Chianti can be compared to a unique vineyard. Hundreds of rows of vines represent the most characteristic feature of Chianti, the land where excellent wines are produced. The high quality of Chianti wine is the result of millenary knowledge and   a great tradition of wine-making.  Chianti wine has been of great importance since Etruscan times.

Chianti wine  is mostly produced  utilising grapes of Sangiovese 75%, Canaiolo 10%, Trebbiano and Malvasia, as well as, Cabernet and Merlot. The feature peculiar to a Chianti wine is a very small yield per plant and a 12 degree minimum of alcoholic content. To ensure the best quality of Chianti wine, producers cannot sell the wine until a year after the harvest. Wine-making, preservation, aging and bottling have to take place inside the production zone. A "Gallo Nero" (black cock) is the trademark which guarantees a bottle of real Chianti wine. To have the "Gallo Nero" label, producers have to put the wine through a rigid taste testing.

Two kinds of wine are available on the market: "Normal" and "Reserve".

"Normal" is Chianti Classico labelled with a "Gallo Nero" surrounded by the red border.

"Reserve" is labelled with the ancient trademark surrounded by the golden border and it is produced with the best grapes which, after a minimum of 27 months aging, give the wine a special full-bodied flavour.

The colour of Chianti is ruby red, tending towards pomegranate red when aged. The flavour is harmonic, dry, sapid, slightly tannic, with an intensely vinous aroma and occasionally a violet scent. The wine of Chianti is perfect to accompany all foods, but especially the traditional food of Tuscany, such as game dishes, roast meats and cheeses.

The name of Chianti is linked to the wine, but also its Olive oil is of the highest quality. A Farmers Union guarantees its quality and establishes its characteristics. It is produced respecting ancient tradition and conserved in terracotta pots. Observing these rules, the best olive oil comes up with a unique taste, the leading actor in Italian cooking.
 

Greve in Chianti

Greve in Chianti. 236 mt above sea level, about 12,000 pop., 30 km from Florence, 35 km from Siena.

Right in the center of Tuscany, on a hill top entirely covered by trees and vineyards, amid   beautiful scenery, lies the village of Greve in Chianti.
In the heart of Chianti, halfway between Siena and Florence, Greve in Chianti, the "city of wine", with its vineyards, olive groves, castles, churches and medieval hamlets is the unavoidable choice for visitors who are looking for a real taste of Tuscany.

• Town hall Etruscan exhibition:
  It hosts Etruscan finds from excavations in the surrounding district.
• Etruscan necropolis of Poggino.
• Etruscan burial mound of Montecalvario.
  The 7C b.c. tomb was discovered in 1507 and is a four-roomed tomb with rooms disposed towards the four cardinal points. Built for an Etruscan aristocratic family, the tomb is especially interesting for the town-planning structure of the plan. In the tomb, steel and bronze decorations from a war chariot and a lion's head made of pietra serena were found.
  
• Town hall of Castellina in Chianti
• Fonterutoli
• The Curch of St. Martino a Crispiano
• The Church of St. Leonino in Conio
• The Church of St. Agnese
• The Church of St. Salvatore

Amenities:

• Sport centers (tennis courts and football ground)
• Bus service
• Closest train station: Castellina Scalo village
• Disco
• Tourist information:  Town hall
• Market day:  Saturday morning

Museums and sightseeing:

• Villa Chigi garden in Castelnuovo Berardenga:
  Built between 1820 and 1840. The park hosts a wide variety of trees. Classic "Italian garden" - Nice fountain by Tito Sarrocchi (1866) - Large collection of statues dedicated to great musicians, a sort of gallery of music - open on Sundays and public holidays - Free entrance

• Museo del Paesaggio (Landscape museum) in Castelnuovo B.ga - closed on Mondays
• The Parish church of Pacina
• San Gusmè
• Pievasciata
• Vagliagli
  Very beautiful borgo in excellent panoramic position.
• Badia d'Ombrone
• San Felice
• Certosa di Pontignano
  Very harmonious complex of medieval and renaissance buildings. 
• Villa a Sesta
• Borgo Monastero

Amenities:

• Sport centers with tennis courts, football grounds, bowling greens, public pool, basketball and volleyball
• Skating rink
• Market day :  Thursday morning
• Riding school
• Closest train station: Castenuovo Berardenga Scalo
• Tourist information: Municipal Tourist office in Via del Chianti 1, open 10:00-13:00 / 15:30-19:30

Museums and sightseeing:

• Castello di Brolio. Open 9:00 - 18:00
  Dating back  to the 19th century, it is a very impressive castle. It preserves the ancient keep, the fortifications and the chapel.  The wine cellar of the castle is famous all over the world for the celebrated wines of Brolio. The castle is on the road from Gaiole in Chianti to Montevarchi.
• Parish Church of Santa Maria a Spaltenna
• Parish Church of San Giusto in Salcio
• Parish Church of San Polo in Rosso
• Castello di Meleto
  Perfectly preserved, it is a rare example of a fortified medieval farm, with impressive circular towers, overlooking the surrounding vineyards of Chianti Classico.
• Castello di Cacchiano
• Badia a Coltibuono
  Romanesque abbey and cloister,  nowadays transformed into wine cellars.   Built in between the 10th & 11th century  and inhabited by the Vallombrosan Benedictine monks up to the beginning of the 19th century.
• Torre di Montegrossi

Amenities:

• Sport center: tennis courts and football ground, bowling green and gym
• Market day: 2nd Monday of the month
• Car rental
• Tourist information: Tourist board in Via Ricasoli 50, Gaiole in Chianti

Museums and sightseeing:

• Palazzo del Podestà
• Convento dei Francescani
• Castello di Volpaia

Amenities:

• Sport center with tennis courts and football ground
• Cinema
• Market day: 4th Monday of the month 
• Car rental
• Tourist information: "Pro Loco" office in P.zza Ferrucci 1, open 10:00-13:00 / 15:30-19:30

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