I Love Italian Regional Cooking - Pairing Emilia-Romagna Cuisine With White Wine
Great Emilia-Romagna food, fine local or other white wine...Emilia-Romagna stretches from the Ligurian border in northeastern Italy to the Adriatic Sea. It’s quite prosperous and is known as the gourmet capital of Italy. On the other hand, it’s not known for wine. Two of its biggest stars are a cheese, Parmigiano Regianno, and a ham, Prosciutto di Parma. Parmesan cheese as it’s known in English, was mentioned by the famous Italian author of the Fourteenth Century, Giovanni Boccaccio. The region’s biggest dud is a lunch meat named for its administrative center, Bologna.
Prosciutto con Melone, a real classic .
One great starter is Prosciutto con Melone (Ham with Melon), especially if based on real Parma ham. Enjoy this dish with a sparkling Prosecco DOC from the neighboring region of Veneto, or a Riesling, Pinot Grigio, or Gewurtztraminer, all Italian, of course. Red wine pairings are also available.
An excellent way to showcase the region’s outstanding cheese is Asparagi alla Parmigiana (Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese) traditionally served with melted butter. Recommended wine pairings include Riesling, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc, once again from Italy.
Vegetarians and others will relish Frizon con Salsiccia (Vegetable Sauté) for which the recommended wine is the local Albana di Romagna DOCG. You’ll get a chance to see if this wine merits its top of the line designation, the only such wine in this gourmet region. Now if you’re not a vegetarian you can add sausages to this dish but then the wine pairing will depend on the specific sausage. You’ll probably want to go red.
Emilia-Romagna, a beautiful region for gourmets.
Do you like chicken? Try a Pollo Parmigiana (Chicken Parmesan). There are as many recipes as cooks in Emilia-Romagna but you won’t go wrong with an Italian Chardonnay.
Many people prefer capon to chicken. An excellent local specialty is Cappone Ripeno (Roast Capon) whose stuffing includes veal, ham, and Marsala wine. You’ll enjoy it with an Italian Riesling.
Let’s not forget dessert. Try Ciambella Bolognese ( Almond Cake) traditionally made in a mold. Enjoy this with a sweet wine such as Malvasia di Cagliari DOC from Sardinia, Vino Santo del Chianti DOC, or Vino Santo del Chianti Classico DOC from Tuscany. Don’t get confused by the word Chianti, these wines are all made from white grapes as you may guess from their golden color.
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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