Category Archives: Italy

Matching food with wine, third in a four-part series from the 2013 “Perfect Pairings” series created with The Painted Chef Catering at The Grotto in Mt. Adams, anchored in the principle of place: terroir.

Pairing food and wine…simple, right? Chicken goes with white wine, beef goes with red. Cheese is great with anything. Easy! For sure, it takes a bit more effort to create a “perfect pairing” than simply choosing between an entrée meat (or vegetable) and a white or red wine. But the principles are clear and the results are amazing!

The diversity of NORTHERN ITALY’s six major wine regions is impossible to capture in one tasting without seriously over-indulging! The only way to experience Northern Italy and to really understand its delicious complexity is to focus on a few small areas at a time.

From east to west – the direction our tasting flowed — the six major regions are: Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino Alto Adige, Lombardia, Piemonte and Val d’Aosta. Within these six regions there are over 110 Denominazione di Origene Controllata (DOC for short, equivalent to French appellations where vineyard place is controlled), and 38 Denominazione di Origene Controllata e Garantita (DOCG for short, where quality is “guaranteed” by strict growing and winemaking rules). These regions and their (mostly) indigenous grapes are not well known to most American consumers.

A single tasting can only scratch the surface of so many places and interesting grape varieties. Our Perfect Pairing of Northern Italian wines included an amazing (sparkling) Prosecco from the Treviso DOC within the Veneto region northwest of Venice; (white) Garganega from the Soave DOC, also within the Veneto, just east of Verona; and (red) Nebbiolo from the Langhe DOC within the Piedmont region south of Turin that includes the wine towns of Asti and Alba as well as Barolo and Barbaresco.

FIRST COURSE: GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI WITH SALMON AND DILL
Ornella Molon Prosecco NV

Without exception, goat cheese and salmon are perfect pairings for every dry sparkling wine. Beautifully presented on crunchy crostini (“little toasts”), this appetizer is a go-to nibble to welcome guests to any type of party. It is easy to maneuver while holding a glass of bubbly, and the salty notes from the cheese and salmon connect with the acidity in the wine to make it truly sparkle. (Potato chips will do the same!)

This may be a news flash for readers, but Prosecco is no longer a DOC. Nor is it a grape! In 2009, DNA testing of the grape thought to be Prosecco revealed that it is actually Glera. Prosecco made from the areas of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene was promoted to DOCG. Any other areas within Italy producing Prosecco, which are primarily in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, must name the specific DOC somewhere on the label.

So what is Prosecco? It is a style of sparkling wine. Still wine is made sparkling using the Charmat method, meaning that second fermentation takes place in a pressurized tank, not in a bottle. The grapes are fermented without skins and spend only a short time in fermentation tanks. The resulting bubbly is somewhat neutral compared to other sparkling wines, but still crisply acidic and expressive of the fruit. Winemaker Ornella Molon’s Prosecco shimmers in the glass. Flavors of apple and pear are lifted with notes of crisp lemon and freshly cut grass.

SECOND COURSE: TUNA WITH AVOCADO, GARLIC/LEMON AIOLI AND GRAPE TOMATOES
Azienda Agricola Inama Soave Classico 2011

This pairing provided lessons in what does not make a perfect pairing.

By itself, the food was excellent. The tuna was seared to perfection. Garlic/lemon aioli and grape tomatoes provided acidic zing. A slice of avocado lent a bit of color and texture to the dish.

Also evaluated on its own merits, the wine was very tasty. Made from 100% Garganega indigenous to this particular area of the Veneto, Soave Classico is typically a food-friendly wine that is forgiving across a wide range of food flavors. Light yellow in color, the Inama Soave offered aromas of sweet field flowers (chamomile, elder flower, iris) and minerality on the palate with sweet almond notes on the finish.

But together, the food and the wine dueled for preeminence. Each element of the pairing was neutralized rather than enhanced, flavors were subdued rather than accentuated. Analyzing the dish, it seems that the simple preparation of the tuna was a bit too delicate for the body of the wine despite a tangy sauce, and the fresh tomatoes were too acidic.

THIRD COURSE: RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLES
Fiorenzo Nada Langhe Nebbiolo 2008

Body to body, texture to texture, a heavenly match is made between Nebbiolo grapes and truffles. Although truffles are not unique to the Piedmont region, there is a remarkable truffle festival held in Alba each year in October and it is possible to eat truffles at every meal. But bring your wallet: white truffles cost about 350€ ($469 at current exchange rates) per ounce!!

Our risotto was made with equally divine black truffles and earthy mushrooms. Topped with a light dusting of Parmigiano Reggiano that quickly melted into the Arborio rice, Painted Chef’s risotto was the rock star of the tasting. We served it with a 100% Nebbiolo (“fog”) wine from the Langhe DOC (Piedmont region). Dark ruby red with a garnet red rim, it is an intensely aromatic wine with perfumed notes of roses, violets, autumn undergrowth, wood smoke and tar, all characteristic of the Nebbiolo grape.

Thanks to The Painted Chef team – Dave, Brady, Anthony and Amy — for making every pairing perfect!!

Photo credits: Soave, Kathy Merchant 2006; Northern Italy Wine Regions, ownerdirect.com; Crostini with Goat Cheese and Salmon, freep.com; Tuna with Avocado, Game Day Communications; Painted Chef Team, Game Day Communications

Pairing food and wine…simple, right? Chicken goes with white wine, beef goes with red. Cheese is great with anything. Easy!

For sure, it takes a bit more effort to create a “perfect pairing” than simply choosing between an entrée meat (or vegetable) and a white or red wine. But the principles are clear and the results are amazing!

This is the second post in a four-part series on matching food with wine using menus from the Spring 2013 “Perfect Pairings” series created with The Painted Chef at The Grotto in Mt. Adams.

The series is anchored in the principle of place: terroir.

TUSCANY is arguably the best known and most popular of Italy’s 20 wine regions. Dash those bad memories of mass-produced Chianti sold in a straw-covered jug (which made a better candlestick holder than wine vessel!). Expand your food horizons beyond spaghetti and meatballs. Tomatoes may rule in Tuscan cuisine, but try them on pici, a thick hand-rolled Tuscan pasta specialty, or with Florentine steak. Some of the world’s best wines are produced in Tuscany, and they marry so well with the simple and elegant flavors of Tuscan cuisine.

The names of Italy’s estimated 2,000 different grape varieties may be mysterious and mind boggling, but the king of Tuscany is the red grape Sangiovese. Vast vineyards of Sangiovese grapes anchor a golden triangle of amazing wines from the DOCG regions of Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Chianti Classico, all to the south of Florence and Siena. Often overlooked, however, is the white grape Vernaccia from the DOCG commune of San Gimignano to the west of Sienna. It is crisp and refreshing with bright citrus notes and a slightly bitter mineral finish owing to the soil on steep sandstone hillsides.

Chefs Dave Cioffi and Brady DeLong created a Perfect Pairings menu to showcase the deeply satisfying flavors of Tuscany with the region’s great wines, using the fresh approach that distinguishes their gourmet catering business.

FIRST COURSE: FAVA BEAN SALAD WITH HOUSE-MADE CROUTONS, PECORINO CHEESE, OLIVE OIL AND LEMON JUICE
Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano “Fiore” 2009

The crunchy texture of spring fava beans, flavorful toasted croutons and pungent Pecorino Toscano cheese is a perfect complement to crisp Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine. Olive oil and lemon bridge the entire dish to the wine with mouth-watering perfection.

Perfect pairing: Winemaker Elisabetta Fagiuoli, who is 87(ish), has been making wine in San Gimignano since 1971. Montenidoli produces three different styles of Vernaccia. The “Fiore” is matured for an extended time on lees to give the wine more flavor and complexity. Light straw yellow in color, the wine exudes elegant floral notes and earthy aromas followed by lemon grass flavors and a concentrated stony mineral finish.

PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED HEIRLOOM TOMATO INSALATA CAPRESE
Riecine Rosato 2010

No Tuscan pairing would be quite right without tomatoes. And it couldn’t officially be springtime without rosé. We chose raw tomatoes to celebrate spring with rosé because they are more acidic than cooked tomatoes, and should be served with crisply acidic white or rosé wine. Fresh buffalo mozzarella, salty prosciutto and basil chiffonade completed the texture and flavor experience with the wine.

Perfect pairing: We started the march toward the king of Tuscany with a 100% Sangiovese rosé grown in Chianti Classico DOCG vineyards. A sweet perfume of wild strawberries, raspberries and blood orange citrus followed by an earthy, savory tartness was a “wow” with the tomatoes.

SEARED TENDERLOIN WITH SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLE FOUR-CHEESE FONDUE
Tenuta di Collosorbo Brunello di Montalcino 2004

Red wine with beef…”you had me at hello.” It’s hard to find the right words to explain the exquisite lift that a savory combination of earthy mushrooms, truffles and creamy cheeses gives to the relationship between beef and Brunello. It is, quite simply, perfect!

Perfect pairing: 91 points from Wine Advocate. “A deceptively medium-bodied wine that nevertheless packs quite a punch in its perfumed dark fruit. This Brunello exhibits lovely balance, with notes of smoke, tar, licorice and new leather that linger on the refined, refreshing close.”

The Painted Chef
513.386.8437

The Grotto
1101 St. Gregory St. Mt. Adams
513.301.7156

Photo credits: Map of Tuscany winetourofitaly.com; food and wine photos Game Day Communications.