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Health & Fitness

Italian Wine, Cheese, and Meat Pairing

Soft and hard cheeses, salumi, and salami paired with various Italian wines. The cheeses and meats in the tasting allow extrapolation for what meal would also pair well with the wine.

As we go into Fall and look toward nice red wines again, I decided to write this review of red wines and their cheese and/or meat pairings.  Once you have an idea of the cheese/meat flavor that pairs with the red, you can imagine what wine you might pair with a dinner using the below tasting notes.

Lagrein, Lindenburg, Alois Lageder from Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy 2006 with Rabiola Musciada and Teleggio cheeses - the wine is a deep red to purple color and smells smoky, woody, and of deep rich red fruits and plums.  The tannins are mild and the wine is a smooth dark cherry with rich dark and smoky flavor.  The Rabiola Musciada is a cow and sheep milk cheese mix, and the Taleggio flavor is strong, made with a wash rind.  Along with those cheeses, the wine would be good with stew.  I really enjoy this wine!

Chianti Classico, 'Reserva di Famiglia' Cecchi, Tuscany, Italy 2005 with Provolone Auricchio - the wine is made from Sangiovese  grapes and the cheese is a quality provolone.  The Chianti is old and oaked, with the age showing in the brick-like color.  The wine smelled savory, woody, and rich, with elegance.  The wine has moderate amounts of both tannin and acid; with sour cherry, plum and wood flavors and a long finish.  The wine pairs well with the cheese, but if you're lactose intolerant, try it with roast beef!

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Valpolicella Superiore (Ripasso), 'Campo San Vito', Villa Monteleone from Veneto, Italy and Bresaola salumi - The wine is made from the Corvina, Rondinella, Croatina, and Molinara grapes.  It is purple-red and smells of prune, petroleum, and smoke or oak.  It odor was rich and soft.  The wine had enough tannin and rich dark cherry flavor to pair well with Bresaola salumi meat.  Another pairing option for this wine is more stew. 

Brachetto d'Aqui 'Rosa Regale', Banfi from Piemonte Italy and Gorgonzola Dolce - The wine is made from Brachetto grapes, and was both rosy and sparkling.  The aroma was floral and peach, but the wine tasted of sweet red fruits.  When consuming a sweet wine, the pairing choice is to go with salty, spicy, or savory; or a dessert that echoes the wine flavor.  In my case, I prefer not to pair sweet with sweet, so I really liked the cheese with this wine.

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American vineyards grow French varietals, but as we know, Italy has some great wines too.  This is review number one for your red wine pleasure!

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