January austerity has set in. We are eating lots of pasta dishes. Are Chianti and Chianti Classico more or less the same or is Chianti Classico a slightly better version?

January 16, 2026

Dear Karen,

January austerity has set in. We are eating lots of pasta dishes. Are Chianti and Chianti Classico more or less the same or is Chianti Classico a slightly better version?The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

Dear Harvey,

Neither is true. Chianti and Chianti Classico come from two different wine regions within Tuscany, Italy, and each make different wines. While it’s true that both Chianti and Chianti Classico are made primarily from the same great Italian red grape Sangiovese, each regions’ soils (and laws concerning yields and aging) are different, leading to different characters in the wines. In Chianti Classico, the “Classico” refers to the original small area where Chianti was historically made. Chianti (no Classico) is a bigger area, but still a place where some fine wines are made. In both cases, I’d go for the Riserva versions which have more depth and flavor.

It’s legal to make a rosé wine by blending white wine and red wine. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.

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Hours each year parents in the US spend negotiating with their children about what to eat, according to the new book Picky, and as reported in The Economist. The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.