Meat-loving nebbiolo – this month's food and wine match
An excerpt from Daring pairings by Evan Goldstein
daring pairings by Evan Goldstein
When I think about serving barolo, barbaresco, gattinara, and valtellina superiore sforzato, it’s generally with main courses leading to a cheese plate. For a simpler nebbiolo delle langhe or other straightforward wine, I am happy to opt for pasta, a mixed selection of antipasti, or its foreign equivalents – Spanish tapas or Middle Eastern meze.
Nebbiolo loves meat, especially beef, and lamb, and the traditional local dish of brasato al barolo, a rich version of braised beef, is perfect nebbiolo fare. The bigger wines handle these preparations well: braised shanks (osso buco), rich stews and casseroles, and basic grilled lamb all shine with this grape. I enjoy preparations that incorporate smoked bacon or ham as an accent, as they bring out the wine’s smoky character, as well as its fruit and naturally spicy elements. Valtellina is a solid pasta wine, as are the lighter Piedmontese interpretations. Pasta alla bolognese, noodles served with traditional meat sauce, and full-flavored lasagna are also tasty pairings.
Mushrooms, especially Piedmont’s famous white and black truffles, are splendid with nebbiolo. And no, you don’t need to pay a small ransom for them. An accent added through the judicious use of truffle oil or truffle salt can be enough to link the dish with the wine. Of course, if you do have fresh truffles, you are in for a real treat.
Older nebbiolo requires two things in the food it is paired with: simplicity, to bring out the wine’s intricacies, and juiciness, since the wine’s fruit becomes drier over time. For the latter, rare meat can work, as can incorporating tomato paste or some fruit, such as prunes or raisins, into the dish. I often sneak a little purée of prune into a stew or sauce to pick up on the wine’s character and add texture. This trick, often used to add moisture and texture to those nonfat muffins you get at Starbucks, can be very effective.
One oddity that is worth enjoying if you get the chance is the acclaimed Barolo Chinato. This unique wine, a barolo digestive infused with over two dozen different herbs and spices (including quinine!), can be fun with dessert, especially one that includes chocolate and mint. It’s also good with rhubarb tarts and clafoutis. It makes a change from port and banyuls!
Pairing Pointers
Nebbiolo goes well with:
- Truffles and porcini. Barolo and barbaresco are the quintessential truffle wines: the wine and the intoxicating fungi complement one another to bring out a heady earthiness in each. Again, truffle salt or oil can do the trick if you aren’t feeling flush. Porcini, earthy and savory brown mushrooms, are also magic with nebbiolo, as are morels.
- Stews and slow braises. Nebbiolo’s tannins and richness are the perfect foil for these rich meat dishes, from the classic osso buco alla milanese to a rich preparation of lamb shanks cooked slowly in a rich stock.
- Simple preparations of quality meat. Young nebbiolo is a great partner for a roast leg of lamb, a perfectly cooked hanger steak, or grilled lamb chops.
- Veal. This is a bit of a surprise match given the subtle flavor of veal, but an easy-drinking nebbiolo – say a ghemme, gattinara, or one of the many valtellina appellations – is a nice match with tasty milk-fed veal.
- Rich pasta, risotto, and polenta. These dishes are perfect with most nebbiolo-based wines. Make certain there’s some protein to latch onto those tannins (braised meat sugo, pancetta or sausage, or perhaps melted cheese or cream); and of course a little bit of truffle or porcini won’t hurt!
Nebbiolo isn’t good with:
- Cheese. Though many cheeses can pair brilliantly with nebbiolo wines, especially as they get older, a big, brawny barolo doesn’t pair well with most cheeses, especially the strong varieties. The classic fonduta, however, a fontina cheese fondue usually studded with truffles in the Piedmontese tradition, can be sublime with a barbaresco or a rich ghenne, spanna, or valtellina.
- Fish. The bigger wines – no way. The lighter wines are a stretch. And shellfish – don’t even think about it.
- Spicy food. The combination of the wine’s mouth-ripping tannin and bold flavor with the capsaicins in hot peppers is a disaster drama waiting to happen. A couple of red pepper flakes can be an effective accent, but if the food is spicy enough to make you grab for the bread or the water jug, avoid these ample red wines.
- Lighter recipes. Nebbiolo demands some backbone in the dishes it accompanies. Duck, yes; chicken and quail, no. Beef and lamb, yes; lighter preparations of pork, no. Eggplant, yes; sweet spring peas, no.
- Lots of salt. Because nebbiolo emphasizes oak and tannin, very salty dishes can be troublesome. Country ham, salt-and-pepper prawns, strong feta cheese, and the like are all tough& on these wines.
The Cheese Plate
SEMI-HARD – Comté (France), Fontina (Italy)
HARD – Cantal (France), aged pecorino toscano (Italy)
WASHED-RIND – Durrus (Ireland), Taleggio (Italy)
Reproduced with permission of University of California Press © Evan Goldstein 2010
Read our full review of Daring Pairings here »
Daring Pairings by Evan Goldstein is published by University of California Press (Berkeley and LA; 2010; hb 353 pp) and retails for RRP US$34.95 or RRP A$55.95 in Australia.
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