Pairing food and wine. Or should we say pairing wine and food? These
articles will help you select the wine that brings out the best in your
favorite dishes. Each article in this series briefly presents several
related dishes and proposes various wines for each dish. The best news,
many of our suggestions involve relatively inexpensive wines.
Sardinia is an island to the southwest of Rome in southern Italy Visit this lovely island for a different view of this great country. In Sardinia you will see sights the like of which can be found nowhere else on earth,. For example the island boasts numerous prehistoric stone structures that are known as Nuraghi. Nuraghi are typically shaped like a beehive, built with huge stone blocks, and without foundations or cement. Each mound contains one or more rooms and perhaps a courtyard and may be over sixty feet (twenty meters) high. Sardinia boasts over 8,000 nuraghe. Don't miss the ruins of the surrounding Bronze-Age village. As just about everywhere else in Italy, local and regional food and wine specialties abound. And if your pockets are full, you can even hobnob with the jet set.
If you are in the mood for lamb, you'll love Agnello con finocchietti (Baby Lamb Stew) whose star ingredient is fennel, wild fennel if you can get it. Pair this meal with Aglianico del Vulture DOC from Basilicata.
A related dish is Agnellino al Forno (Roasted Milk-Fed Lamb), especially popular at Easter. Fine wine pairings include Barolo DOCG from Piedmont and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG from Tuscany.
Spezzatinu de Sirboni (Wild Boar Stew) is sometimes made with Pecorino Cheese and Juniper Berries. Enjoy this great dish with the local Cannonau di Sardegna DOC or an Aglianico del Vulture DOC. I know which of these two wines I prefer and as much as I like going local, in my opinion the Aglianico is in a different league from the Cannonau.
Porcheddu (Roast Suckling Pig) is a Sardinian specialty made with myrtle, rosemary, and ideally wild Sardinian herbs. The classical wine pairing for this delicious festive dish is Cannonau di Sardegna DOC but I'd be tempted to try a Tuscany Chianti Classico DOCG or Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, recommended for the central Italian suckling pig dish known as Porchetta.
You'll enjoy Quaglie Arrosto (Roasted Quail) prepared with a dry white wine such as a local Vernaccia di Oristano DOC. Suggested wine pairings include the Tuscan Barolo DOCG and Italian Pinot Nero.
Sardinia is an island to the southwest of Rome in southern Italy Visit this lovely island for a different view of this great country. In Sardinia you will see sights the like of which can be found nowhere else on earth,. For example the island boasts numerous prehistoric stone structures that are known as Nuraghi. Nuraghi are typically shaped like a beehive, built with huge stone blocks, and without foundations or cement. Each mound contains one or more rooms and perhaps a courtyard and may be over sixty feet (twenty meters) high. Sardinia boasts over 8,000 nuraghe. Don't miss the ruins of the surrounding Bronze-Age village. As just about everywhere else in Italy, local and regional food and wine specialties abound. And if your pockets are full, you can even hobnob with the jet set.
If you are in the mood for lamb, you'll love Agnello con finocchietti (Baby Lamb Stew) whose star ingredient is fennel, wild fennel if you can get it. Pair this meal with Aglianico del Vulture DOC from Basilicata.
A related dish is Agnellino al Forno (Roasted Milk-Fed Lamb), especially popular at Easter. Fine wine pairings include Barolo DOCG from Piedmont and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG from Tuscany.
Spezzatinu de Sirboni (Wild Boar Stew) is sometimes made with Pecorino Cheese and Juniper Berries. Enjoy this great dish with the local Cannonau di Sardegna DOC or an Aglianico del Vulture DOC. I know which of these two wines I prefer and as much as I like going local, in my opinion the Aglianico is in a different league from the Cannonau.
Porcheddu (Roast Suckling Pig) is a Sardinian specialty made with myrtle, rosemary, and ideally wild Sardinian herbs. The classical wine pairing for this delicious festive dish is Cannonau di Sardegna DOC but I'd be tempted to try a Tuscany Chianti Classico DOCG or Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, recommended for the central Italian suckling pig dish known as Porchetta.
You'll enjoy Quaglie Arrosto (Roasted Quail) prepared with a dry white wine such as a local Vernaccia di Oristano DOC. Suggested wine pairings include the Tuscan Barolo DOCG and Italian Pinot Nero.