This Ain't Chianti: Is Italian Sangiovese Better Outside Tuscany?
The Wine Pair PodcastJune 21, 202600:50:21

This Ain't Chianti: Is Italian Sangiovese Better Outside Tuscany?

Sangiovese is the classic example of how a wine can taste completely different depending on where it is from and how it is made, and this episode demonstrates that fact in spades. Sangiovese is one of the great Italian wine grapes, but because of its strong association with the wine Chianti, it has a bit of a mixed reputation. In its defense, Chianti is really a food wine which is where its acidity really shines. But Sangiovese itself is an amazing wine grape that can vary from light and fruity like a Gamay to velvety and smooth like a Merlot. On that note, it may surprise you to know that about half of all of the Sangiovese grown in Italy is not grown in Tuscany, and regions like Puglia, Emilia-Romagna and Marche are making fantastic versions of it. In this episode, we taste and review two wines made from 100% Sangiovese from Umbria and tiny Molise, and without spoiling it too much, we can tell you that they are very different wines, almost hard to tell they are from the same grape, and are different than Chianti. In a good way. Join us to find out more! Wines reviewed in this episode: 2022 Cantina Roccafiore Melograno, 2021 Di Majo Norante Terre degli Osci Sangiovese

0:00 Introduction
0:41 Episode Overview and First Thoughts on Italian Sangiovese That Is Not Chianti
11:27 Topic: WTF is Sangiovese Wine That is Not Chianti or from Tuscany?
18:02 Sangiovese Wines We Chose for This Episode
25:46 2022 Cantina Roccafiore Melograno Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review
32:17 2021 Di Majo Norante Terre degli Osci Sangiovese Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review
39:52 The Test: Did we nail the taste profiles expected from Sangiovese?
42:01 What is the verdict on Sangiovese not from Tuscany?
42:53 Wine in the news this week: Ancient DNA from Tuscan wells reveal origins of modern wine
46:14 Listener Shoutouts
48:09 Wines coming up in future episodes in case you want to drink along with us
48:45 Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is Sangiovese wine outside Tuscany?
A. Sangiovese is the grape. Chianti is one famous wine style made from it. In this episode, we tasted two 100% Sangiovese bottles from Umbria and Molise, not Tuscany, and both scored 8/10 from both of us. The big takeaway is simple: same grape, but a very different experience based on where the wine is from and how it is made, and both buy-worthy.

Q. Is Sangiovese the same as Chianti?
A. No. Chianti is typically a Sangiovese-based wine from Tuscany, while Sangiovese is a wine grape grown across Italy. Joe points out that about half of Italy's Sangiovese is outside Tuscany. That is exactly why we did this episode, to show how far the grape can stretch beyond the Chianti profile.

Q. What does Sangiovese from Umbria taste like?
A. Our 2022 Cantina Roccafiore Melograno from Umbria drank bright and fresh, with cherry, strawberry, herbs, and tart candy notes. We described it as Beaujolais-like in feel, light, fruity, and summer-ready. It showed shiny light ruby color, clear freshness, and easy-drinking energy without losing character.

Q. What does Sangiovese from Molise taste like?
A. The 2021 Di Majo Norante Terre degli Osci from Molise was darker and more structured than the Umbria wine. We got dark cherry, plum, leather, black licorice, and black tea grip, with grippy tannin and roundness. It felt more savory and serious, especially next to richer food pairings.

Q. What food pairs best with Sangiovese?
A. It depends on style. The fresh, fruity style wine works best with grilled chicken, cheeseburgers, barbecue, pizza, pasta, and meatballs. The richer, more velvety style wine leaned into steak, roasts, lamb chops, ribs, bolognese, meaty pizza, eggplant parmigiana, and lasagna. Both are food-friendly, but they point to different dinner plans.

Q. Is Chianti better with food than sipping on its own?
A. In this episode, Joe says Chianti can be food-first and feel sharp when sipped alone. That was the reason for testing non-Tuscany Sangiovese. These two bottles showed different, more flexible expressions, with one brighter and one deeper, and both still anchored in classic food-pairing strength. However, the non-Chianti wines were better for drinking alone than a typical Chianti

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