As indoor on-premise dining returns to major American cities, and as consumers continue to discover the convenience of curated online wine ordering, the Chianti Classico Consortium (Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico) and Italian marketplace and restaurant hub Eataly have announced a new partnership to celebrate and share the joy of the Italian culinary tradition alongside the artistry of the country’s famed, food-friendly Sangiovese grape, the main variety of Chianti Classico’s legendary red wines.
From October 5 to November 1, Eataly will offer a curated selection of sixteen top Chianti Classico wines across its five American locations—New York Flatiron, New York Downtown, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles—including a special menu dedicated to Chianti Classico at one restaurant at each location, where all included labels will be promoted on the wine list. Eataly’s new “Restaurant Delivery Platform” home delivery service will also feature the wines as a pairing option, in addition to offering them for retail sale on eatalyvino.com. Producers offered will be: Brancaia, Cantina Castelvecchi, Castello di Fonterutoli, Castello di Meleto, Castello di Monsanto, Castello di Verrazzano, Fattoria della Aiola, Fattorie Melini, Felsina, Fontodi, I Fabbri, Lamole di Lamole, Luiano, Rocca delle Macìe, San Fabiano Calcinaia, and San Felice.
“It’s no secret how important the US market is for Chianti Classico,” says Giovanni Manetti, president of the Chianti Classico Consortium. “More than one out of three bottles produced in our area are sold in the US. This partnership with Eataly goes beyond a simple promotional activity: we immediately found a common purpose that comes from a shared sensibility towards quality. Chianti Classico winemakers are blessed with luck for being a part of a viticultural tradition that’s representative of Italian excellence; Eataly has the merit to know how to bring value to this heritage. We simply connected the dots—a process that besides creating and promoting a product wants to stimulate consumers to engage in a healthy and aware culture of food and wine.”
“We at Eataly are proud to carry out our role as passionate ambassadors for Italy and its incomparable heritage and culture of truly incredible food and wine,” says Dan Amatuzzi, Senior Beverage Director of Eataly USA. “Tuscany and Chianti Classico have always held a special place in the minds and palates of US travelers and consumers, and we are thrilled to be working with these sixteen amazing wineries in this special program that will bring the best of Tuscany to the American public.”
With dining and wine-buying habits undergoing a seismic shift due to the Covid-19 pandemic, retailers and on-premise operators are finding new ways to create meaningful culinary experiences for consumers, especially when it comes to introducing diners to wine categories both well-loved and ripe for rediscovery—like Chianti Classico, one of Italy’s most revered denominations, and one that has been continually producing world-class wine since 1716.
With widespread recognition of the Black Rooster as a symbol of quality and heritage, an ever-growing dedication to organic viticulture and ecological diversity, and a string of superb vintages helping to keep the region at the forefront of fine wine, Chianti Classico is more poised than ever to be the go-to choice for lovers of Italian dining adapting their consumption patterns to the new realities of the global pandemic.
