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The Chianti Region in Tuscany is one of the most beautiful parts of Italy. There are many tiny villages and towns and the whole area has many vineyards and olive groves.

Chianti Region consists of five main communities

• Greve in Chianti
• Radda in Chianti
• Castellina in Chianti
• San Casciano Val di Pesa
• Gaiole in Chianti.

Greve in Chianti is considered by most to be the principal village in the Chianti Region. Some people say that autumn is the best time to visit Chianti Region, when the weather cools off, the colors of autumn procreate, and the grape leaves turn gold and the countryside becomes a photographer's paradise.

Autumn is also time of grape harvest, it is more than grape picking it is a Tuscany tradition celebrated with the food and wine tasting. In the September Chianti region offer many fairs and festivals where you can taste excellent food, wine and other local products. If your have interest in the wine harvest or festivals that celebrate the new harvest with wine tasting in Chianti: - Gaiole in Chianti - Wine tasting

• Greve in Chianti - Chianti Classico wine festival, 8 - 10 September 2006.
• Impruneta - Chianti Grape Harvest Festival

There is every type of Chianti available to try and you can by some bottles to take home. 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.

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 production area was split in seven sub-regions.

Only wines labeled Chianti Classico come from the heart of the area

Only wines labeled Chianti Classico come from the heart of the area that is traditionally attributed to this wine. The other variants - with the exception of Rufina from the north side of Florence and Montalbano - are originated in the respective named provinces: Siena, Florence, Arezzo and Pisa.

It is based mainly on sangiovese grapes but also includes other varieties, and traditionally 5-10% of white grapes. Only recently it is allowed to produce Chianti with 100% sangiovese, or at least without the white grapes.

Chianti is not the only traditional wine made in Tuscany, and there are also new wines, usually based on sangiovese and some popular French grapes that are usually dubbed "Super Tuscans". Tuscany vineyards cover 63,633 hectares or 157,237 acres; yearly wine production is 2,156,000 hectoliters; 30% white, 70% red and 55% is DOC.

For more information visit

• Chianti Grape Harvest Festival