By Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
Wednesday, January 16, 2008

In the middle of winter, few scents can inspire the same anticipation as a big pot of tomato sauce simmering on the stove, perfuming the air with garlic and oregano. We'll use it throughout the week to sauce pastas, eggplant or chicken Parmesan, or homemade pizza. And although the occasion of pouring our hearts into such a painstakingly prepared dinner might once have inspired us to pour one of the best bottles from our wine rack, today we know better.

We learned the hard way that few things are as lethal to a good bottle of wine as a high-acid red sauce.

That's why lovers of marinara, ragu and the like should build a shrine to taly's most famous wine: Chianti. A straightforward, invariably dry Chianti will pair better with red-sauced fare than will other wines many times the price. This wine's popularity is well-deserved: There's no better match with tomato-sauced dishes.

Why? Because of the simple pairing truism that "acid loves acid." While moderate in body, alcohol and tannins, Chianti is high in acid, allowing it to stand up to a red-sauced dish's own high acidity.

Chianti is based on the sangiovese, Italy's most-planted grape and also the primary grape in Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the so-called super Tuscans. Chianti traditionally was a blend of primarily sangiovese grapes with some Canaiolo, plus very small amounts of the white grapes Malvasia and Trebbiano. However, because formerly strict mandates have been relaxed, today you can find some Chiantis featuring nontraditional grapes such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot, and even some that are 100 percent sangiovese.

The best Chiantis -- particularly the "modern"-style blends and those aged in new oak -- require care to achieve a balance that allows the wine's characteristic dried tart-cherry flavors and earthy notes (often of coffee, leather, mushrooms, smoke or spice) to shine through. Indeed, Chianti has undergone a renaissance over the past two decades, with the quality of the best Chiantis better than ever.

But choose carefully: If a bottle is labeled simply Chianti, indicating its origins in this district in central Italy, it's apt to be an inexpensive, lighter-bodied, basic wine, meant to be drunk young, that might tempt you to recall the straw-covered Chianti bottles of yore.

Instead, look for wines that also indicate a particular subzone. Chianti Classico, the central zone of the region, between Florence and Siena, is its best-regarded. Chianti has seven other subzones: Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Montalbano, Montespertoli and Rufina. Chianti Rufina is generally thought to produce the best wines outside Chianti Classico, and they are the only others you're likely to see outside Italy.

You can generally expect to pay from $15 to $30 for a very good to excellent Chianti Classico or Chianti Rufina. Keep an eye out for the 2005 Cecchi Chianti Classico ($13), 2005 Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rufina ($20), 2004 or 2005 Felsina Chianti Classico ($20), 2004 Fontodi Chianti Classico ($30), 2005 Gabbiano Chianti Classico ($14), 2005 Le Filigare Chianti Classico ($26) and the elegant 2005 Querciabella Chianti Classico ($30).

The term "riserva" on a label -- usually only in the best vintage years, so typically alongside a higher price tag -- indicates that the wine has been aged for more than two years. The process results in wines that are generally fuller-bodied, with greater complexity, and that can benefit from bottle aging of a decade or longer. A riserva that has been aged in oak barrels can be especially intense in flavor.

Recommended riservas include the 2004 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva ($30), the 2004 Marchesi de Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva ($26) or one of this week's picks (see above).

Ruffino's entry-level 2005 Aziano Chianti Classico ($13) and 2003 Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico ($23; also known as Tan Label) are good values at their respective price points. In its own class is the top-of-the-line 2003 Ruffino Ducale Oro Chianti Classico Riserva ($40; also known as Gold Label), which we opened to accompany pan-roasted game hen with a tomato, mushroom and bacon sauce. The wine's earthiness played off the mushrooms and smoky bacon, while its tart cherry and plum notes meshed with the acidity of the tomato sauce, complementing the sweet white meat.

Upon tasting the 2004 Tenuta di Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva ($27), an effort from the great-grandson of the former owner of Ruffino, we loved it at first sip. However, like the other Chiantis we sampled for this week's column, it was brought to its zenith with food, particularly with the flavors of mushrooms, eggplant and rosemary. Picture yourself walking through a forest gathering red and black berries that had collected those earthy, mushroomy flavors of the forest floor before being pressed: This is the wine evoked by such a reverie.

And any time you'd like to return, just open another bottle of this wine. While you're at it, put a pot of tomato sauce on the stove.

Some other Chianti winemakers to watch for: Ama, Antinori, Castellare, Castello di Fonterutoli, Isole e Olena, Marchesi Antinori, Monsanto, San Felice, San Giusto a Rentennano and Volpaia.

In addition to its famed affinity for tomato sauce, Chianti matches well with beef, chicken, lamb, pork, steak and veal, as well as cheeses such as Fontina Valle d'Aosta, Gorgonzola, (Swiss) Gruyere, mozzarella, Parmesan, Pecorino Toscano, provolone and Taleggio.

In addition to its famed affinity for tomato sauce, Chianti matches well with beef, chicken, lamb, pork, steak and veal, as well as cheeses such as Fontina Valle d'Aosta, Gorgonzola, (Swiss) Gruyere, mozzarella, Parmesan, Pecorino Toscano, provolone and Taleggio.Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, award-winning authors of "What to Drink With What You Eat," can be reached through their Web site,http://www.becomingachef.com, or atfood@washpost.com. If you submit a question, please indicate whether your name and town of residence can be published in an upcoming column.