Tasting the Old & The New at Anteprime Toscana 2026 Chianti Classico Collection

The Chianti Classico DOCG is home to many of Italy’s most historic producers. It is also one of Europe’s oldest demarcated wine regions dating to 1716. Every February, the Consorzio Chianti Classico DOCG debuts its new vintages as part of Anteprime Toscana. For several days, media, trade and consumers can taste hundreds of wines from throughout Tuscany. Attending Anteprime Toscana is an annual ritual for us that we rarely miss.

The 2026 edition of Anteprime Toscana debuted the 2024 Chianti Classico Annata which for the Chianti Classico DOCG requires a minimum of 12 months of aging. Overall, the 2024 wines we tasted delivered beautiful fruit and freshness for their youth. We also tasted excellent Chianti Classico Riservas which require a minimum of 24 months aging, and Chianti Classico Gran Seleziones, which require 30 months aging.

The Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico includes 499 members of which 320 are bottlers representing the territory’s eleven geographic subzones, known at Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive (UGA). These include (north to south): San Casciano, Greve, Montefioralle, Panzano, Lamole, San Donato in Poggio, Radda, Castellina, Gaiole, Vagliagli and Castelnuova Berardenga. Introduced in 2021 and approved by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture in 2023, the UGA system was designed to reinforce the identity of the wine to its unique growing area and natural attributes.

The tasting hall adjacent to the media room was divided into these regions which provided us the opportunity to better acquaint ourselves with their respective producers and the nuances of terroir. Many Anteprime attendees (including us) navigated to the tasting booths for renowned producers like Antinori, Brancaia, Castello di Volpaia, Castello di Monsanto, Cecchi, Fontodi, Frescobaldi and Ricasoli (and many more). But here are a few other smaller producers we met whom we recommend.

Walking through the cavernous rooms of the Stazione Leopolda at the 33rd edition of the Chianti Classico Collection held February 16-17 during Anteprime Toscana in Florence, one can get lost among the many high-profile producers offering tastes of their latest vintages. But we also discovered a few young producers which we share below.

Innesto Wines (Gaiole) www.innestowines.com

Innesto Wines is a debut project by Sofia Ricasoli, the daughter of Francesco Ricasoli of Castello Brolio. Given this young producer’s viticultural pedigree, we had anticipations when we tasted her two wines whose grapes are sourced from vineyards rich in albarese soil and marine deposits in Santa Lucia near her family’s Castello Brolio. Both wines delivered promise of more to come from the burgeoning independent producer. Here is what we tasted:

Innesto Chianti Classico Riserva 2021, 100% Sangiovese – 16,000 bottles produced

Innesto N.01 Toscana IGT, 84% Sangiovese, 16% Merlot. This multi- vintage wine is a blend of grapes sourced from three select vineyards – 3634 bottles produced

Podere Ciona (Gaiole) www.podereciano.com

The photo of this boutique winery perched high and isolated on a mountain caught our eye as we walked by. Owners Lorenzo Gatteschi and his American-born wife, Jennifer Zaudke told us that Podere Ciona started as a retirement project for Lorenzo’s parents, Franca and Franco Gatteschi. In 1990, the Gatteschis purchased the abandoned property, 100 acres and a crumbling 18th century Tuscan farmhouse. They spent several years restoring it and moved in permanently in 1996. The Gatteschis produced their first vintage in 1997, a Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva. Between 2000 and 2003, the family replanted all the available land with vines and built a new wine cellar. They also acquired another small property nearby which now houses their agriturismo, Le Diacce.

In the “It’s a small world of wine chitchat” we learned that Jennifer Zaudke worked in special events at Sherry-Lehmann for several years and considers Kevin Zraly a mentor. Here is what we tasted:

Chianti Classico Podere Ciona 2022, 95% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot- 6000 bottles produced

Chianti Classico Podere Ciona 2019, 97% Sangiovese, 3% Merlot-3900 bottles produced.

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Podere Ciona, 100% Sangiovese- 2500 bottles produced.

Altiero (Montefioralle) www.altieroinchianti.it

Owner Paolo Baldini named Altiero for grandfather, a farmer who inspired him to study agriculture and turn the family land into a working winery. At the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico gala dinner held at the Teatro Maggio Fiorentino concert hall we sat with Paolo and his wife, Samuela, and learned that they are music lovers like us. During warmer weather, Altiero hosts Thursday evening live music events with their tastings. Samuela is a huge fan of the band, Iron Maiden. (see photo)

The Baldinis started making wine in 1984 but only for friends and family. With a degree in agriculture studies, Paolo decided to turn it into a commercial business in 2001. Altiero has a strong direct sales and wine tourism focus. Here is what we tasted:

Chianti Classico Riserva Altiero 2021, 100% Sangiovese- 4000 bottles

Chianti Classico Riserva Altiero 2020, 100% Sangiovese- 4000 bottles

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, 2021, 100% Sangiovese- 1500 bottles

Tenute Selvolini (Radda) www.tenuteselvolini.com

One of the oldest families in the village of Volpaia in Radda in Chianti, the Selvolini family were shopkeepers and tradespeople the 1600s. Lina Selvolini married Sergio Carusi, who managed the Castelvecchi wine estate. The couple built a successful business in farming and trade, but it wasn’t until the early 1970s that the next generation of the family planted their first vineyard.

Alessandro Anichini, age 32, a descendent on the Selvolini side of the family, now oversees the estate which includes 25 acres (10 hectares) of vineyards and more than 9 acres (four hectares) of olive trees. The family also has a strong wine tourism program with Casa Selvolini, which offers apartment-style accommodations within Volpaia Castle, and La Balza, a Tuscan farmhouse just ten minutes from the village of Radda.

We met Alessandro and tasted four Tenute Selvolini wines:

Perlina Rosato Toscana IGT 2024, 100% Sangiovese- a delightful rosato bursting with red berries.- 2500 bottles.

Chianti Classico Tenute Selvolini 2022, 100% Sangiovese- 5,000 bottles.

Chianti Classico Riserva Tenute Selvolini 2021, 95% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Franc – 2,500 bottles.

This list of producers is a just a small taste of the many in Chianti Classico. To learn more and plan an itinerary to visit the region and producers, the Consorzio Chianti Classic has this helpful link Visit – Chianti Classico. We also recommend www.chianti.com. We look forward to planning our next trip as well!