From Piedmont to Puglia: Italian Wines

I like taking cooking classes as it gets me away from the daily software business grind. My significant other and I get excited when the new classes are available from PCC, a natural market. Their class program is called PCC Cooks. Of course, when I saw that they had an Italian wine tasting class and food pairings “I was in”.

The class was ran by a gentleman named Robert Peterson who was had a passion for Italian wine and was very familiar with Italy. He gave some fundamental information such as Italian wine terms such as Secco (dry), Fattoria (a large wine estate) and Appasimento (the process of drying grapes before crushing). We discussed designation grades such as Vino da Tavola and DOCG.

There were about ten folks in there and I was the youngest and many had been to Italy on holiday and I received some great travel advice.

We got to taste a wide variety of affordable wines that were available at PCC:

1. Canella Prosecco – $16
2. 2004 Alois Lageder Portico Dei Leoni – $17
3. 2006 Martorana Insolia – $15
4. 2004 Guiseppe Lonardi Ripasso – $21
5. 2003 Terre Del Grico – $26
6. 2005 Baroli Barbera – $19
7. 2006 Martorana Contrada Ragabo – $11
8. 2004 Cappanace Rosso Dela Maremma – $19

All were pretty good and in line with their price tag. But the clear winner was the 2006 Martorana Contrada Ragabo. It is a Sicilian wine with a good nose, awesome finish with a hint of black olive to it, which would go well with garlic pasta. It is like a dog that cuddles up next to you and lies down and you begin to feel warm. The feeling of that warmth is a lot like this wine. Plus the price is really unbelievable for what comes out of the bottle.

Now you may be saying to yourself, “Uh…wasn’t this supposed to be a wine tasting with food pairings?” Absolutely! One of the things I enjoy is you learn about the cuisine of a country through these classes. It isn’t the stereotypical spaghetti and meatballs and pizza. To me, the most interesting dish was a surprisingly simple Celery and Parmigiano Salad which was light but flavorful.

I also picked up some tips such as:

• You can do food pairings according to region by selecting local food to go with wine in that area.
• Barolo needs some years on it to reach its peak.
• Italian wines traditionally go better with food than drinking by them by themselves.

Now if only my favorite Italian will invite me to a proper Italian meal out on the town!

Celery and Parmigiano Salad
(Serves 6 to 8 People)

1 Bunch Celery (8-10 stalks)
1 Cup Toasted Walnuts or Pine Nuts
1/2 Pound Chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano or Grono Padana
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Juice of One Lemon
Salt and Pepper

Wash and trim celery (leaves are ok to leave in), then chop into bite-size pieces. Lightly toast walnuts or pine nuts in a hot fry pan. Chop walnuts into 1/2 inch pieces. Chop the hard cheese into 1/2 inch pieces and combine with nuts and celery. Add a little salt and coarsely ground pepper.

For your dressing, use your best olive oil with juice of one lemon. You want a ratio of about 2/3 lemon to 1/3 oil. Taste and add a little salt to the dressing and stir it in.

Recommended to add a chopped carrot (Dungeness Farm) with the celery.