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Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin sanguis Jovis, "blood of Jove".
Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy, particularly in Tuscany, where it is the dominant grape variety. Here, Sangiovese thrives in various subregions, including Chianti, Montalcino, and Montepulciano, whose diverse terroirs winemakers put to good use to craft wines that reflect the land's unique nuances.
Sangiovese's ability to express terroir and age gracefully has earned it a revered status among wine enthusiasts worldwide, cementing its place as one of Italy's most cherished grape varieties. Because of its distinctive character and versatility, Sangiovese is the singular or primary grape variety used in iconic Italian wines from Tuscany such as bold and age-worthy Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, to vibrant and fruity wines like Morellino di Scansano, Carmignano and Chianti Classico.
Sangiovese is also cultivated in other parts of central Italy, such as Umbria and Marche, where it is sometimes blended for the production of notable wines like Sagrantino di Montefalco and Rosso Conero.
While its stronghold is in the central region of the country, Sangiovese is also grown in smaller quantities in regions like Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and even as far south as Calabria where it can be used to make varietal wines such as Sangiovese di Romagna and some of the modern "Super Tuscan" wines like Tignanello, a blend of 80% Sangiovese 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc or 'Colore' Bibi Graetz made with 100% Sangiovese from old vines.
Sangiovese was already well known by the 16th century. Recent DNA profiling by José Vouillamoz of 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, the toe of Italy. At least fourteen Sangiovese clones exist, of which Brunello is one of the best regarded. An attempt to classify the clones into Sangiovese grosso (including Brunello) and Sangiovese piccolo families has gained little evidential support.
Young Sangiovese has fresh fruity flavours of strawberry and a little spiciness, but it readily takes on oaky, even tarry, flavours when aged in barrels.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz, Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, pp. 942-946, Allen Lane 2012 While not as aromatic as other red wine varieties such as Pinot noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, Sangiovese often has a flavour profile of sour red cherries with earthy aromas and tea leaf notes. Wines made from Sangiovese usually have medium-plus tannins and high acidity.Wine & Spirits Education Trust, Wine and Spirits: Understanding Wine Quality, pp. 6-9, Second Revised Edition (2012), London,
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, it risks turning into vinegar. While there is no conclusive proof that Sangiogheto is Sangiovese, most wine historians consider this the first historical mention of the grape. Regardless, it would not be until the 18th century that Sangiovese would gain widespread attention throughout Tuscany, being with Malvasia and Trebbiano the most widely planted grapes in the region.
In 1738, Cosimo Trinci described wines made from Sangiovese as excellent when blended with other varieties but hard and acidic when made as a wine by itself. In 1883, the Italian writer Giovanni Cosimo Villifranchi echoed a similar description about the quality of Sangiovese being dependent on the grapes with which it was blended. The winemaker and politician, Bettino Ricasoli formulated one of the early recipes for Chianti when he blended his Sangiovese with a sizable amount of Canaiolo. In the wines of Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Sangiovese would experience a period of popularity in the late 19th and early 20th century. In the 1970s, Tuscan winemakers began a period of innovation by introducing modern oak treatments and blending the grape with non-Italian varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon in the creation of wines that were given the collective marketing sobriquet "Super Tuscans".
Where the crossing between Ciliegiolo and Calabrese Montenuovo occurred is not known, with some believing the cross happened in Tuscany while other ampelographers suggesting it may have happened in southern Italy. Evidence for this latter theory is the proliferation of seedless mutations of Sangiovese, known under various synonyms, throughout various regions of southern Italy including Campania, Corinto nero which is grown on the island of Lipari just north of Sicily and Tuccanese from the Apulia region in the heel of the Italian boot. In Campania, among the many seedless mutations of Sangiovese still growing in the region are Nerello from the commune of Savelli, Nerello Campotu from the commune of Motta San Giovanni, Puttanella from Mandatoriccio and Vigna del Conte.
Another Italian study published in 2008 using DNA typing showed a close genetic relationship between Sangiovese on the one hand and ten other Italian grape varieties on the other hand: Foglia Tonda, Frappato, Gaglioppo, Mantonicone, Morellino del Casentino, Morellino del Valdarno, Nerello Mascalese, Tuccanese di Turi, Susumaniello, and Vernaccia Nera del Valdarno. It is possible, and even likely, that Sangiovese is one of the parents of each of these grape varieties. ‘Sangiovese’ and ‘Garganega’ are two key varieties of the Italian grapevine assortment evolution , M. Crespan, A. Calò, S. Giannetto, A. Sparacio, P. Storchi and A. Costacurta, Vitis 47 (2), pp. 97–104 (2008). Since these grape varieties are spread over different parts of Italy (Apulia, Calabria, Sicily and Tuscany), this confirmed by genetic methods that Sangiovese is a key variety in the pedigree of red Italian grape varieties.
DNA analysis in 2001 also suggests a strong genetic relationship between Sangiovese and Aleatico, a grape variety predominantly growing in Apulia, though the exact nature of this relationship has yet to be determined.
The grape requires a long growing season, as it buds early and is slow to ripen. The grape requires sufficient warmth to ripen fully, but too much warmth and its flavours can become diluted.Oz Clarke, Encyclopedia of Grapes, pp. 209-216, Harcourt Books 2001 . Harvests in Italy have traditionally begun after September 29, with modern harvest often taking place in mid-late October. A longer growing season gives the grapes time to develop richness and potential body. However, in cool this can result in the grapes having high levels of acidity and harsh, unripened tannins. In regions (like some areas of Tuscany) that are prone to rainfall in October, there is a risk for grape disease due to the Sangiovese grape's thin skin. In other areas, such as the dry conditions of the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State, the grape has good resistance to drought conditions and often requires little irrigation.
For the best quality, yields need to be kept in check as the vine is notably vigorous and prone to overproduction. In Chianti, most quality conscious producers limit their yields to 3 pounds (1.5 kg) of fruit per vine. Wine made from high-yielding vines tend to produce wines with light color, high acidity, and less ethanol, which are likely to oxidize ("brown") prematurely due to a lower concentration of tannins and (anti-oxidants). Fully developed grapes are typically 19 mm long x 17 mm wide, with an average weight of 3 .
Soils with low fertility are ideal and help control some of the vigor of the vine. Planting vines in high densities in order to curb vigor may have the adverse effect of increasing foliage and limiting the amount of direct sunlight that can reach the ripening grapes. Advances in understanding the quality and characteristics of the different clones of Sangiovese has led to the identification and propagation of superior clones. While high-yielding clones have been favored in the past, more attention is being paid to matching the clone to the vineyard site and controlling the vine's vigor.
Other techniques used to improve the quality of Sangiovese include extending the maceration period from 7–12 days to 3–4 weeks to give the must more time to leach vital phenols out of the grape skins. Transferring the wine during fermentation into new oak barrels for malolactic fermentation gives greater polymerization of the tannins and contributes to a softer, rounder mouthfeel. Additionally, Sangiovese has shown itself to be a "sponge" for soaking up sweet vanilla and other oak compounds from the barrel. For aging the wine, some modern producers will utilize new French oak barrels but there is a tradition of using large, used oak botti barrels that hold five to six of wine. Some traditional producers still use the old chestnut barrels in their cellars.
While there was over of Sangiovese planted in Italy in 1990, plantings of the grape began to decline. However, at the turn of the 21st century, Italy was still the leading source for Sangiovese, with planted in 2000, primarily in the Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily, Abruzzo and Marche regions. Argentina was next with , followed by Romania with , the Corsica region in France with , California with and Australia with .
The intense fruit and deep color of Cabernet was shown to be well suited for blending with Sangiovese but banned in many Italian DOCs. In the 1970s, the rise of "Super Tuscans"-wines that eschew DOC regulation in favor of the lower classification of vino da tavola-increased the demand for more flexibility in the DOC laws. While the first DOC to be permitted to blend Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese was approved for Carmignano in 1975, most of Tuscany's premier wine regions were not permitted to blend Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese till the late 20th century.
Today there is a broad range of style of Chianti reflecting the Sangiovese influence and winemaker's touch. Traditional Sangiovese emphasize herbal and bitter cherry notes, while more modern, Bordeaux-influenced wines have more plum and mulberry fruit with vanilla oak and spice. Stylistic and terroir based differences also emerge among the various sub-zones of the Chianti region. The ideal vineyard locations are found on south and southwest-facing slopes at altitudes between . In general, Sangiovese has a more difficult time fully ripening in the Chianti region than it does in the Montalcino and Maremma regions to the south. This is due to cooler nighttime temperatures and high propensity for rainfall in September and October that can affect harvest time.
In the mid-19th century, a local farmer named Clemente Santi isolated certain plantings of Sangiovese vines in order to produce a 100% varietal wine that could be aged for a considerable period of time.M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy, Italian Wines for Dummies, p. 159-161 Hungry Minds 2001 . In 1888, his grandson Ferruccio Biondi-Santi—a veteran soldier who fought under Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Risorgimento—released the first "modern version" of Brunello di Montalcino, which was aged for over a decade in large wood aging barrel. By the mid-20th century, this 100% varietal Sangiovese was eagerly being sought out by critics and wine drinkers alike.H. Johnson, Vintage: The Story of Wine, pp. 423, Simon and Schuster 1989 . The Montalcino region seems to have ideal conditions for ripening Sangiovese with the potential for full ripeness achievable even on north-facing slopes. These slopes tend to produce lighter and more elegant wines that then those made from vineyards on south and southwest facing slopes.
In the late 20th and early 21st century, the Maremma region located in the southwest corner of Tuscany has seen vast expansion and a surge of investment from outside the region. The area is reliably warm with a shorter growing season. Sangiovese grown in the Maremma is capable of developing broad character but does have the potential of developing too much alcohol and not enough aroma compounds.
In the Romagna region of Emilia-Romagna, the same grape is called Sangiovese di Romagna and is widely planted across the region. Like its neighboring Tuscan brother, Sangiovese di Romagna has shown itself to spring off a variety of clones that can produce a wide range of quality—from very poor to very fine. Viticulturists have worked with Romagna vines to produce new clonal varieties of high quality (most notably the clones R24 & T19).
Sangiovese di Romagna adapts to different soil types, producing richer, more full bodied and tannic wines in the central provinces of Forlì and Ravenna and lighter, fruitier wines in the western and eastern extremes of the regions near the border with Bologna and Marche. The grape seems to produce the highest quality wine in the sandstone and clay rich hills south of the Via Emilia near the Apennines which is covered by much of the Sangiovese di Romagna DOC zone. The higher summer time temperatures of this area gives more opportunity for Sangiovese to sufficiently ripen. The Sangiovese di Romagna DOC zone includes over of Sangiovese that produces on average 3.4 million U.S. gallons (130,000 hectoliters) of wine a year.
In Greece, producers in the northeastern wine region of Drama in East Macedonia and Thrace are experimenting with oak-aged "Super Tuscan" style blends of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Additional plantings of Sangiovese can be found in Israel, Malta, Turkey and Switzerland.
Early results in the late 20th century, were not very promising for California winemakers. Poor site and clonal selection had the grape planted in Sonoita AVA that gave it too much exposure to the sun, producing wines that had little in common with the wines of Tuscany. The Antinori family, which once owned Atlas Peak Vineyards located in the Atlas Peak AVA in the foothills of Napa Valley found that the greater intensity of sunlight in California may have been one possible factor for the poorer quality. Today the style of these Californian Sangiovese tend to be more fruit-driven than their Tuscan counterparts with some floral notes. Recent years have focused on improving vineyard site and clonal selection as well as giving the vines time to age and develop in quality.
In Washington State, one of the first commercial plantings of Sangiovese was at Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley AVA. Today, winemakers are seeking out locations that can highlight the varietal character of Sangiovese. These young plantings in areas such as Walla Walla, Naches Heights AVA and Yakima Valley have so far produced wines with a spicy and tart cherry flavours, anise, Ribes rubrum, and tobacco leaf notes.P. Gregutt, Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide, p. 74, University of California Press 2007 . Like in California, plantings of Sangiovese in Washington have declined in recent years to in 2011.
Other areas in the United States with sizable plantings of Sangiovese include the Rogue Valley and Umpqua AVA in Oregon, the Monticello in Virginia, the Sonoita AVA with 45 acres planted in Arizona, and Texas Hill Country in Texas.Appellation America " Sangiovese" Accessed: January 4, 2009.
In Canada, there are less than of Sangiovese planted, mostly in Ontario where some producers in Niagara-on-the-Lake are experimenting with ice wine versions of the grape. A small amount of the grape can also be found in British Columbia.
Across the Andes range, have been experimenting with plantings with in 2008. Brazil reported of Sangiovese in 2007. The growing Mexican wine industry has also recently begun planting the vine.
Sangiovese is becoming increasingly popular as a red wine grape in Australia, having been introduced by the CSIRO in the late 1960s. State Library of South Australia For many years, this single clone (H6V9) imported from the University of California-Davis was the only available clone for Australian winemakers. The first large-scale commercial planting of the grape was in the 1980s when Penfolds expanded their Kalimna vineyard in the Barossa Valley. As the availability of clones expanded (currently 10 available commercially as of 2011), so did plantings of Sangiovese with in 2008.
As in California, Australian winemakers have begun seeking out the best vineyard location for the grape and being more selective in which clones are planted. Some regions that have shown promise for the grape include the Karridale and Margaret River areas of Western Australia; Langhorne Creek , Strathalbyn and Port Lincoln in South Australia; Canberra and Young in New South Wales; Stanthorpe in Queensland and the western edge of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria.
In New Zealand, the first varietal version of Sangiovese was released in 1998 and today there are of the grape planted, mostly on the North Island around Auckland.
A small amount of Sangiovese is grown in South Africa with reported in 2008, mostly in the Stellenbosch and Darling regions. About 10 wineries make Sangiovese (2025). 9780958450676, Newsome McDowall. ISBN 9780958450676
Different regions will impart varietal character on the wine with Tuscan Sangiovese having a distinctive bitter-sweet component of cherry, violets and tea. In their youth, Tuscan Sangiovese can have tomato-savoriness to it that enhances its herbal component. Californian examples tend to have more bright, red fruit flavours with some Zinfandel-like spice or darker fruits depending on the proportion of Cabernet blended in. Argentine examples showing a hybrid between the Tuscan and California Sangiovese with juicy red fruit wines that end on a bitter cherry note.
Sangiovese based wines have the potential to age but the vast majority of Sangiovese wines are intended to be consumed relatively early in their lives. The wines with the longest aging potential are the Super Tuscans and Brunello di Montalcino wines that can age for upwards of 20 years in ideal . These premium examples may need 5 to 10 years to develop before they drink well. The potentially lighter Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Carmignano and Rosso di Montalcino tend to open earlier (around 5 years of age) but have a shorter life span of 8 to 10 years. The aging potential of Chianti is highly variable, depending on the producer, vintage and sub-zone of the Chianti region it is produced in. Basic Chianti is meant to be consumed within 3 to 4 years after vintage while top examples of Chianti Classico Riserva can last for upwards of 15 years. New World Sangiovese has so far, shown a relatively short window of drinkability with most examples best consumed with 3 to 4 years after harvest with some basic examples of Argentine Sangiovese having the potential to only improve for a year after bottling.
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