Is it Chianti or chianti?

BUZZ: Hey Marnie, I used to drink California chianti, but now there are only a couple of brands left. Are they not growing chianti grapes out west anymore?

Marnie: That's a bit complicated, Buzz. On the most basic level, you're not seeing more options because California chianti isn't fashionable anymore.

Buzz: Like wide ties? I had to throw a bunch out after Christmas.

Marnie: There's more to it than that. Fewer American wineries label their wine as "Chianti" because Chianti isn't a grape at all - it's the name of a place in Italy, a hilly district just south of Florence in Tuscany.

Buzz: Then how could California wineries make Italian wine?

Marnie: They can't, but a loophole in American wine law allows them to use the names of famous imported wines as a "generic" term. Before the fine-wine boom in California, it was more common for wines to be labeled that way - lighter reds as "Chianti" or drier whites as "Chablis," for instance - than to be named for their grapes, like chardonnay or merlot.

Buzz: That explains why Gallo made a "Burgundy."

Marnie: Yes. Back then, the world's best wines were all European and named for their regions of origin. Naming wines by grape didn't really catch on until the late 1970s. Even if the same companies still make similar wines to those you used to enjoy, they give them different names these days.

Buzz: I guess I've been drinking fake Chianti all these years.

Marnie: Yes, you're a relic from another era, too. But it's not too late to explore the real deal.

For centuries, the Chianti region has been known for its red wines, made primarily with the local sangiovese grape. Originally, they were popular because they were cheap, lightweight and slurpable, but they have greatly improved in quality in the last 50 years.

Chiantis are denser and darker now, and quite dry and earthy compared to California versions. And they make exquisite food partners. The push to trade quantity for quality was led by forward-thinking vintners in the heart of Chianti, a territory now given special recognition with the name "Chianti Classico."

Buzz: Ooh, a fancy title.

Marnie: Yeah. Honorific terms are common in Europe, and Italy's no exception. Look at the labels in the Italian Chianti section and you'll see "classico" wines from the prestige district, "riserva" wines that are aged longer in oak barrels and even "superiore" wines from extra-ripe grapes.

Buzz: Thanks for your superiore advice, Marnie.