Le Chiantigiane

Le Chiantigiane - Chianti in large size

Le Chiantigiane is a winegrowers' association based in Tuscany. The association has a whopping 2460 hectares of vineyards, which allow it to produce a large portfolio of different wines. The association was founded in 1967 and today about 2000 winegrowers belong to Le Chiantigiane. The goal at the beginning was the worldwide marketing of Tuscan wine, especially Chianti, where one is one of the largest producers in Italy.

In the meantime, the company has grown beyond the borders of the well-known wine region. Thus, for 30 years, the brand has also been present in Maremma, as the market has now recognized the quality of wines from this area. In the late 90s, Le Chiantigiane finally expanded its activities to other Italian areas:

• Abruzzo
• Umbria
• Sardinia
• Sicily
• Lazio

Although Le Chiantigiane is now an all-Italian wine brand, a large part of its production is still concentrated in Tuscany, specifically in the municipalities of Certaldo, Colle Val d'Elsa, Empoli, Larciano and Castelnuovo Berardenga. This is also where the brand's winery is located, where part of the grapes are processed into wine. The remaining part is still processed by the winegrowers of the community themselves, in this case they only supply the wine to Le Chiantigiane for bottling.

The wineries of Le Chiantigiane

Le Chiantigiane is composed of many small winegrowers, but 4 wineries belong to the cooperative itself:

Montagnana

Located in the Florence area, this is one of the oldest wineries in Tuscany; in the Middle Ages it belonged to the monks of Certosa di Firenze, who farmed it. The estate has centuries-old olive groves and vineyards, which have remained virtually unchanged for a long time. After the Second World War, the estate began to specialize in certain grape varieties, which gave the estate a new direction and impetus. in 1972 the employees took over the estate, making it one of the first communal wineries in Italy.

Geggiano

Geggiano is located in the heart of the hills of Siena, one of the best areas for Chianti Classico. Le Chiantigiane has chosen this winery to produce a wine of very high quality. Legend has it that Dionysus, the god of wine, chose the hills around Siena as the ideal place to plant vines and grow Sangiovese grapes. He was accompanied by a goddess who fell in love with the place and gave the rows her magnificent image in the form of a butterfly's wing. Thus was born Chianti Classico, which combines a history rich in poetry and reminiscent of the past with the excellent quality of the wines produced in this area.

The steep, stony slopes with Galestro are ideal for the production of a high quality product obtained from 25 hectares of low production vineyards, with about 60 quintals of grapes per hectare, grown with the cordon system. The surrounding landscape is breathtakingly beautiful and the vineyard, with its "butterfly wing" shape, overlooks Piazza del Campo, in the heart of the medieval city of Siena.

Alborense

Le Chiantigiane's Morellino di Scansano comes from this vineyard, located in Maremma not far from the Abbey of San Rabano, whose bell tower adorns the wine's label. 53 hectares of vineyards extend here, 13 hectares have recently been completely replanted. The winery is close to the sea, which climatically curbs the strong sunlight somewhat. Under the watchful eye of director Maurizio Cremonini Bianchi and oenologist Giorgio Marone, wine is produced here with very little use of chemical pesticides to minimize the impact on nature.

Mustiaio

This winery calls Le Chiantigiane one of the flagships of the community, with vineyards in an incredible scenery and good climatic conditions and terroir. Soils of clay, with a high percentage of limestone, the Mediterranean hills and the influence of the sea create ideal conditions for the cultivation of high quality wine. The vineyard has been renewed in recent years, reducing the planting density of the vines. Le Chiantigiane uses this vineyard to produce a so-called Supertoscan. This is a wine that is made in the style of top global wines, such as the famous Bordeaux, but comes from the Italian region that gives it its name.

The wine lines of Le Chiantigiane

Many different wine lines are now in the portfolio of the winemaking community, here are a few listed:

• Chiantigiane
• Poggio Gherardo
• Novelli
• Rubentino
• Loggia del Sole
• Eccelenze
• Santa Trinita
• Nero Su Bianco