Despite the timeless beauty of Tuscany’s rolling hills, climate change threatens to reshape life on the land. Rainfall, when it arrives, is increasingly erratic and extreme. The Florentines have a nickname for the intense, short-lived storms that sweep into the city without warning: la bomba, the bomb. These torrential downpours, which drench vineyards and Duomos alike, often cause more damage than benefit, as parched soils struggle to absorb the sudden deluge. On the other hand, prolonged droughts – now starting in spring and stretching through summer – are placing stress on vines, halting their development and impeding full ripening.
As the world’s oldest regulated wine region, Chianti Classico could be forgiven for revelling in its past. First delimited by Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici in 1716, the region has built a legacy of quality and tradition, growing into an international symbol of Italian winemaking. But bolstered by rising sales and positive signs that the denomination is in good health, the 2025 edition of the Chianti Classico Collection in the Stazione Leopolda in Florence looked firmly towards the future. Given the increasing climatic extremes the region faces, making sustainability the event’s central theme was a logical and, arguably, necessary choice.
The focus of the manifesto is strongly on the unique identity of the Chianti Classico region
Those at the highest levels of the Chianti Classico organisation are under no illusion about the importance of adapting the region. ‘Sustainability is a new lens through which to view our territory,’ says Carlotta Gori, director of the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico. In February 2025, following extensive consultation with producers, institutions, and scientific experts, the Consorzio launched the latest version of its sustainability manifesto. The document sets out a structured path for producers to navigate the environmental, social, and cultural challenges of the coming decades.
While sustainability efforts often focus narrowly on environmental impact, Chianti Classico’s manifesto takes a more specific and tailor-made approach. Based on a three-pillar model – environmental, social, and cultural – the charter outlines 58 specific actions that producers must meet to gain certification, with the focus strongly on the unique identity of the Chianti Classico region.
The environmental pillar is the most extensive, with 30 actions addressing everything from soil conservation to packaging. Chianti Classico already boasts the highest concentration of organic-certified vineyards in Italy but the new standards raise the bar, building a more specific and demanding framework of sustainability principles, with emphasis placed on practices such as biodiversity preservation, protection of polycultural agriculture in the region, water efficiency, and reduction of carbon emissions.
Initiatives include limiting bottle weight, promoting beekeeping and encouraging the use of recycled packaging materials. These aren’t one-size-fits-all mandates but a flexible, modular framework allowing producers to choose the most attainable and appropriate sustainable practices for their estates. As Stefania Saccardi, vice president of the region of Tuscany, puts it: ‘We want to use agriculture as a way to protect nature, not as an enemy of nature or a cause of climate change.’
The cultural component, so often overlooked in today’s conversations about sustainability, is equally ambitious. Producers are encouraged to protect the region’s heritage via 21 recommended actions, including the restoration of dry-stone walls and olive groves, as well as the the preservation of the striking strade bianche (white roads), which are part of Chianti Classico’s aesthetic identity. ‘Cultural sustainability, which has distinguished us for centuries, is more relevant than ever,’ Gori points out. This is particularly true when considered against the backdrop of an application for UNESCO World Heritage status for the Chianti Classico region, submitted in 2023.
Finally, the social pillar aims to protect and empower the communities that are the lifeblood of the region. Criteria include providing on-site housing for seasonal workers, ensuring that at least 50% of employees are directly hired, and that 20% come from the local area. The guidelines also emphasise gender equality, worker safety and the professional development.
We want to use agriculture as a way to protect nature
‘We have to protect local communities, who play a key role with their traditions, knowledge and the passing on of skills from one generation to another,’ says Giovanni Manetti, current president of the Consorzio and head of Panzano-based producer Fontodi.
Producers who meet the full range of criteria will be awarded a new label, clearly visible on qualifying bottles alongside the famous Gallo Nero. ‘We aim to make sustainability tangible, with a dedicated symbol on certified wines,’ says Gori.
Ultimately, Chianti Classico’s renewed focus on sustainability is about securing the future by building on the past. As the climate shifts, the region’s producers are uniting behind a shared belief: that fine wine doesn’t have to come at the expense of the land – or the people – who make it.
