Cantine Leonardo da Vinci
An everyday Tuscan red from the Cantine Leonardo da Vinci co-operative in Vinci: 85% Sangiovese with 10% Merlot, cherry and fresh red fruit lifted by black pepper over soft, round tannins. A friendly, well-priced Chianti DOCG for the table.
Cherry, fresh red fruit and a peppery lift over soft tannins: the profile the Vinci co-operative leads with and the one Vivino drinkers confirm across more than 19,000 reviews of this 13% Tuscan Sangiovese and Merlot blend.
The Cantine Leonardo da Vinci Chianti opens on cherry and fresh red fruit, the note its producer leads with and the one Vivino drinkers cite most often across more than 19,000 reviews. A peppery lift sits behind the fruit, with a touch of violet, the Tuscan Sangiovese signature here rounded by the 10% Merlot in the blend.
Violet
Cherry
Plum
Strawberry
Leather
Black pepper
Liquorice
VanillaMedium-bodied and dry at 13%, it stays light and smooth rather than heavy: bright Tuscan acidity carries red cherry and plum while the tannins read soft and round, as the Vinci co-operative intends for an everyday Chianti. The Merlot fleshes out the mid-palate so the Sangiovese grip never turns austere.
The close is medium-length and savoury, leaving cherry and a faint black-pepper warmth rather than oak, in keeping with this wine's few months of ageing.
A reliable, friendly Chianti DOCG built for the table, not the cellar: Vivino drinkers settle it at 3.6 from over 19,000 ratings, and the 2020 reached Vivino's top 9% worldwide. This is the Vinci co-operative's high-volume flagship, best drunk young with Tuscan food.
A handful of UK merchants stock the 2021 and 2022 vintages, both 750ml at around 10 to 15 pounds. This is the high-volume standard Chianti DOCG, so supply is steady and the price stays friendly.
An everyday, beginner-friendly Tuscan red that scores high for value and weeknight drinking and low for cellaring and occasion, exactly as a 10-pound standard Chianti DOCG should.
Sub-15-pound, light and food-friendly, it is built to open on a weeknight rather than save for an occasion.
Classic, approachable Sangiovese with cherry fruit, gentle tannin and a low price: an easy first Italian red.
A DOCG Chianti near 10 pounds with a 3.6 Vivino average over 19,000 ratings is strong value for an everyday Italian red.
Bright Sangiovese acidity and soft tannins make this a versatile table red for tomato sauces, grilled meat and roast poultry.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Chianti denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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Two recent vintages sit side by side here: the balanced, classic 2021 and the warmer, riper 2022 from a hot, dry Tuscan year. Both are entry-level Chianti for young drinking rather than cellaring.
2022 brought a hot, dry summer across Tuscany, so this Chianti leans riper and rounder with slightly softer acidity than 2021. Enjoy it in its fruit-forward youth.
Tuscany's 2021 was a balanced, classic growing season for Sangiovese, giving this entry Chianti fresh cherry fruit and lively acidity. Drink it young, within a few years of the vintage.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Founded in Vinci in 1961 when thirty local growers pooled their fruit, Cantine Leonardo da Vinci now makes around 450,000 bottles of this Chianti a year from the hills of Florence province, named for the town's most famous son.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Chianti is in the DOCG tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Chianti falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany. The denomination is further divided into 7 sub-zones.
Cantine Leonardo da Vinci is a co-operative founded in 1961 that pools fruit from many member growers; making roughly 450,000 bottles of this one Chianti spreads fixed costs and helps hold the UK shelf price near 10 pounds.
This bottling carries only the denomination's short minimum ageing, not the Riserva's barrel and cellar programme, so little oak or holding cost is built into the price.
Chianti DOCG rules, yield limits and hillside vineyards around Vinci in Florence province set a cost floor an unclassified Tuscan table red would not carry.
At 2026 rates UK duty on a still wine up to 15% is 2.67 pounds a bottle and 20% VAT adds about 1.66 pounds on a 9.98 listing, so over 4 pounds of the price is tax before the wine itself.
Shipping from Tuscany, importer margin and UK retail handling sit on top of the ex-cellar price, though the large volume keeps each bottle's share modest.
Dishes that complement this wine
Bright acidity and soft tannin point to tomato-led pasta and pizza, grilled beef, veal and roast chicken. Vivino's crowd reaches most often for beef, veal and poultry alongside this wine.
Sangiovese's bright acidity, the backbone of this Chianti, mirrors the acidity in tomato sauce so neither tastes flat. The soft tannins stay clear of cheese and dough, which is why young Chianti is the default red for a Margherita or lasagne.
Try with: Lasagna · Pizza Margherita · Pizza Marinara · More pairings →
The acidity and fine tannin cut through the fat and char of grilled red meat, refreshing the palate between bites. At 13% alcohol with soft tannins it sits beside a steak without overwhelming it, the role a Tuscan red plays next to bistecca.
Try with: Ribeye steak · Sirloin steak · Beef stew · More pairings →
Soft, round tannins, rounded further by the 10% Merlot, make this Chianti gentle enough for lighter meats. Vivino drinkers most often pour it with veal and poultry, where a firmer Sangiovese would dominate the plate.
Try with: Cotoletta alla bolognese · Roast chicken · Roast pork · More pairings →
The black-pepper note the producer highlights bridges to cured, peppered salami and a spicy diavola. The wine's acidity also resets the palate against the salt and chilli of the topping.
Try with: Pizza Diavola · Pizza Romana · Sfincione, Sicilian Pizza · More pairings →
Sangiovese acidity offsets the salt and fat of a hard sheep's cheese such as pecorino, while the gentle tannin keeps the pairing fresh rather than drying. It is the simplest Tuscan match of all, cheese and a young Chianti.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · More pairings →
Chilli heat sharpens this Chianti's tannin and makes the 13% alcohol burn, so very spicy curries and Sichuan dishes clash. Sweet desserts leave the dry, savoury fruit tasting thin and sour.
Skip with: Vindaloo · Sweet and sour pork · Chocolate cake · Pairing guide →
With only the denomination's short minimum ageing and a fresh, fruit-led style, this is an everyday bottle to enjoy young. The Riserva, not this standard Chianti, is the Vinci label built to cellar.
Peak around 2025. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Made with only a few months of ageing for young drinking, this entry Chianti has little structure to reward the cellar.
£9.98 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumIt is a Chianti DOCG blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot and 5% other red grapes, grown on the Tuscan hills around Vinci in the province of Florence.
Cherry and fresh red fruit lead, lifted by a black-pepper note, over soft, round tannins and the bright acidity that keeps this 13% Tuscan red lively. Drinkers on Vivino rate it 3.6 across more than 19,000 reviews.
Its acidity and gentle tannin suit tomato-led pasta and pizza, grilled and roast beef, veal cutlets and roast chicken. The classic Tuscan match is a plate of ragu or bistecca.
Drink it young. This is the standard Chianti DOCG with only a few months of ageing, made for fresh, fruit-forward drinking within about three to four years of the vintage, not for the cellar.
It is made by Cantine Leonardo da Vinci, a co-operative founded in Vinci in 1961 that produces around 450,000 bottles of this Chianti a year. At roughly 10 to 15 pounds in the UK it is a reliable everyday buy.
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