragout or other meat sauces, stuffed pasta, steak and grilled red meats, game (also feathered), but also well-aged cured meats and cheeses are interesting.
The fresher and more immediate versions of Sangiovese wine can instead accompany fish dishes, for example based on sardines or mackerel, or the typical Romagna piadina. Sensational also the Sangiovese pairing with fish soups, as in the case of Caciucco.