Cerraia Chianti DOCG 22

The squat straw-clad fiasco bottle is one of wine's most recognizable shapes—equal parts rustic utility and pop-culture icon. It was originally designed to protect and steady glass long before cardboard boxes and pallet wrap took over shipping duties. For decades, these quirky bottles safely and faithfully carried Chianti to red-checkered-table-cloth Trattorie and kitchen tables across the globe. For many of us, these iconic bottles continued to live a second life long after the cork was pulled and the contents consumed. They were lovingly rinsed out, stuffed with a tapered candle, and parked on a bookshelf or windowsill while wax dripped through the semester.

Unfortunately, that candle-holder vibe became code for crappy Chianti. I'm happy to report, however, that there are some intrepid vignerons with a sense of history (and humor) who have reclaimed the maligned vessel and filled it with the real thing—bright, honest, DOCG Chianti that's made with love and integrity. Tenute Toscane Fattoria Cerraia Chianti is exactly that: a juicy, easygoing red dressed in vintage threads, reminding you that packaging can be a lot of fun when it doesn't compromise what's in the bottle.

The kitchy fiasco bottle aside, Chianti DOCG is one of Italy's cornerstone appellations, spanning a significant swath of Tuscany with varied terroir and elevation. The DOCG seal on each bottle is the key. It represents a benchmark of quality, much like the French AOC, that ties the wine to place and sets baseline standards in the vineyard and the cellar. from grape sourcing to yield limits and aging rules.

Sangiovese is Chianti's main varietal and sometimes stars on its own, is sometimes supported by traditional Tuscan varieties like Canaiolo or Colorino, and occasionally you'll find a touch of Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. The resulting range of DOCG Chianti is nearly endless, going from Tuesday-night-friendly pasta-pizza reds to steak-worthy cellar blockbusters.

Fattoria Cerraia, the estate behind this friendly fiasco-bottled DOCG CHianti. They farm within the Chianti zone and bottle under the broader Tenute Toscane label, with final bottling handled in Pontedera—a Tuscan hub in Pisa that many small and mid-sized producers and cooperatives use for trustworthy, efficient production.

Winemaker Aya Wang deftly steers the production of Cerraia Chianti toward organic viticulture with practically no intervention during winemaking. The blend is primarily Sangiovese, sometimes rounded by Merlot or native Canaiolo, depending on the harvest. Judging by the soft, juicy palate, I would guess the 2022 leans more toward Merlot than Canaiolo.

Fermentations take place in stainless steel to keep the fruit nicely lifted and energetic, followed by 18 months in large neutral botti. Aging in neutral botti allows texture to develop without layering on unnecessary oak accents. Sulfites are kept low (often under 50 mg/L), and the focus is squarely on quality and pure drinking pleasure.

Organic viticulture—no synthetic herbicides or pesticides—and a cellar ethos that echews add-ons and winemaking trickery, ensures the highest degree of integrity for this fiasco-clad red. While not yet certified biodynamic, Aya and her team lean hard into the same principles: gentle green harvest, community-level biodiversity, native yeast ferments, and above all, considering the farm as a unified whole of soil, plants, animals, and humans. Fattoria Cerraia also plugs into the RAW WINE community, a significant alignment with other vignerons who value community, integrity, soil health, and wines that taste like where they're from.

All of this makes choosing the fiasco bottle feel way less like a gimmick and more like a wink and a nod from a friend in the know. In this case, it's the vigneron's refutation of the decades-old stereotype. Fattoria Cerraia delivers a classic Tuscan red made with integrity: organically grown, cleanly made, bottled with care, and priced for everyday enjoyment rather than gathering dust in collectors' cellars.

In your glass, Tenute Toscane Cerraia Chianti is soft and generous opening with aromas of red cherry and strawberry, with whispers of dried rose petal and orange peel. While there's plenty of fruit on the silky palate, a lovely beam of savory keeps this juicy red safely in the grown-up Chianti category. Gentle but present tannins are neatly woven through the middle palate, leading to a quiet snap of brightness on the finish that invites another sip.

At the table, classic Tuscan favorites make terrific culinary partners. We would especially love this juicy red with Pappardelle al ragù, grilled sausages with cannellini and rosemary, ribollita, simple pizza margherita, pecorino toscano with olives, or roast chicken with pan juice. If you're feeling internationally adventurous, try Korean bulgogi, mushroom yakitori, beef or lamb kofta with yogurt and rosemay, Roman-style artichokes, or a smash burger with mild freshly-made salsa. Of course, it's the perfect partner for practically any tomato-driven dish you can think of, and it's just waiting to park on your red-checkered tablecloth.