Efforts to upgrade Chianti bearing fruit

Poor Chianti. It has been a punch line since well before Hannibal Lecter. The straw-covered fiaschi of the 1960s, receptacles formany a candle, became symbols of shame as Italian wine sought respect. They represented theway that Tuscany had been given, and squandered, the benefits of fame.

Despite the power of the Chianti name, the region produced tidal waves of not-very-good wine through much of the 20th century. When the Tuscans went looking for grapes to better their Chianti, they thought globally, namely about Cabernet and Merlot— partly because of the success of the so-called Super Tuscans in using those French varieties. The powerful local consorzio was supposed to push quality, but in fact itwas largely a catalyst for bad decisions.

Only in the 1990s did Chianti allow Sangiovese, the grape defining Chianti’s andmuch of Tuscany’s character, to be put solo in the bottle. It wasn’t until 2006 that white grapes, traditionally part of the blend but also used to bulk up those lousy versions, were finally banned in Chianti Classico, the biggest, most prestigious sub-appellation.

In recent years, vintners and the group that oversees Chianti Classico have striven to remediate quality, including a vine-quality project dubbed Chianti Classico 2000. The hope is that better work in the vineyard will help Chianti better contend with the other parts of Italy enjoying a viticultural revolution.

While the Chianti Classico zone is huge, stretching from Florence to Siena, the best wines are serious. The seven other subzones of Chianti showever more promise, too.

Even the fiasco has enjoyed amodest revival. For the opening of Tosca Cafe, wine director Ceri Smith persuaded the quality producer Monteraponi to bottle its Chianti in the squat traditional bottle. In New York, the retailer Chambers Street Wines offers the same thing from another quality producer, Monte Bernardi.

Time, it seems, can redeem all kitsch.