Trademark of the "Consorzio del Marchio Storico Chianti Classico" (Consortium of the Historical Chianti Classico Brand), founded in 1924. At that time there were 33 members, which have grown to over 600 today. They produce around 80% of Chianti Classico. The "Black Rooster" is the historical symbol of the "Lega militare del Chianti", a kind of military alliance of Chianti that ruled this territory from the 14th century (see logo on the right). According to legend, a black cockerel also played an important role in defining the geographical boundaries of the Chianti region (see the story there). The Medici court painter Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) painted the black cockerel on the ceiling of the Salone dei Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence as an allegory of the Chianti Classico.
The Chianti protection organisation used to be called the "Consorzio del Gallo Nero", but the Californian wine multinational Gallo claimed the "Gallo Nero" part of the name for itself. After a long legal dispute, it was decided in 2005 that the name "Gallo Nero" and the Black Rooster could no longer be used in combination outside Italy by the protective consortium. The name therefore had to be changed to the above-mentioned designation. The second association, "Vino Chianti Classico", reached an agreement with the Consorzio in 2005 after 18 years of dispute. A joint marketing concept was developed. Now all wines from the Chianti Classico growing region bear the Gallo nero symbol alongside the pink DOCG ribbon. The Chianti Classico Consortium owns the trademark rights to the "Gallo Nero" symbol. To date, over 60 infringements have been successfully defended before the European Court of Justice.
