I am responsible for organizing our annual awards banquet for my local dive club. I'm not much of a wine drinker so maybe you guys can help. We are having chicken breast stuffed with Mascarpone cheese in a light pesto cream sauce and for the vegetarians raviloi filled with spinach and ricotta cheese in a basil cream sauce. That's what the chef gave me anyway.
What kind of wine should I serve with this menu? I want to have red and white both on the tables but which ones go best with these foods? Thanks for any help I can get.
I'm not a good pairing guy, so will defer to others, but what kind of budget are you working with? This will influence the recommendations you get. And, any idea of the ratio of beer/wine drinkers?
-B
"You should always read the label, you should always read it well"-Mrs. Featherbottom, AKA Tobias Funke
Posts: 3032 | Location: Naptown | Registered: Nov 24, 2006
Always play the wine to the strongest flavour in the dish.
In this case the title would probably be shared by the creamy, fresh Mascarpone cheese and the pesto/cream sauce for the first dish, and the ricotta/basil cream sauce combo for the second dish.
An oaked sauvignon blanc (fume blanc) would simultaneously play up the herbal components of the dishes while matching the soft, creamy texture. Alternately, a mildly oaked chardonnay, possibly a simple Burgogne, would be a good match if acidity levels were high enough. White Bordeaux (beware, there are about 10 bad for every good) might be an option too. In a pinch, you could use a bone-dry Alsatian riesling, Austrian gruner-veltliner, or even one of the aromatic steel-tank whites from Italy although these are more commonly "miss" than "hit". Inama Soave or anything by Jermann is always worth hunting down though
Reds are a little more difficult, since your dish comprises mostly herbal and green components and the "frame" is quite light. A lighter, simpler style of pinot noir, or perhaps a Cotes-du-Rhone or Ventoux. I've had some encouraging wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero in Spain that might do the job; the key with these wines is to go with a classic producer such as Montecillo or Riscal, because the new kids on the block will give you fruit and oak bombs that are unbalanced and unsuitable for food. Again, in a pinch, you can go with sangiovese (either Tuscany, or Emilia-Romagna) but it's another one of those 10%-hit-90%-miss styles of wine.
Hope it helps. More details about price point and/or a list of options would also help pick the perfect wine.
"I can certainly see that you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret." John Cleese (Basil Fawlty)
Posts: 497 | Location: Mississauga, ON | Registered: Feb 15, 2006
The food being Italian themed, why not just stay with Italian wines?
Chianti sounds fine. Reds labeled as generic Sangiovese or Tuscan red wine will do just as well. Some have non-traditional grapes mixed in, to their advantage most should agree.
There are many suitable Italian white wines that are generally overlooked in this country. Some of the Sauv Blancs are a good fit. Some blends incorporate Chardonnay in a way rarely done in the US, some have Tocai or other highly aromatic grapes that boost the complexity and attractivness. Greco di Tufo and Fiana di Avellino are wonderful white grapes. Vernaccia is more particular to Tuscany, if that is a consideration. Most Vernaccias are on the thin side, but Teruzzi&Puthold bottles a richer version at a moderate price.
Names to look for include, but are not limited to: Bastianich Colterenzio Feudi di San Gregorio Livia Felluga Girlan Planeta Schiopetto Terredora
Simple yes, but all insipid no. Capasaldo and Riff are two inexpensive pinot grigios that are well under $10 that would work well for an Italian white for a party of people not so into wine for a dinner.
Posts: 3034 | Location: minneapolis minnesota usa | Registered: Dec 17, 2003
Good point g-man. Ptwhaler hasn't surfaced from the local dive to give feedback. He may be more the boiler maker type, but he did not say that his club companions were lacking in appreciation of wine.
I was working on the assumption that, if he wanted banal advice, he could just go to the local supermarket and be directed to one of the 99 Pinot Grigios and 101 Chardonnays and emerge with something inoffensive and drinkable.
Alois Lageder does make excellent wines at a decent price, but his Pinot Bianco would be the choice given the menu. Riff is the entry level offering. The WS review describes it as "simple". There is such thing as a Pinot Grigio that is not insipid, but you would have to go to the list I gave, or similar, for an example, and pay $20+. With rich food and budget considerations, a Pinot Gris from Oregon delivers more, one from Alsace better yet.
I'd go with Fume Blanc as the white (though chardonnay would work also) and an acessible California zinfandel--anything by Ravenswood. I agree that a pinot gris/grigio would not work with the mascarpone stuffed chicken, there's not enough body for all that richness.
