sangiovese

Forms

sangiovese m (invariable)^[1] Older and local names are sangiogheto (Soderini, before 1597), sangioveto and sangiocheto.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.^[5][6][3] DEI proposed, with a question mark, that it is a shortening: from Italian sangiovannese, the name for the people of San Giovanni Valdarno, and Devoto, Sabatini–Coletti, Zingarelli and Gabrielli follow it.^{[2][4][7][8][9]} Nocentini finds such a reduced form the most obvious source, but says there is no documentation to show which San Giovanni is meant.^[10] He suggests that the name may instead refer to the feast of Saint John on 24 June, as the date when the grapes begin to ripen.^[10] DELI calls the origin unknown.^[2]

Wiktionary mentions a possible origin in Latin sanguis (“blood”) Iovis (“of Jupiter”) with the suffix -ese.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest form is sangiogheto, in Soderini before 1597.^[2][4] GRADIT dates sangiovese to 1672, and DELI's first record, in Federigo Nomi before 1705, names it as a red table wine beside the canaiolo.^[5][2][11]

Semantic evolution

Eustachio Manfredi joked that the wine was so called because it “giova” (does good) more to those who do not drink it than to those who do.^[11] In the 19th century Tommaseo knew the Tuscan name as sangioveto, with sangiovese in some Tuscan dialects and at Bologna.^[12] Carducci and Pascoli wrote of the Romagna wine in their letters.^[11]

Today the name covers two varieties, sangiovese grosso and sangiovese piccolo; the first is the main grape of Chianti, and sangiovese di Romagna is a protected wine.^[6][3][5]

Timeline

• Before 1597 – Soderini records sangiogheto.^[2][4]
• 1672 – GRADIT's date for sangiovese.^[5]
• Before 1705 – Federigo Nomi names the wine.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Either of two grape varieties grown especially in Romagna and Tuscany, with large, dark violet grapes; the main grape of chianti.^[5][6][8][1]
2. (oenology) The ruby-red, dry wine made from these grapes, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.^[5][6][3]

Word family

• sangiovesiano

Related words

• sangioveto

Usage notes

The noun is masculine and invariable.^[5][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
4. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3331
5. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
6. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
7. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
8. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
9. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
10. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
11. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 17, 497
12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET