In Italy, the yearly per capita rate of alcohol consumption has long been declining, but family expenditures on alcohol still reach into 2% of the family budget. Wine pervades most spheres of life, consisting as a large part of the Italian culture. If someone is said to drink, then they are assumed to be a heavy drinker in Italy. Wine is considered nourishment to the Italians, and was often a supplement to the diet of the lower classes that needed additional calories, which were provided by the wine. Wine is considered to be a regular part of every day life, so no special circumstances are needed to bring this drink out.
The early history of Chianti is intertwined with the history of the entire Tuscany region. The history of viticulture (the science, production, and study of grapes) in Tuscany dates back to the settlements by the Etruscans in the eighth century BC. From the fall of the Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages, monasteries were the main purveyors of wines in the region. As the aristocratic and merchant classes emerged, they inherited the sharecropping system of agriculture, whereby the landowner provides the land and resources for planting in exchange for half of the yearly crop. Many landowners in the Chianti region would turn half of their grape harvest into wine they would be sold to the merchants in Florence. During the Renaissance, the city of Florence experienced a period of growth that brought with it an emerging middle class of craftsmen and merchants. Some of these merchants, such as the Antinoris and Frescobaldis, would become powerful and influential figures in not only the history of Chianti but also of Italian wine.
The earliest example of Chianti was a pale, light wine, which was sold by the merchant Francesco di Marco Datini in 1398. It has eventually evolved into a course, deep color red wine. The 18th century saw the seeds of the modern Chianti industry being planted. In 1716, Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, issued an edict delineating the boundaries that would eventually become the heart of the Chianti Classico region. The edict declared that the three villages of the Lega del Chianti (Castellina, Gaiole and Radda) as well as the village of Greve and a 2 mile hillside north of Greve near Spedaluzza as the only officially recognized producers of Chianti. This delineation existed until July 1932, when the Italian government expanded the Chianti zone to include the outlying areas of Barberino Val d'Elsa, Chiocchio, Robbiano, San Casciano in Val di Pesa and Strada. In 1984 the Chianti Classico and the greater Chianti region were separated, the boundaries covered an area of approximate 100 square miles between Florence to the north and Siena to the south.
Following World War II, the general trend in the world wine market for cheap, easy drinking wine saw a brief boom for the Chianti region. By the late 20th century, Chianti was often associated with basic mass-market Chianti. At the same time, an ambitious producer began working outside the boundaries of the protected designation of origin (DOC) status to make a higher quality style of Chianti. These wines eventually became known as “Super Tuscans.” Piero Antinori was one of the first to create a "Chianti-style" wine that ignored the DOC regulations, releasing a 1971 Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend known as Tignanello in 1978. Other producers followed suit and soon the prices for these Super Tuscans were consistently beating the prices of some of most well known Chianti. The new wave of winemaking during the era of Super Tuscan also reinvigorated the Chianti's region with modern viticultural vine training and canopy management techniques and winemaking tools such as the use of new oak barrels. This new area of innovation lead to a sharp increase in the price of Chiantis to where the wine from many of the top houses now match the prices of the premium Super Tuscans.
Located in the central region of Tuscany, the Chianti zone is Tuscanys' largest classified wine region and produces over eight million cases a year. In addition to producing the well known red Chianti wine, the Chianti zone also produces white, other Rosso reds and Vin Santo. The region is split into two DOCG- Chianti and Chianti Classico. The Chianti Classico zone covers the area between Florence and Siena, which is the original Chianti region, and where some of the best expressions of Chianti wine are produced. The larger Chianti DOCG zone is further divided in six DOC sub-zones and areas in the western part of the province of Pisa, the Florentine hills north of Chianti Classico in the province of Florence, the Siena hills south of the city in the province of Siena, the province of Arezzo and the area around the communes of Rufina and Pistoia.
Our Recommendations
Cantinetta Antinori (Piazza Antinori 3, 055-292-234) - The Antinori marchesi started their wine empire 26 generations ago, and, installed a wine bar in their 15th-century palazzo 30 years ago. Their wine selection is vast, and primi piatti cost between €10 and €16. Reservations are strong recommended!
Osteria Tornabuoni (Via de Corsi 5r) – Primi piatti range in price from €10-€15, and glasses of wine cost €4-€7. The Osteria only serves Tuscan dishes, and offers a wine-list made up of exclusively Tuscan labels, where the only exceptions are some great Champagnes produced by small wineries and some selected home brews. The wine-list features more than 200 labels, with evident priority to Chianti Classico, Montalcino, Bolgheri and Montepulciano. Every day, there is a choice of 15 different wines by the glass.
Frescobaldi Wine Bar (Via dei Magazzini 2-4r, 055-284-724) – The Frescobaldi Wine Bar offers guests wine by the glass, whether they wish to stand at the bar or relax at tables inside or outside. Tasters may pair their wines with a range of tapas and with a rich assortment of traditional cheeses and cured meats. Wine by the glass ranges from €4-€15.
Il Santino (Via Santo Spirito 60r - 055 211264) – While Il Santino is a very small establishment, located to its partner restaurant Il Santo Bevitore, the wine list at Il Santino is extensive, and the ambiance is great. Come for a glass of wine and cheese plate, and enjoy!
Le Volpi e L’Uva (Piazza dei Rossi 1 - 055.239.8132) – This wine bar was ranked as one of Europe’s Wine Bars by Travel + Leisure. “When Florence’s top sommeliers want to learn about wine trends, they claim a stool behind the horseshoe-shaped counter at this enoteca. That’s because the wine bar’s passionate owners keep ahead of the curve by crisscrossing Italy in search of emerging producers. Their chalkboard list of some 40 mostly Italian wines by the glass changes weekly and features their discoveries.” Dinner for two costs around $33. 
