Sangiovese is an Italian grape that ages into a beautiful earthy wine with hints of spice while retaining fruit-forward characteristics. It is not as aromatic as other red varieties, such as Pinot Noir, but this acidic, tannic wine can hold its own. Look for flavors such as sour cherries, roasted tomato, ripe plum, tea leaves, herbs, strawberries, chocolate, figs, and dried flower potpourri. This terroir-driven, savory wine is heavily influenced by its growing environment, resulting in a wide range of styles. This is a wine worth cellaring to fully appreciate.
The first documented mention of Sangiovese was in the 1590 writings of Giovanvettorio Soderini (also known under the pen name of Ciriegiulo). Identifying the grape as “Sangiogheto” Soderini notes that in Tuscany the grape makes very good wine but if the winemaker is not careful, turns into vinegar. While there is no conclusive proof that Sangiogheto is Sangiovese, most wine historians generally consider this to be the first historical mention of the grape. Recent DNA profiling by the Istituto Agrario di San Michele all’Adige suggests that Sangiovese’s ancestors are Ciliegiolo and Calabrese Montenuovo. The former is well known as an ancient variety in Tuscany, the latter is an almost-extinct relic from Calabria, Italy. Essentially, the genetic heritage of Sangiovese is half Tuscan and half southern Italian.
According to legend, the name Sangiovese was coined by monks from the commune of Santarcangelo di Romagna in what is now the province of Rimini in the Emilia-Romagna region of east-central
