Wine on the Radio - June 24, 2003

Italian Food and Wine                               Recommendations

Italian food seems like everybody's favorite!

Here are a couple of Italian wine and food ideas for you.

Paparadelle is wide, flat pasta traditional in Tuscany.   When tossed with a meat sauce made with ground beef and pork, a little tomato and herbs, it's perfect with a silky and rich Brunello from Montalcino.

Beef steak Fiorentine is a two inch thick t-bone.   It's seasoned with olive oil and garlic, salted and peppered.  

Sear it over hot coals and brush again with olive oil when you serve.  

Cooked to medium rare,   it just shouts for the super Tuscan choice of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon.

Then there's pizza.   Chianti Rufina is always great with pizza.   The bright cherry flavor and zing loves melted cheeses and virtually any topping you like.

Putting wine and food together is easy if you remember to keep the food style and wine region together.  

So go "Italy squared" and enjoy!

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Fresh pastas with meat sauces . . .

Il Marroneto 1996 Brunello di Montalcino $50
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Notes
A very elegant Brunello. Ruby red in color with a subtle perfume of dried fruit.

Fuligni 1996 Brunello di Montalcino
Tuscany, Italy

Notes

Bursting at the seams with plum and cherry fruit sustained by firm, full structure and polished tannins

1998 Casanova di Neri "Tenuta Nuova" Brunello di Montalcino $45

WS 92 points, Intense aromas of plums, grapes and flowers.

1996 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino $45

It's pizza time anytime!

1999 Colognole Chianti Rufina   $10

A handsome Chianti with plenty of charm.

1998 Frescobaldi "Nipozzano Riserva" Chianti Rufina   $18

Lots of prune, raisin and floral character.

2000 Villa Di Vetrice Chianti Rufina $10
Aromas of violets and berries follow through to a medium-bodied palate, with fresh acidity and a fruity finish.

Beefsteak Florentine . . . or any other way . . .

Avignonesi 1999 Toscana Desiderio   $45
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Notes
This super-Tuscan blend of Merlot (85%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) was listed in Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of 2002!

Banfi 2000 Col-di-Sasso   $10
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Notes
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Wine Values of 2002

A Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet vinified to express lush fruitiness.

Antinori 1999 Tignanello   $80
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Notes
Intensely fruity and complex on the nose, full-bodied, rich and complex in the mouth with exceptional structure and a lengthy finish. The original super-Tuscan.