October 28, 2013

A little Chianti Classico, always have to have the Black Rooster. From The Chianti Classico Wine Consortium :

Why is the Black Rooster the symbol of Chianti Classico?

"The Black Rooster has always been the symbol of the entire Chianti region. The origin of this is lost in time: an amusing legend narrates of the rivalry existing in the Middle Ages between Siena and Florence. According to this legend, in order to cease their endless fighting, the two Tuscan cities decided to leave the definition of their respective boundaries to a remarkable feat between knights: they were to leave their hometowns at cockcrow and wherever they would have met each other, that exact spot would have been the border between the two republics. For this purpose, the citizens of Siena raised a beautiful white rooster, which grew big and fat. The Florentines, instead, chose a black rooster and never fed him, so that on the fateful day he was so famished, he started to crow even before sunrise. As a result, the Florentine knight was able to set out very early in the morning: he met the knight from Siena in Fonterutoli –merely twelve Kilometers from Siena -, as the latter had left much later: this is the reason why almost all of the Chianti territory was united under the rule of the Florentine Republic. Even if this is only a legend, it is however confirmed that the Black Rooster profile has represented the emblem of the historic Chianti League, which ruled over these lands since the beginning of the 14th century. The artist Giorgio Vasari painted the Black Rooster on the ceiling of the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio, as an allegorical representation of the Chianti region. The Consortium has ultimately selected this seven-century old symbol as a certification of its wines."



Giving Blood at work today. They always call me since I'm a universal donor and my blood is CMV negative. Since it is close to Halloween, I'm expecting a Vampire motif.