I Love Italian Regional Cooking - Pairing Trentino-Alto Adige Cuisine With White Wine
Great Trentino-Alto Adige food, fine local or other white wine...Trentino-Alto Adige is located in the center of Italy’s northern border touching Switzerland and Austria. Trentino is the southern part of the region. Its tourist attractions include the Dolomite mountains, called “the most beautiful work of architecture even seen” by the famous architect Le Corbusier, glacier lakes, and Alpine forests. The region is officially bilingual and the local cuisine reflects a lot of Germanic influence.
Don't slip, it's a long way down.
Why not start your meal with Orzetto or Gerstensuppe (Barley Soup) made with onions and vegetables? It goes well with an Italian Chardonnay. Of course, you probably won’t finish a bottle of wine with the soup, so consider the following dish, a fine regional specialty.
Blaue Forelle (Trout in Poached Wine Vinegar, literally Blue Trout) is one of the highlights of the local cuisine. It gets its name from the fish’s skin which turns steely blue when cooked in the vinegar sauce, but only if it’s completely fresh. Enjoy this specialty with an Italian Chardonnay or Riesling. Other fish prepared in this manner include salmon and carp.
Blaue Forelle and the fixings.
You’ll enjoy the local Choucroute (Sauerkraut) dishes with a wide variety of pork cuts including ham hocks, sausages, back bacon and salt pork, The sauerkraut is heated with Riesling (or Champagne) and includes juniper berries, and other spices. Complete this meal with an Italian Riesling or Gewurtztraminer. If you are going to use Champagne, go Italian with Franciacorta DOCG from Lombardy.
Garretto di Maiale (Pork Hocks) are a fine, often winter, dish. They are easy to make but do take a long time in the oven. Enjoy them with an Italian Riesling.
Save room for dessert. One of the local specialties is Strudel di Frutta (Fruit Strudel). This delicious dessert typically includes apples and raisins, pine nuts, and lemon. Enjoy it with a Gewurztraminer from Alto Adige or a Moscato d’Asti from Piedmont.
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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