Grill That Pizza and Pair It With Cecchi

Summer is upon us and the grills are firing up and the company is coming over. Whether you are grilling a steak, pizza or chicken, I have 2 wines that will pair well with grill and company.

Cecchi is one of the oldest and most prominent wine producers in Tuscany. They have been around since 1893. They are a family-owned vineyard that got its start when Luigi Cecchi became a professional wine taster. He understood winemaking and the potential of making wine in Italy. The rest is history.

Today they are crafting wines that showcase the expressions of the family’s vineyards using innovation and sustainability practices.

In case you are wondering how to pronounce the name, it’s CHECK-EE.

The wines below I had with grilled pizza. The Storia di Famiglia we grilled a basic cheese pizza. The Riserva I went all out and made a pizza with red sauce, mozzarella and manchego cheese, chorizo (that I grilled first then sliced) topped with spinach and red onion tossed in olive oil. While the first pizza was a success (my husband the Italian made it) the second pizza was a fail. I couldn’t get it off the board because I didn’t put enough flour on it and it stuck to the board. So we made it a calzone, but we couldn’t flip it on the stone on the grill and the stone broke. We finished it in the oven and it was very good but didn’t look pretty (hence, no picture). The wine paired perfectly for both pizzas.

2019 Cecchi Chainti Classico Storia di Famiglia DOCG SRP $20 - This wine is 90% Sangiovese and 10% other red varietals. The vineyards are with an elevation of 250 meters. The wine spent 12 months in wooden casks and two months in the bottle before released. Aromas of red raspberry, black cherry, a hint of rose petal lead to a palate with nice rounded tannins and notes of plum, red raspberry and dark spice on the finish.

2015 Chianti Classico Riserva di Famiglia DOCG SRP $32 - This Chianti is 90$ Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.Ruby red in color with brickish undertones. Grown in estate vineyards that had an elevation of 250 meters. The wine spent 12 months in oak casks and three months in the bottle before release. Smooth and elegant with hints of earth, black raspberry, tannins dancing on your palate and lingering notes of cassis on the finish.

The Dog Ate My Tasting Notes

We've all heard the excuses "the dog ate my homework." Well the dog actually did eat the corner of my son's homework once.  I should have know that would lead to be a problem.

I had the tasting notes for the Cecchi wines I had tasted sitting on my desk with my camera on on top of it.  Summer (my dog) was in the hands of my husband who knows of her past. Summer must have been very mad at me for leaving for a few days.  When I returned on Saturday I sat at my desk to write up the tastings and my tasting notes were gone.  The only thing left were two of the recipe cards that came with the wine.

When I inquired, Paul told me not only did she eat the tasting notes, but she knocked down the camera onto the floor to get to the paper. My answer was, why did you let the dog in my office.  I guess she went in there when I went out.  Lame excuse, close the door to my office.

So I am retrieving these tasting notes from deep in my brain guided with the pictures of the wonderful Bolognese pairing.

First a little bit about Cecchi. Luigi Cecchi was a professional wine taster in Italy and understood the potential of making Italian wine.  In the early 1900's his son Cesare joined him and gave life to the first mass marketing of wine with the Cecchi label.

2012 Cecchi Chianti Classico is made with 90% Sangiovese grapes. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks for 7 days and aged for 11 months. Upon bottling,, it was aged another 2 months before being released.  The wine had a beautiful garnet color with aromas of berries. It had nice structure with flavors of cherry and a hint of anise.

2013 Cecchi Sangiovese is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. Fermented in stainless steel tanks for 15 days.  Aged in the tanks then released 2 months after bottling. Aromas of violets and a hint at spice filled the glass.  A bit on the fruity side with strawberry notes.

The moral of my "Dog ate my tasting notes" is make sure you keep your office door closed when you leave.  That way when you dog get pissed off at you because you have left her, she will hopefully find something else to destroy.