Yep! As you can guess, I am fully enjoying this whole experience. So, I’m back for more wine and food match.
I can’t deny the excitement of being surprised every month with different types of wines. This month, I had a special delivery of two gorgeous Italian wines from two different regions – Puglia and Tuscany.
That automatically triggered my curiosity about Italy’s renowned variety of producers, unique grapes and its wide selection of wine. So, why not counting on this ultimate guide to the best Italian wine to help me out in this task?
Here’s how I thought about matching my first choice -a Ridolfi Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2018 | Decanter Bronze Medal.
The wine of My Choice
I’m not going to lie – I have heard more about Montalcino in the last two weeks than in my entire life. And wow! What a fascinating indulgence to this fruit-centric types of wine made in Montalcino, Siena.
To start with, Rosso (di Montalcino) is the younger version of its brother Brunello. As a younger sibling, Rosso ages for only 1 year and should be drunk young.
Ridolfi Rosso Di Montalcino is a gorgeous example of the fresh and elegant Montalcino, 100% Sangiovese, with delicate aromas of redcurrant, red plum strawberry, raspberry, chocolate, sweet cake and dried red cherries. The ruby colour of this fine wine is something notable. It’s something beautiful indeed.
Ridolfi is a small private winery in the cooler north-east corner of the Montalcino area, which is known for its elegant wines. traditional winery has started its journey in Florence in 1290 when three Ridolfi families stem from an ancient Tuscan lineage.
We are talking about an award-winning winemaker that produces high-quality wines with innovative wine-making bottling techniques.
The food of my choice
As an intense wine, a bottle of Rosso Montalcino deserves some intense flavours. The first combination of flavours that came to my mind was grilled meat. That was when I had the idea of preparing a Tenderloin steak with garlic and rosemary.
We’re very lucky to our meat supply from a local farm, and I certainly would find a nice and fresh beef cut from there. Voilá!
My Sweet potato mash and the well-known Argentinian sauce Chimichurri would be the right accompaniment to my red meat. We can’t go wrong with a bit of rustic food from the pampas.
When Rosso Di Montalcino meets Tenderloin Steak
Despite being a less dry Montalcino when compared to the Brunello itself, it’s a forward and intense wine that asks for something more substantial like a steak or lamb. It could work well with pizza or hot dog too.
But grilled meat worked well nice when balancing with the sweetest of this mash. Plus, I wanted to have another fairly easy recipe. Mine was inspired on this Filet Mignon for two which works well for a Sunday dinner.
The combination of the rich flavours of a tenderloin beef, sweet potato and even the fresh herbs and acidic in the Argentinian green sauce helped to enhance the fruit notes of red and dark cherries and delicate aromas of redcurrant of the wine.
I guess it was a win. On my palate, a dry wine with a full body and refreshing acidity to balanced out quite well the fruit flavours with a quality piece of red meat.
I would recommend this wine for a special occasion like a dating night with your partner. Even if it means a casual night in.
* I received this product complimentary from Independent Wine for testing purposes.
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