That's Italian!

The perfect wine & food pairing covers up all kinds of talent shortcomings in the culinary arena (i.e. I'm not the best chef in the world).  My current favorite Italian match is the Dolcetto grape paired to radicchio, white beans and pork chops.  The dish is absurdly simple to make.  So really, all you need to do is concern yourself with picking the perfecto Dolcetto.

Dolcetto hails from northern Italy's Piedmont.  It is often overlooked in favor of its brawnier brethren - Barbera and Nebbiolo.  Granted, most Dolcetto is easy on the nose and tongue (i.e. it doesn't have much in terms of tannin toughness or acid activity as do Nebbiolo and Barbera).  However, soft and fruity doesn't always result in silly.  Dolcetto d'Alba is the most well known of the Dolcetto d'family.  Other Dolcettos d's include d'Acqui, Diano d'Alba, Ovada and Dogliani.  I've recently discovered Pecchenino's Dolcetto di Dogliani, and it has earned a spot in the wine rotation of la casa B.Juice.  It is indeed soft and fruity (the Dolcetto calling card), but it also possesses depth and balance.  this wine is the perfect foil to the succulence of pork, bitterness of radicchio and earthiness of beans.  Molto bene!

The dish: Pork chop with radicchio, white beans and rosemary (this recipe calls for a veal chop, but I sub'd in the other white meat).

The wine:  Pecchenino 'Siri D'Jermu' Dolcetto di Dogliani DOC 2003 (~$20)

The result:  Mmm. Urp. Ahh. Zzz.

tags italian wine, red wine, wine, dolcetto

Comments

[Jameson]

You should try the 2004 Del Pino Dolcetto; it is so pretty and not one of these Dolcettos on steroids like the 2003s or some of these oaked ones. For a great, affordable, food-friendly red I would put Dolcetto right up there with Cru Beau-jolais as the most criminally overlooked.

[beau]

J-
I agree and am often guilty of overlooking Beaujolais cru. I had a Brouilly a while back that knocked my sox off.

[Robiodo]

Lived in Italy for a few years, visited Piemonte several times, so I met Dolcetto on its home turf. Just had the Pecchenino Dogiani 2003 in a Chicago restaurant last week. No one but me at the table had it prior, but everyone loved it. Ta-daaa! (The markup was stoopidly high, like 3-4 X retail. Thieves!) Italy has a goodly number of criminally overlooked and thus affordable wines. Primitivo, Franciacorta, Refosco, and Schiopettino come to mind, and set me dreaming. Happy quaffing.

[is bronchitis contagious]

You should try the 2004 Del Pino Dolcetto; it is so pretty and not one of these Dolcettos on steroids like the 2003s or some of these oaked ones. For a great, affordable, food-friendly red I would put Dolcetto right up there with Cru Beau-jolais as the most criminally overlooked.