The Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico met earlier this month and have approved changes that will revamp the Chianti Classico denomination. In addition a new category will be added. The image of the Black Rooster will change and the location of the image will be moved.

Considered to be historic changes, the board of directors with many meetings has worked on the changes for two years prior to the recent approval.

Changes to be made:

• Qualitative Pyramid – A pyramid will be created with a top category added that will be only from grapes grown by the winery. No other grapes will be allowed. The new category can only be put on the market after 30 months from harvest that includes three months in the bottle. The Consortium has yet to name the new category.
• The Riserva category was changed. When applying for certification the winemaker must note the wine destination: vintage, riserva or the new category.
• Black Rooster Image Change: Since 2005 the Black Rooster has represented Chianti Classico denomination. In addition to changing the image, the Black Rooster image will not be on the government seal but placed on the neck of the bottle.

The outgoing president, Marco Pallanti, noted: “I’ve been working with the board for a long time to find the biggest consensus from members about these changes. Endeavors aimed at having the consumer perceive the higher quality that our wines have achieved in recent years, enabling us to face future challenges with a set of regulations able to make Chianti Classico stronger with regard to growing international competition.”

For further information about the Chianti Classico changes, visit the Consortium website.

It will be interesting to try wines from the new pyramid to discover the differences. Will the changes make a difference to wine consumers? It will be interesting to find out.

Want to know about the Black Rooster? Check out the Wine Trail Traveler Black Rooster article.

Cheers! Kathy