Chianti is Italy's most famous red wine. It used to be easily identified by its squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called fiasco ("flask").

The popularity and high exportability of this wine at the moment of introduction of the DOC, has made in 1963 that many regions of central Tuscany didn't want to be excluded from the use of the name. As a result the large (for Italian standards) production area was split in seven sub-regions: Chianti Classico, Rufina, Colli Senesi, Colli Fiorentini, Montalbano, Colli Arretini, Colline Pisane. Only wines labeled Chianti Classico come from the heart of the area that is traditionally attribuited to this wine. The other variants - with the exeption of Rufina from the north side of Florence and Montalbano - are originated in the respective named provinces: Siena, Firenze (Florence), Arezzo and Pisa.

Till the end of the 18th century Chianti was based on Sangiovese grapes. In the beginning of 1800 producers started to add other varieties, including 5-10% of white grapes. From 1967 it is allowed again to produce a Chianti with 100% sangiovese, or at least without the white grapes. It may have a picture of a black rooster (known in Italian as a gallo nero) on the neck of the bottle, which indicates that the producer of the wine is associated with the "Gallo Nero" Consortium; an association of producers of the Classico region sharing marketing costs. Aged Chianti (38 months instead of 4-7), may be labelled as Riserva. Chianti that meets more stringent requirements, mainly lower yeald, higher alcohol content and dry ecxtract, may be labelled as Chianti Superiore. Chianti from the "Classico" sub-area is not allowed in any case to be labelled as "Superiore".

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