Sangiovese is one of the stars of the Italian wine grape varieties now making their mark in Australia. The variety is regarded as being suitable for cultivation in a number of Australian wine regions. So we will see more of these wines in the future.

The name looks like it comes from an Italian saint, but apparently it derives from Sanguis Jovis or 'Jupiter's Blood.' It is the major variety in the Tuscan region and thus Chianti wine.

Jancis Robinson in her excellent 1986 work, Vines Grapes and Wines, claims that the variety was plagued by a multitude of subvarieties of varying quality. Wines made from the variety could range from very ordinary to excellent.

The vagaries of the rules for the grape varieties permitted in Chianti have added to the broad range of quality of this particular wine. Now growers and winemakers are more conscious of using the better clones or subvarieties. The result is better wine and wider acceptance of the variety.

Since the 1970s the rules have been extended to allow a blending of up 10 percent of other varieties. It was soon discovered that the use of Cabernet Sauvignon as the minor component with Sangiovese leads to outstanding results.

Sangiovese is the only variety permitted in the famous wines from Brunello di Montalcino, which are regarded as among Italy's best. They're made a strain of Sangiovese Grosso called Brunello ("little dark one"), so named for the brown hue of its skin. Although these wines are grown and made in Tuscany they are big, deep-colored, and powerful, with enough tannins and structure to warrant considerable cellaring. Over recent years there has been increased plantings and interest in the variety in California.

Sangiovese in Australia

The Sangiovese variety has only been used in any quantity in Australia over recent years. It has been tried in most regions in Eastern Australia

It is compartively scarce in WA, perhaps because of the mix up a few years ago when some WA wineries, including Howard Park planted what they thought were Sangiovese vines but they turned out to be Carnelian As the list below shows the Sangiovese variety has become extremely popular. By 2009, there were over 200 Australian wineries using this exciting Italian variety.

Some commentators believe that many plantings of Sangiovese made during the 1990s were of inferior clones. If this is the case we should expect to see some better wines in the future as newer Sangiovese vineyards come into production and others are grafted over to better clones.

This list is growing as more growers, winemakers and wine drinkers discover that 'something different' about Sangiovese.

TV Chef and Mildura enthusiast Stefano Di Piero is a great fan of this variety. The Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, now a broad based annual event in Mildura, began life in 1999 as a Sangiovese competition organised by Stefano and a few friends.

Pairing food with Sangiovese is not too hard, just think Italian. Any meal with a Mediterranean style will be improved with a bottle of Sangiovese. Pastas, better still antipastos, are the go. They are great wines for informal meals, picnics and bbqs. But you really need to have some food, even if it is just a plate of olives and some cheese.

Here are some more food pairing ideas and recipes for Sangiovese

In Australia the variety is sometimes blended successfully with other red varieties, notably Shiraz.