Chianti Classico, the wine that is most associated with Italy and Tuscany that claims to be the oldest fixed wine region of the world, is 300 years old since last Saturday.
In 2016 Chianti Classico celebrates three centuries of history since it was on 24th September 1716 that Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici decided to define the boundaries to the production of fine quality wines in the rolling Tuscan hills between Florence and Siena, for the first time in history. As Chianti wines became more famous, the production area was expanded to meet growing national and international demand. The term “Classico” was added to refer to the original zone defined in 1716 and to distinguish the original Chianti from the wines made outside the “classic” zone.  The Chianti Classico producers also adopted the now iconic gallo nero (black rooster) as their symbol.
The Chianti Classico region is characterized by a diversity of microclimates, soils and altitudes which influence the character of the wines. We can speculate as to what the wines tasted like 300 years ago, but there is little question that the quality of Chianti Classico has improved and evolved even just in the past 40 years.