Posted By Joel on November 3, 2010

Italo Pietrantonj Pecorino 2008

Sunday, Unstructured

There are few things in my life which resist change as much as our tradition of Sunday dinner with extended family. But, today is an exception.

I am unprepared for the anomaly of Sunday without pasta, long-simmered red sauce, slow-roasted meats, of many faces at table.

Let us strategize a recovery: something to eat … easy, fast and good. Speak comfort to me, friend. OK: spaghetti with olive oil, garlic and anchovy.

And the wine, then: one to fill the void, to overcome this dreary day….

AND SO IT WAS that Italo Pietrantonj Pecorino 2008, a wine from one of the oldest wineries in Abruzzo, found its way to an unusual Sunday table, transforming a simple meal and raising spirits with its elegant good taste and personality.

Made from 100% varietal Pecorino grown in medium-texture clay soil at approximately 340m altitude, fermented in stainless steel, this interesting, complex white from Pietrantonj shows incredible value for money.

Tasting Notes / Impressions:

Straw yellow with emerald highlights. An elegant, delicate perfume of banana, pear, citrus, flowers. Expressive and vibrant in the mouth, the wine conjures flavors of grapefruit, green tea and a hint of cinnamon on a creamy palate underscored with fresh, balanced acidity. Finishes with licks of sea salt, almond, and herb. An exceptionally good food wine.

Note: Serve chilled, though slightly warmer than most whites.

Food Pairing Suggestions:

Fish / Seafood: Mahi mahi, Tuna, or Swordfish, recommend Tuna steaks with nicoise olives, capers in a light red sauce; Meats: cooked white meats and cured meats such as prosciutto and salami; Soups; hearty soups, recommend Pasta e Fagioli with pepper flakes or Boulliabiasse; Pasta; spicy pasta dishes such as the classic “Puttanesca”; Vegetarian: salad of potato, beet, endive, and walnuts; cold sesame noodles served with sliced radish and cucumber; rigatoni pasta with cauliflower, garlic, olives, pine nuts and raisins.

Asian food fans: try this wine with Japanese hand cut rolls of spicy crab; Chinese Ma Po Tofu; “rice bowl” dishes flavored with salty fish or vegetable.

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Categories: $ (Under $25), Abruzzo, Wine
Tags: Pecorino