Wine School-Everyday Piedmont Wines, October 17, 2013

Theme: 
The Piedmont region of Italy is known for its delicious Barolos and Barbarescos, but these grand wines come with an equally grand price. So what do the Piedmontese drink with their everyday meals? That was the question I had when I began planning for this class. Turns out they have some wonderful wines that are meant to be enjoyed young, and pair wonderfully with pastas, roasted meats, and hearty stews. Beth

The Wines:
Allessandro Veglio 2011 Barbera d’Alba

• Color: Purple
• Nose:  Pepper and berries on the nose with a touch of sweetness. As the wine opens up toastiness is present.
• Mouth:  Bright, acidic wine with tartness on the finish. A bit young but opens up when paired with food.
• Price:  $16-Wine Merchant, Clayton, MO

Paolo Conterno 2011 Dolcetto d’Alba

• Color:  Purple
• Nose:  Definitely the softest nose of the three wines with hints of floral.
• Mouth:  Very bright, the lightest body of the three wines, but less tart than the first wine.
• Price:  $15-Wine Merchant, Clayton, MO

Vietti 2010 Nebbiolo

• Color:  Red brick in color with a hint of brown
• Nose:  Tar, chocolate and vanilla on the nose.
• Mouth:  Definitely the most tannic of the wines with more body.
• Price:  $24-The Wine and Cheese Place, Clayton, MO

Overall Conclusion:  We all agreed that these three wines were enjoyable and definitely meant to be paired with food. It was amazing how well the bruschetta paired with all three of the wines, even the bolder Nebbiolo. In fact, Lisa and Beth loved them with everything on the menu, while Mary Jo didn’t enjoy them as much with the dark chocolate and the bread dipped in oil. These wines are perfect for the upcoming colder months when paired with hearty stews and pasta dishes!

The Pairings:

• Bosina Cheese:  This cheese paired well with all three wines, but we enjoyed it the most with the Nebbiolo. It really cut the acid in the Barbera, while the fruit in the Dolcetto just popped when paired with this cheese.
• Fontina Cheese:  Great cheese-it really opened the Barbera and added an amazing richness to the wine. It was also darn good with the Nebbiolo and had a wonderful, smooth finish with the Dolcetto.
• English Cheddar:  Another hit! If we had to rank the wines with this cheese, we enjoyed it best with the Dolcetto-we really liked how the cheese played with the finish of the wine. A close second and third were the Barbera and Nebbiolo.
• Tomato Bruschetta:  Wow! This dish paired well with all three wines, but especially the Barbera and Dolcetto. The acid of the tomatoes were a match for these acidic wines.
• Crusty Bread w/Tuscan Herb Dipping Oil:  As mentioned before, Mary Jo was not a fan of this pairing, Lisa and Beth thought it was fine, especially with the Nebbiolo.
• Linguini w/Meatballs and Marinara Sauce:  An awesome pairing with all three wine! This dish brought out the earthiness of the Dolcetto wine, and it was awesome with the Barbera.
• Lindt 70% Smooth Dark Chocolate:  Beth and Lisa loved this chocolate paired with the the Barbera and the Dolcetto. It really let the fruit shine through in both the Dolcetto and Barbera.
• Lindt Touch of Sea Salt Dark Chocolate: We loved this with the Nebbiolo. It also was a nice match with the Dolcetto and Barbera.

Conclusion:
Beth:  I love Italian food. There is no getting around it! Usually I drink a Chianti Classico with the wonderful foods of Italy, and on a good night, a nice Barolo. So it was wonderful to find these every day Piedmont reds that I would be happy to serve to my dinner guests. They all paired very well with the foods, elevating both the wines and the food. The Barbera and Dolcetto I would not recommend for sipping alone, but definitely enjoy them with my next stew on an upcoming cold winter night!
Lisa:  With Fall finally here, it's nice to get back to some cool weather reds!  As a matter of fact when I tasted the first wine of the night, the Barbera, it actually felt warm going down, just soothing the soul :).  As a sipper alone, finding a favorite wasn't easy. I may have gravitated to the Nebbiolo just because it had aged a little longer.  However, all three were best with food. For me, I think each cheese had a different favorite wine.  With the Bosina cheese, I favored the Nebbiolo; the Fontina cheese was best with the Barbera; and the English cheddar with the Dolcetto. Now I wouldn't turn any combination down! Anything tomato based was a hit! Tomato Bruschetta -YUMMY- all three. Biggest hit of the night for me was the meatball with red sauce-delicious with all but favored the Barbera. Last but not least, I can never turn down chocolate with wine and these were all winners!  Thanks, Beth, for a delicious class!
Mary Jo:  I am always excited for wine school, but especially when we are tasting red wines!  Like my fellow Winos, I love Italian food and love pairing great wines with my dishes!  I found all three cheeses to be very nice with these wines!  I felt the Bosina really reduced the acidity of the Barbera d'Alba, the Fontina went well with all three wines and the English Cheddar was especially nice with the Dolcetto d'Alba.  I found the bruschetta to be really good with the Barbera and the meatballs to be really good with the Nebbiolo and the Barbera.  I agree with Beth that these wines are not ones I would open to sip after dinner, but truly the Italians mean for their wines to be enjoyed with food!  I will definitely pick up a few of these wines to have with upcoming meals!!!  Thanks, Beth, wonderful as always!