Have you ever wondered why you find the symbol of a black rooster on your nice Italian bottle from Chianti ?

The black rooster – Gallo Nero – is the historical symbol of the wine region of the Chianti in Tuscany which produces the famous Italian wine, the Chianti Classico .

So what does a rooster have to do with the Italian wine of Chianti Classico ?

The legend goes that the two cities of Florence and Siena fought for ages about the wonderful area of Chianti. So one day they decided to risolve the issue in an original, but peacefull way to define the border between Florence and Siena: Two knights had to wait for the first cock-crow in the morning to start riding their horses. Whereever they met, would be the new border between the two cities.

So what happended the fatal day ?

The knight of Siena chose a white rooster and made him eat a lot in the evening, hoping he would crow stronger in the morning.

The knight of Florence chose a rooster cock and left him without food.

In the morning the black cock of Florence was so hungry he crowed even before the sun rose. The white cock of Siena on the contrary was sound asleep and crowed only late in the morning.

The knight from Florence was already only 12 kilometers (7,5 miles) away from Siena when the two contestants met. That meant that the entire area of Chianti was incorporated to the Republic of Florence.

This is why you still find the “Gallo Nero” on our wonderfull Italian wine bottles from Chianti.