Sangiovese

APPEARANCE

ON THE VINE: a strong and vigorous grower with quite large bunches of fairly thin-skinned grapes.

IN THE GLASS: a crimson wine, often with an orange rim – not usually noted for intensity of colour.

 

The nose is fruity, sometimes with cherry notes and hints of farmyard – a barnyard whiff is one of the characteristics of Sangiovese.

TASTE

Flavours vary enormously, but usually include at least a hint of something very earthily rural. It can produce lively, almost fizzing young reds with juicy, cherry flavours, as well as more concentrated, long-lived, oak-matured reds with superb, savoury, herb and spice flavours. The acidity is high, extract fairly low, alcohol moderate, and there is no hint of sweetness. Tannin can be quite marked.

ORIGIN

Cultivated all over Italy and meaning Blood of Jove, or Jupiter, Sangiovese is the Chianti grape par excellence, responsible in Tuscany for Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobilo de Montepulciano. By the 19th century, two sub-varieties had emerged: Sangiovese Grosso and Sangiovese Piccolo. It is the variation between the two that makes it so difficult to generalise about the varietal characteristics of these wines.

IN SOUTH AFRICA

A relative newcomer to the Cape. The KWV's mother block made a rather thin wine with a pale garnet hue. The grapes grown on Fredericksburg produced fuller, softer wines, though this may have been due to the influence of Nebbiolo, another experimental Italian grape. Today it’s used in various blends, with single varietal offerings hailing from Anura, Fairview (Agostinelli), L’Ormarins (Terra del Capo), Monterosso and WhaleHaven (Da Capo Idiom).

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Small plantings in California, Australia and some in Argentina.

BEST EXAMPLES

From Italy: Tignanello, Marchesi di Frescobaldi Chianti Rufina, Castello di Volpaia and Fattoria Casisano Colombaio (Brunello di Montalcino).

AGEING POTENTIAL

Depending on how the wine's made, it can age quite well because of its tannin structure – up to 10 years.

MATCHING WITH FOOD

Goes well with traditional Italian fare, such as pastas and hearty stews.

SERVING TEMPERATURE

Between 18° and 20° C.