I Love Italian Regional Cooking - Pairing Sardinia Cuisine With White Wine
Great Sardinian food, fine Sardinian or other white wine...Sardinia is an island to the southwest of Rome. Sardinia’s climate is subtropical and over half its territory is devoted to pasture land. Culturally Sardinia is decades away from most of Italy. It’s a great tourist destination and has become quite popular with the jet set.
Sardinia kitchen, for preparing Sardinia specialties.
For starters, if you’re not squeamish try Calamari Fritti (Fried Squid). Wine pairings include Nuragus di Cagliari DOC and Vermentino di Gallura DOCG from Sardinia, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC from Abruzzi, and Fiano di Avellino DOCG from Campania. Given my lack of interest in this dish I would go with the Trebbiano.
A great first course is Burrida, a fish soup or chowder made whose recipe varies from port to port but often includes Shark or Dogfish. There’s a similar but different Burrida in Liguria. The recommended wine pairing for the Sardinian Burrida is the star Sardinian white, Vermentino di Gallura DOCG.
If you like Bouillabaisse you should like Cassùla, a spicy fish/seafood soup/stew of Spanish origin also called Cassola. Once again you may pair it with Vermentino di Gallura DOCG. Another suggestion is the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi from The Marches.
Roasted Lobster, a Sardinian specialty.
Aragosta arrosto (Roasted Rock Lobster) is just one of the many ways to prepare lobster, an expensive Sardinian specialty. Suggested wine pairings include Vernaccia di Oristano DOC, if you can find it, or an Italian Pinot Grigio.
Pasta is popular in Sardinia. If you’re feeling flush, add some Lobster. Another typical dish is Pasta Bottarga con Fregola (Sardinian Pasta with Cured Fish Roe). This is another dish for which Pinot Grigio is recommended.
About the Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian, French, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and spend time with his wife and family. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his global wine website at www.theworldwidewine.com with his weekly column reviewing $10 wines and his new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines. Check out his Italian wine website at www.theitalianwineconnection.com.
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