Da Vinci

Tonight I grabbed a bottle of DaVinci Chianti from 2009 that is made from 90% Sangiovese grapes and 10% Merlot grapes. The label of this bottle was a little too corny for me to pass up, and I'm glad I didn't -- this is a really, really good wine. There is no unpleasant after taste or bitterness and the wine isn't incredibly sweet. I think this is a perfect combination. 

As you can see in the picture, the label is absurd. At first I thought this was just a play on THE Da Vinci (Leonardo) but I later learned from the wine producer's website that this wine is in fact made outside of a town in Italy called "Vinci." I see what they did here. 

Anyways, this wine is a classic "Chianti" produced in Tuscany. For a wine to be called Chianti it must contain at least 80% Sangiovese grapes and needs to come out of the Tuscany region in Italy. I am a total sucker for Tuscan wines because they offer a great variety of flavors and...different wine varieties. 

 

Price: $11

Grade: 10/10

This particular bottle has a DOCG designation, the highest designation a bottle of wine from Italy can have. DOCG simply means that this bottle comes from a very specific region in Italy and adheres to a defined set of standards. These standards are enforced by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and they place a label on approved bottles of wine. 

You can see this label in the picture to the right. It folds right over the top of the bottle just so you know the bottle has been approved. If a bottle of wine has this label, regardless of price, you know you're getting a pretty good bottle of legitimate Italian wine.