On Monday June 3rd, 2019, Savor Our City attended the Chianti Classico Experience in Miami at the Miami Culinary Institute sponsored by IEEM – International Event and Exhibition Management, LLC. IEEM specializes in delivering high quality wine events and has become one of the most well-regarded Italian wine event organizers in the world.
With over 50 people in attendance, Jeff Porter lead a tasting on the diversity of the unique terroir of Chianti Classico. To explore the terroir of the Chianti Classico, you need to understand the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate, and today we learned just that. As we were guided through 8 different wineries of the Chianti Classico, we learned that the terroir is a shield of clayey schists (marl), with layers of scaly clay, alberese and fine limestone sandstone. The dark brown soil in this case tends to not be deep, with structures ranging from clayey-sand to stony with average clay content. These different types of clay, sandstone, and soil all make up the type of grape that the region and wineries produce, each with its own unique and distinct taste. The wineries presented included La Sala, Principe Corsini-Villa Le Corti, Lamole De Lamole, Carobbio, Conti Capponi – Villa Calcinaia, Bibbiano, Castello de Albola and Tolaini. As we tasted each wine of Chianti Classico, winery principals explained the background of each vineyard, the complexity of the grapes, soil type, vine density and altitude in which the grapes were grown, providing more depth to the tasting experience. Following the tasting attendees enjoyed a light lunch at Tuyo, located on the eighth floor of the Miami Culinary Institute providing a panoramic view of the city. The lunch included ceviche crostini, pulled beef and grits, orzo salad and of course additional tastings of the wines presented and an opportunity to speak with their respective principal. While a few wines caught the attention of Savor Our City to include the Carobbio and Conti Capponi – Villa Calcinaia, each wine had a taste for everyone to enjoy. There is nothing better than tasting wine, having a delightful lunch with panoramic views and meeting new people. Chianti Classico well done!
