Drink Chianti (with some Italian food) before you die! Why?
It's the perfect accompaniment to pizza and pasta (...and possibly liver and fava beans!)
Made from the Sangiovese grape, which literally means ‘Blood of Jove’. Jove, aka Jupitur (or Zeaus to the Greeks) was the supreme deity of the Romans, wielder of thunderbolts and king of the gods. In Italy, Sangiovese is king of the grapes or at least the most important (I’m sure plenty of Piedmontese would argue Nebiolo is the king of grapes … and the grape of kings … or something like that).
Sunset in the vineyards, Gaiole, Chianti | © stefanotermanini / adobe.stock.com
A classic Chianti tastes of bitter cherries and violets, with a certain tomatoey savouriness, and a definite rasp of herbs and a tea-like finish. The acidity is typically up there and the tannins can be too which help make it a great food wine.
It’s one of those wines that can really make a meal. At the beginning of Thunderball when James Bond leaves his two week stint at a health spa he has “a passionate longing for a large dish of Spaghetti Bolognese containing plenty of chopped garlic and accompanied by a whole bottle of the cheapest, rawest Chianti”. Hannibal Lecter, of course, prefers his Chianti with liver and fava beans.