Let's not be deceived by the impression, Chianti Classico does not only consist of Castello di Ama, Felsina, Fontodi, Fonterutoli and Brolio. Most of the vineyard area, totalling about 10,000 hectares - of which about 7,000 hectares are Chianti Classico, the rest IGT - is cultivated by medium-sized and small winegrowers. Many of them nobody knows, because their self-marketing is weak. Thus, about one third of Chianti Classico still changes hands as bulk wine.
Selling bulk wine to bottlers used to be good business. At the end of the 1990s and again in 2002, the winegrowers first received the equivalent of 3.50 euros and then even almost 4.50 euros per litre for their young Chianti Classico. That was a lot of money; it was enough to cover costs and put something aside.