Cantina Viticoltori Senesi Aretini Chianti Riserva 2022

Cantina Viticoltori Senesi Aretini Chianti Riserva is a Sangiovese-based Tuscan red made only in the better vintages.

As the name suggests, this is a growers' cooperative drawing on vineyards across the provinces of Siena and Arezzo in central Tuscany. Chianti is the best-known red appellation of Tuscany, and the Riserva designation means the wine is aged for longer before release than a standard Chianti. Sangiovese is at its heart, giving the savoury red fruit, firm acidity and fine tannins that make Chianti such a versatile food wine. Produced only in the best vintages, it is intended as a traditional expression of Tuscan winemaking: intense and fragrant, with spicy, rich aromas, great structure and a dry, well-balanced palate with a long finish.

Pour at 16 to 18 degrees. Classic partners include bistecca, pappardelle with wild boar ragù and aged pecorino.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Medium-bodied, Structured
Grape Varietal: Sangiovese
Tastes Like: Comparable to a classic Chianti, with savoury red cherry, dried herbs and fine, firm tannins
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Chianti DOCG Riserva
Region: Siena and Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy
Terroir: Hillside vineyards across the Siena and Arezzo provinces
Aging: Aged longer before release than a standard Chianti, as the Riserva designation requires
Serving Temperature: 16-18°C

Cantina Viticoltori Senesi Aretini is a growers' co-operative drawing its fruit from vineyards across the provinces of Siena and Arezzo, on the eastern side of the Chianti country. This Riserva is produced only in the better vintages.

Seafood: Grilled tuna with cannellini beans and olive oil.
Poultry: Pollo alla cacciatora, or roast chicken with rosemary.
Vegetarian: Ribollita, or pappa al pomodoro.
Meat: Bistecca alla fiorentina, peposo, or pappardelle with wild boar ragù.

Pecorino Toscano: Aged and salty, the classic Chianti partner.
Parmigiano Reggiano: Nutty and umami-rich, meeting the wine's acidity.
Aged Provolone: Sharp and firm, standing up to the tannins.
Taleggio: Soft and washed-rind, softening the wine's structure.

Peposo alla Fornacina (Impruneta Peppercorn Beef)

The terracotta kiln workers of Impruneta, south of Florence, are said to have left this at the mouth of their furnaces to cook all day while they worked. There is no stock and no browning: beef, a great deal of black pepper, whole garlic cloves and enough Chianti to cover. Sangiovese's firm acidity and savoury red fruit are exactly what the pepper and long-cooked beef ask for.

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 1.5kg beef shin or cheek, cut into large pieces
• 1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled and left whole
• 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 750ml Chianti, enough to cover the meat
• 400g tinned peeled tomatoes, crushed, for a rounder sauce (optional)
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• Grilled bread rubbed with garlic, for serving

Instructions:

1. Skip the Searing: Put the raw beef straight into a heavy casserole with the garlic cloves, cracked peppercorns, rosemary and bay. Traditionally the meat is never browned first.
2. Cover with Wine: Pour in enough Chianti to submerge the meat, adding the tomatoes if you prefer a rounder sauce. Do not salt yet.
3. Cook Low and Slow: Bring to a bare simmer on the stove, then cover and transfer to a 140°C oven for 3 hours, stirring once an hour and topping up with wine or water if the meat breaks the surface.
4. Reduce: Uncover for the final 30 minutes so the sauce thickens and darkens around the meat.
5. Season at the End: Stir in the salt and ground pepper only now. Salting early toughens the shin.
6. Rest and Serve: Let it stand 15 minutes off the heat, then serve on grilled bread rubbed with garlic, with the sauce spooned over.

Chianti Riserva has the acidity to cut through three hours of beef fat and the tannic backbone to stand against that quantity of pepper, while its savoury cherry fruit echoes the wine cooked into the sauce.