Also from Lombardy, creamy, buttery, and sweeter Mascarpone has a slightly lemon-like quality, making it popular in cheesecake and tiramisu recipes. We enjoyed a bottle of each and came up with both obvious and unconventional pairings. Gorgonzola hails from Italys northern Lombardy region, dating back to the 9th century. However, they will be excellent when paired with roast chicken, light burgers, or anything in that oily vein, as the wine possesses a sharp, biting acidity. This wine is bright, medium- to light-bodied, and fresh, with a ruby color and vivid flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and sour cherry, with a touch of spice. A glass of fresh. I hesitate to break the trinity of bread, cheese, and wine, but, eating a little of the concentrated cheese and sipping the wine, you can do without bread., Kyrgyzstan and the Cuisine of the Silk Road. Valpolicella is a good alternative to Pinot Noir or Beaujolais, and pairs well with poultry, salmon, seafood stew, and grilled vegetables. White wines: Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Red wines: Big Tuscan reds, Valpolicella, California Merlot, California Zinfandel A nice, fresh Valpolicella with some good friends is a great way to start an evening, and a slightly chilled glass of Recioto is the perfect way to finish it off. Washed Rind: A bath in brine, beer or wine produces a distinct orange rind. Bussola ferments this wine in stainless steel, then moves the wine over to the pressed amarone skins in February and March. Think along the lines of lighter meats and seafood chicken, turkey, salmon or tuna are all solid choices for Valpolicella. For a silky, fuller-bodied expression of valpolicella ripasso, check out this mouth-coating expression. Flavors of plum and sour cherries gave way to soft tannins on the finish. The resulting Valpolicella wines are bright, lively, and balanced with savory sour cherry flavors. supermarket aisles of wines don't despair. that are great partners for the cheeses, and which fit your budget too. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Prices range from around $25 to more than $100, for superior Amarone. Rarer still, all four wines are produced throughout the region. Valpolicella Classico is also surprisingly delicious with Lemon Chicken served over a bed of warm pasta. . Crostini, calamari, grilled vegetables and bacon-wrapped dates are all excellent choices. Valpolicella Classico is fantastic with pasta with a red sauce as the herbs and cherry flavours blend in perfectly with the tomato sauce. The Classico portion lets the buyer know that this wine came from a specific area in Veneto where Valpolicella was historically produced. Part two in the series will explore the region, grapes, and winemaking techniques in more depth, to help give you a more complete understanding of one of Italys top red wines. Malbecs from Cahors in Southwest France feature similar aromas of vintage leather and undergrowth, along with ripe black fruit and spice. Produced using the pressed skins of the regions famed amarone wine, this rich and complex expression of valpolicella provides an extra punch of a flavor with every sip. Pairing Italian Cheeses with just the right wines The bigger-flavored cheeses (Gorgonzola) pair better with bigger . Tannin and Tomato sauce do not mix, as the sauce makes the tannin taste like tin. This way, you can compare the differences of their styles. The delicate and creamy cheese known as Ricotta is produced by adding milk to the whey that remains after making harder cheeses. Beer & Cheese, News & Events, Recipes & Tips, Wine & Cheese. Valpolicella food pairing: Spaghetti carbonara Montepulciano d'Abruzzo food pairing: Lasagne Vinho verde food pairing: Seafood pasta Sicilian red food pairing: Pasta with tomato sauce Chilean pinot noir: Macaroni cheese Best wine to serve with carbonara - valpolicella (red) The term Classico refers to the fact that these wines are grown in a section of the Valpolicella region that is historically recognized for better quality. They tend to be creamy and fairly mild in flavor. Fontina is produced from cows milk in the far northwestern corner of Italy called Valle dAosta. Ripasso is a beautiful dark ruby color with rich spicy aromas featuring a hint of black pepper and calm, sweet cherries. The Montepulciano begged for a pecorino even more than the Valpolicella. Try them with Beef and Venison Tartare, Beef Pho, and Lamb Gyros. It can range in style from soft and subtle to firm, intense, and nutty. There isnt to me much synergy between the wine and cheese, the sort of interaction that transforms your perception of one or the other. One of the small joys in life is purchasing a simple, tasty bottle of wine for under twenty dollars. The process came about in the 1930s, as did Ripasso. Many of the regular Valpolicella and Valpolicella Classico Superiore wines are now labeled Ripasso. (preferably Italian if possible) is half the fun of planning a wine and Ham is salty and sweet, and Valpolicella is light, acidic and fruity. For Amarone, some producers today aim at the legal minimum of 14 percent alcohol, while more tradition-minded ones employ sweeter grapes and allow Amarone to rise naturally to 15 and 16 percent alcohol or more. Valpolicella Ripasso pairs best with Grilled Steak, Mushroom Risotto, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Duck, Braised Lamb, and Venison. Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine Get the latest news, reviews, recipes and gear sent to your inbox. Go to Italian Cheeses A to M fortified/dessert wines like port, madeira and sauternes (Gorgonzola, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Piave). Semi-Soft: Theyre not spreadable, nor do they break in shards like a hard cheese. Wine with beef with mushroom and onion gravy, Wine with ground turkey or turkey burgers. These cheeses tend to go best with dry or off-dry white wines, ros or light-bodied, fruity red wines with a low degree of alcohol. These wines have very low alcohol content and often have a slight spritz, which helps counteract the smokiness of the cheese. Valpolicella is a famous wine region in Verona, Italy, home to a renowned red wine that is also called Valpolicella. Amarone has just the proper amount of oomph to hold its own against these sharp Roquefort Cheese flavours without overwhelming the cheese. Milder blue cheeses like Cambozola share the same potential matches as bloomy cheeses. Fortified/Dessert wines: Sauternes (Semillon), RAGUSANO Valpolicella Rosso is Valpolicella that has been produced outside of this original boundary. Amarone della Valpolicella will stand up to this cheese - both in flavour and aroma - without overwhelming any of the more subtle notes in the cheese and your pasta dish. Salmon or tuna is also a fantastic choice. A glass of fresh, easy drinking Pinot Grigio makes for an absolutely wonderful pairing. If you are featuring a meatier Pasta Sauce, like Spaghetti and Meatballs, level up a few dollars more with a richer Valpolicella Superiore. whites as well as with champagne or prosecco and some of the Wine Pairings: Gamay, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Valpolicella, Earthy reds. "Consider the pungency of Gorgonzola Picante against a Recioto della Valpolicella." Photo: Courtesy of Eataly. You can learn about the region and the winemaking process in our second post. Recioto is an absolute success with tiramisu, chocolate, and cakes. Made by Benedictine monks, Abbaye de Belloc is a semi-hard cheese with a full, sheepy flavor and sweet undertones. As with any wine and food pairing, there are a number of considerations, such as texture, acidity, fat and tannin. This will benefit from crisp white or ros wine pairings to balance out its fresh, mildly sweet character. Today, this blue- or green-veined cheese comes in two main styles. Wine and cheese pairing possibilities are endless. Flavors of plum and sour cherries gave way to soft tannins on the finish. Lively, vibrant Valpolicella is redolent of refreshing sour cherry and aromatic herbs, and, like good Beaujolais, benefits from a slight chill. White wines: Sauvignon Blanc, White Bordeaux (Sauvignon Blanc Blend), Red wines: Chianti (Sangiovese grape), Barbera d'Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco (all from Nebbiolo grape) They tend to have nutty and complex savory notes. Once you have tried a few different wine Red wines: California Pinot Noir What could be better with cherry or strawberry pie? With wine still staring at us from our glasses, we decided to try a few pecorinos to ensure that we hadnt overlooked the classic pairing. Its soft texture and freshness make elegant white wines an ideal match. Some cheeses like Gouda are semi-soft in younger styles, while when aged, their texture turns hard. If you don't have a local wine shop and have to depend on the long Many are excellent to melt and perfect to slice. It can range in style from soft and subtle to firm, intense, and nutty. Its hard, aromatic, and buttery-flavored style calls for bolder red wines softened a bit from aging. Below, you will find a description not only of Valpolicella and Amarone, but their variations, too. They are both produced in the Veneto region, near the cities of Venice and Verona, from a blend of local red grapes. The modern wines, products of greater control and higher technology, often taste of vanilla from aging in new oak barrels. Salt in food softens the acidity in wine, so choose higher acidity styles. The valley also produces white wines - both dry and sweet - under the various Soave titles. But even some Amarone and Recioto dont have enough fruit for the cheese; Reciotos sugar can dominate. Valpolicella Superiore is Valpolicella Classico that has been aged at least one year in wood, and is a minimum of 12% alcohol. Being low in alcohol, a glass of Valpolicella Classico wont get you drunk at lunchtime either. These textured and tasty bottles are made by taking valpolicella superiore wine and leaving them in contact with the leftover partially dried skins from amarone or recioto production. Amarone, whose name translates to great bitter, is made by letting those same dried grapes fully ferment. It has a sharp acidity and a distinctive sour cherry note that works well with a lot of food. As with Pinot Noir and Beaujolais, anything with mushrooms is a great match for Valpolicella. House of Cheese, Our Favorite Products & Producers, Random Fun! Young, Hard, salty Pecorino Romano is produced from sheeps milk, with younger versions making a fine appetizer. Valle Reale 04 Montepulciano dAbruzzo: This wine tasted rugged and raw. Enjoy it on its own with a delicate garnish of olive oil and seasoning or melted on top of a crispy, wood-fired pizza. The saltier the cheese, the fruitier or sweeter the wine should bea "balancing act," i.e. BRA If you have a local wine shop with a friendly, helpful and knowledgeable owner, by all means take advantage of his expertise. To simplify the strategy, cheeses can be divided into six categories. Crucolo , a young Italian cow milk cheese, only paired moderately until a tasty finish. They can be quite expensive, but their increasing popularity has lead to a corresponding increase in production, so prices are falling. The Italian Cheese and Wine Pairing Guide Mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, pecorino, parmesan, and even mascarpone, are all from the sunny southern regions, beginning in Emilia Romagna and moving down. On the nose, youll find lots of red and black cherry, along with herbs that complement the tomato sauce spread across your pizza. The wine tasted fruitier and fuller while the cheese tasted stronger than usual. Fruit is hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented, and aged in large oak vats. Chianti Classico, particularly Riserva bottlings, or Super Tuscans produced from Bordeaux grape varieties will prove quite complementary. Recommended pairings for some popular Italian cheeses: Mozzarella di Bufala Fortunately, at a wine shop, and especially if you choose a Ripasso, there is perhaps less gamble with Valpolicella than most wines. The terms Valpolicella and Amarone are applied to a wide variety of wines that have become popular in the United States in recent years. These wines are still affordable, and can offer great quality for the price. They start out as usual red wine, but then in spring they are "repassed" recombined with the skins left from pressing Recioto and Amarone, which adds both sweet flavors and enough actual sugar to provoke a small new fermentation. Check out the links below for more wine and cheese pairings (British Cheeses with Wine, Ales and Ciders and French Cheeses with Wine and American Cheeses with Wine). With such a wide range of styles, Valpolicella wines speak to every palate preference. Valpolicella and Montepulciano can be found cheap and often deliver better than expected flavors. Valpolicella wines come from the province of Verona, located east of Lake Garda and in the overarching region of Veneto in northern Italy. Plus, you get a bit of herb, spice and smoke in Valpolicella that imparts its own characteristics on the roasted chicken and further improves the taste. There are also bigger-bodied wines made with the Valpolicella name. Vicki Denig is a wine and travel writer and content creator. Last updated January 31st 2023 Marble and Solid Acacia Wood All-In-One Lazy Susan Cheese Board (14 Piece Set), Welcome to winemag.com! White wines: Fum Blanc I have some helpful Ripasso and Amarone are heavy hitters as they have bold flavours, high alcohol content and almost syrupy concentrated flavours. Theyre rich and creamy, and they can be soft or semi-soft in texture. In addition, Amarone della Valpolicella has a complex palate with notes of cherry, spices, such as cinnamon and cracked pepper, chocolate and almond. Accordini Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso, Buglioni lImperfetto Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Domini del Leone Valpolicella Classico Ripasso, Tommaso Bussola Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Ca' del Laito, Sancerre: What to Know and 5 Bottles to Try, Chenin Blanc: What to Know and 7 Bottles to Try, Muscadine: What to Know and 6 Bottles to Try, Gewurtztraminer: What to Know and 5 Bottles to Try, Verdejo: What to Know and 5 Bottles to Try, Your Guide to Sparkling Wine: The Main Types and More, Albario: What to Know and 6 Bottles to Try, Chillable Red Wine: What to Know and 7 Bottles to Try. If you like BBQ sauce slathered on your Chicken, or your chicken in a red pasta sauce, youll understand how the cherry flavours of Valpolicella go so well with the neutral tasting chicken. This incredibly milky variety is a true delight! Instead, above all with Recioto, youre matching two forms of luxurious intensity. The wines bright, palate-coating acidity leads to a refreshing and lingering finish. Those with a superiore label attached to their name must be aged for one year in oak and have a minimum of 12% alcohol; most producers of valpolicella will age even their entry-level bottlings in some form of wood. These dry, versatile reds pair with a variety of dishes and are great company throughout a meal. Valpolicella is the first Italian appellation by value, second to only Chianti and Montepulciano dAbruzzo in red wine production. Among the further complications, any of the ostensibly dry Valpolicella wines can have some detectable sugar, and any of them, dry or sweet, may be made in a traditional or modern style or in between. Over time, the young wines flavors of cherry and dark berries give way to cooked fruit, including plums and various jams, as well as prunes, hints of sweet spice, chocolate, tobacco, leather, toffee. Try drinking a powerful Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino with, Also from Lombardy, creamy, buttery, and sweeter Mascarpone has a slightly lemon-like quality, making it popular in cheesecake and tiramisu recipes. As a relatively light and appealing The more you pursue your cheese sampling - the more you will learn about the versatility of both cheese and wine. It is not labelled Classico, as when you move outside the original region, the growing conditions change (soil, climate, temperature), which can change the wine profile. You can buy high-quality Valpolicella Classico in the $8-$20 range, making it a no-brainer when you want to keep things casual.
