Welcome
back to our now 2nd Italian Food, Wine & Travel
bloggers group! This month we feature one of my favorite regions in
Italy, Piedmont or Piemonte! Last month we featured the
Veneto
region and had lots of amazing blogs to share. This
group consists of bloggers that have a deep appreciation and passion
for Italy whether it comes from their travels to Italy or their
appreciation of the fine wines and amazing cuisine. Piedmont,
translating to “foot of the mountain” is indeed at the foot of
some of the tallest mountains in all of Europe. It's a hop skip and
a jump from the French and Italian Riviera as well the Valle d'Aosta
with it's stunning Alpine landscapes. This region is also highly
regarded for it's rich cuisine that pair perfectly with some of the
best known wines in all of Italy.
We
have a group of bloggers ready to share with you their insights into
the region of Piedmont. This Saturday December 6th
will be our secondevent. You can join us all day Saturday live on twitter at #ItalianFWT and make sure to check back
at Vino Travels
Saturday for a list of wonderful blogs to enjoy throughout your
weekend. Here
are our featured articles this month on Piedmont: Vino
Travels – The difference between Barolo and Barbaresco Cooking
Chat – Porcini Mushroom Risotto with a Nebbiolo Food
Wine Click – A Walk from Neive to Barbaresco and Back Flavourful
Tuscany – Moscato and their appellations Girls Gotta Drink - The Ultimate Guide to Piedmont Food and Wine Pairing There
is time to join before Saturday. Please reach out to me at
vinotravels at hotmail dot com. Otherwise we would love to have
you join us for next month's event and region to be announced
Saturday!
Welcome to our 4th
Wine Pairing Weekend event. I was very excited when this month's
theme was focused on regional food and wine pairings. Being a lover
of Italian wine and having traveled throughout Italy, many regions
came to mind, but a region I love for both their food and wine
combined is Piedmont. Piedmont is located in northwestern Italy
bordering Switzerland and France. I have written some
articles of this region that you can enjoy this weekend. You
must explore this regions wine and food and today we'll get you
started!
I partnered with
Elisa from Milk, Honey &
Rum, which is a website dedicated to the culinary delights of the
Piedmont region. Her website is great as you can search for recipes
depending on seasons, types of food, different courses or even
dietary restrictions. Elisa, being from Turin and having lived in
Piedmont throughout her life, loves to share her fond memories of
food and how it contributes to the lives of the Piedmont residents
and those that enjoy the savory goodness from this region. Today
I'll feature one of the recipes from Elisa's site. Another site whom
I've enjoyed from the Piedmont region is Turin
Epicurean. They share the local culture, food and wine of the
region.
The fall is a
wonderful time to be in Italy, especially Piedmont. Majority of the
time I have traveled over to Italy has been in the fall. When I
visited Piedmont last in 2009 it was also in October. Food festivals
are in abundance in Piedmont with some of their prized cuisine
including truffles and mushrooms.
Being a fan of
mushrooms I couldn't bypass the recipe that Elisa shares on her site:
a porcini mushroom risotto. Being in Italy this is a perfect time
of year for tracking down porcinis. I remember visiting local folks
that had husbands out hunting down truffles or maybe got lucky enough
to find some porcinis to bring home for dinner. I wish I could walk
out into my back yard or the local woods and find these specialities!
You can view Elisa's full
recipe and details to try on your own.
I followed Elisa's
recipe, minus having the fresh porcini mushrooms, so I substituted
them for the dried porcini mushrooms that I soaked in wine, trebbiano
di montepulciano to be exact, while I was preparing the risotto. My
addition to the end of the recipe was a 24 month aged parmesan cheese
that I shaved on the top that I must say was quite delicious. I
topped it off and opened my special 25 year aged DOP traditional
balsamic vinegar that I purchased from Acetaia
di Giorgio in Modena last October. Opening the bottle and
smelling the balsamic again brought back my visit there and to my
wonderful tasting. All I added were a few drops on the top of the
risotto as the richness and density of the balsamic will make your
taste buds go wild.
Porcini mushrooms
have a very distinct taste and earthiness along with a pungent smell.
While I was cooking my meal I kept smelling the wonderful aromas of
the porcinis soaking in the glass. For this food and wine pairing I
chose a red wine that itself lends its earthiness and with porcini
mushrooms being a meatier type of mushroom I felt this was a good
option. One of my most memorable winery visits in Italy was to Carlo
Giacosa's winery in Barbaresco so I chose to open his 2005 Montefico
Barbaresco to pair with this meal. It's very hard for me to part
with my treasures I bring back from Italy, but this being a special
occasion and meal it was worth it! That just means I have to get
back to Italy to replace any items I used of course.
Even after not
finishing the bottle that night the wine was still in tact the next
day with just as good structure. The color of the wine had an
elegant tinge of orange around the edges. On the palate was full
body, high acidity and well-integrated tannins. I picked up some
candied strawberries with a hint of cherry and a little bit of spice.
The lengthy finish was enjoyable to savor every taste and bite.
Wine Spectator's
review
“Aromas of crushed strawberry, with a
hint of cherry, follow through to a full body, with a sudden flash of
very ripe fruit and a long, caressing finish. Balanced and fruity.
Best after 2011. 650 cases made. -JS
Score: 92. —James Suckling, September 30, 2008.”
Cin Cin!
Make this meal and
enjoy a beautiful bottle of wine from this region and you'll feel
that you have a piece of Italy, specifically Piedmont, at home!
Be sure to check out these great pairing from my fellow #winePW 4 bloggers! Culinary Adventures with Camilla is posting "Chuletas de Cordero + Tempranillo" Grape Experiences is pairing "Avantis Estate Malagousia 2013 and Greek Shrimp" Curious Cuisiniere will share "Wisconsin Cheddar Grilled Cheese with Door County Winery's Peninsula Red" foodwineclick is sharing "Minnesota Wine at the Midwestern Table" Pull That Cork will be sharing "winePW 4: Sicily" Confessions of a Culinary Diva will blog about "New Mexico: Burgers, Bubbles and Beer" Rockin Red Blog will share about "A Rustic Meal in Valpolicella" Cooking Chat is blogging about "A Paso Pairing: Grilled Tuna with Halter Ranch Syrah" Join the #winePW conversation: Follow the #winePW conversation on Twitter throughout the weekend and beyond. If you're reading this early enough, you can join us for a live Twitter chat on our theme "Regional Food & Wine Pairings" on Saturday, September 13, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time. Questions for the chat are posted here on the #winePW site. You can also visit our group Pinterest board to pin some great pairing ideas for later! Stay tuned for the October Wine Pairing Weekend, which will focus on "Fall Fruits and Wine Pairings" on Saturday, October 11.
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