Wine
Sangiovese
Flavor Descriptors
Food Pairings
Traditional Italian (including Chianti)
Basic pasta with red sauce, pizza, mild meat dishes, antipasti, chicken cacciatore, veal or chicken parmigiano.
Modern Italian (including Super Tuscans)
Richer red sauce pasta dishes with spicy sausage or meatballs, steak Florentine, pasta Bolognese, pasta arrabiata, meaty pizza.
New World (USA, Argentina)
Pizza, pasta with red sauce, antipasti. Medium-bodied examples work well with sauced chicken or pork dishes and fuller-bodied examples can stand up to steaks and veal chops.
Buying, Storing, & Serving
Sangiovese should be served at room temperature. The more structured styles will benefit from being poured into a decanter and allowed to breathe for up to one hour before serving.
The majority of Sangiovese is meant to be consumed within two to five years of vintage date with a few exceptions. Chianti Riserva and Brunello di Montalcino are made to age seven to fifteen years on average from vintage date. New World examples should be consumed within one to three years from vintage.
Buying (and drinking) an older bottle will typically get you a mellower softer wine with less obvious fruitiness and more herbaceous aromas. A younger wine will offer brighter, juicier fruit flavors and a firmer more acidic texture.
Store bottles in a cool, dark place. While it is now common for wine makers to use plastic corks or screw-top closures which may be stored vertically or horizontally, those with the traditional corks should be laid on their sides to keep them moist.