Last month we asked — how do you celebrate the holiday season French style?
This month we ask, following the lead of our host Camilla Mann, “How do you warm up the winter Italian Style?”
Our answer came in the form of beef shanks I found on sale which led us to beef osso bucco and an exploration of four different Montepulciano from Italy (samples provided for my review consideration; opinions are my own and I was not paid).
While where I live in southern coastal California is frequently sunny and warm in the winter (more so in the winer than in the summer!), we do get our share of cold days, driving rainstorms, and freezing nights.
And when those days come, this is a meal to warm your insides. Even better, two of the wines fit a midweek budget (as does this dish you make it at home in an Instant Pot!!) and two of the wines are wonderful weekend wines.
- Stella Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2016, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC SRP $10
- CITRA Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2017 SRP $10
- FERZO Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2016 SRP $26
- Talamonti Kudos Abruzzo Colline Pescaresi IGP 2013 Kudos SRP $28
Sue prepared a cheese plate, and while the osso bucco cooked in the instant pot, we tasted the wines. We served the osso bucco over polenta along with roasted vegetables. This is one of our favorite meals, and it is so easy and fast and delicious in the instant pot and goes with so many wines — including Montepulciano! For another take on Montepuliciano, read about this one from AUS.
Stella Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2016, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC SRP $10 – 12.5%
sample for my review consideration
This 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is made from red grapes grown near Italy’s Adriatic Coast, and offers an easy going wine which the winery says is “due in part to the sandy soil of the region’s vineyards.” They explain that the pergola trained vines “can be a more expansive way of growing the grapes, but it produces good wine! Grapes undergo fermentation in stainless steel, pump-overs and malolactic fermentation. Aging is nine months (five in tank, four in bottle).”
Color: Rich garnet with a beautiful violet ring
Nose: Cherry, earth, violet, sage, oak, vanilla, spice, a little woody
Palate: Bright tart red fruit, bright light
Pairing: Would be a great pizza wine, red meat sauce on spaghetti, great with the sundried tomato basil dipping sauce that was on the cheese plate, I even felt that it liked the pâté.
Salty, savory, rich, acidic foods are friends with this wine.
How did this wine work with the Osso Bucco? The nose opened up nicely as it warmed. It had a nice tartness that worked with meal nicely, but we kept thinking it would be nicer with a pizza or lasagne meal. It did like the roast carrots
CITRA Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2017 SRP $10 – 13.0%
sample for my review consideration
Color: Deep purple red with a rose color ring. Think of the inside of a plum.
Nose: At first there is a lot of mushroom earthy funk. As the wine opens up Sue kept thinking of maraschino cherries, while I felt it was red stone fruit with mint.
Palate: Tart red stone fruit, bramble fruit, minerals, mint on the finish. just a hint of sweet vanilla.
Pairing: I liked it with the pâté, Sue did not agree; the peppered salami on the other hand was a perfect companion, it also went so well with the salt cured olives, making us believe that this is another great pizza wine, it loves salty savory foods. These flavors bring out the lovely fruit in the wines.
And with the Osso Buscco? This wine loved the rosemary in the sauce. It worked with the rich creaminess of the polenta. fine with the meat, but again, not out of this world, this wine wants red sauce, pizza, spaghetti, pesto and sundried tomatoes.
FERZO Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2016 SRP $26 – 13.5%
sample for my review consideration
Color: Maroon with a ruby ring, very dense wine, It matched our tablecloth as it was being g swirled in the glass.
Nose: Mint, sage, and fresh blueberries; there is also an earthy funkiness to the wine. We were able to draw out characteristics in the wine, but it was still quite closed in. We felt that this wine would become much more expressive after a few years.
Palate: “Pretty tangy” were the first words out of my mouth. This is a young wine and either needs to lay down to become a sipper, or give it something rich to become companions with.
Pairing: We both agreed that the pâté worked well with this wine.So good with the sundried tomato basil dip. It really liked the licorice notes of the basil. Good with the smoked gouda.
The Osso Bucco totally brings out the fruit in the wine and makes the carrots super sweet. Sue was enjoying it with the polenta and the meaty gravy, the wine was able to cut through the richness of the meal beautifully.
Talamonti Kudos Abruzzo Colline Pescaresi IGP 2013 Kudos SRP $28 – 14.0%
sample for my review consideration
70% Montepulciano, 30% Merlot
The presentation is nicely done on this bottle, beautiful shoulders and a deep punt. Unlike the others, this is a blend and I really like the Merlot in it.
Color: Super ripe plum, rich purple fruit with a lovely ruby ring.
Nose: Ripe fruit, rich red cherries, raspberry preserves, plum pie, menthol, sage, and bee pollen — and i t made Sue sneeze! We both found a woody characteristic to the wine, almost a port like characteristic
Palate: Smooth with a bright fruit kick on the finish. This wine taste completely different than it does on the nose. It is fruit forward and there is fruit available, but it is not jammy, and very nicely balanced. Lots of menthol.
Pairing: Great with the salami, just ok with the olives. Sue felt is was wonderful with the polenta and the herbs in the gravy.
This wine is rosemary’s friend.
I did not feel it was great with the meat, but Sue felt that it was a great pair with the polenta, roasted carrots and herbal gravy.
So what other pairings did others find? Join us at 8am Pacific for a twitter chat on this topic by following the hashtag #ITalianWFT. Here’s what to expect:
- Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm gives us Pure Comfort~~Pasta with a Bottle of Aglianico.
- Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog prepares A Surf and Turf Feast with Donnachiara Wines.
- Jill of L’Occasion posts For Table And Cellar: Warm Up With Italian Wine.
- David of Cooking Chat serves up Healthy Bolognese Sauce with a Tuscan Sangiovese.
- Jane of Always Ravenous pairs Italian Meatballs with Donnachiara Wines.
- Gwendolyn of Wine Predator offers 4 Montepulciano Paired with Osso Bucco Warms Up Winter Italian Style plus #ItalianFWT plans for 2019.
- Nicole of Somm’s Table is Cooking to the Wine: Fontanafredda Barolo and Braised Short Ribs with Mushrooms.
- Katarina of Grapevine Adventures encourages us to Get Cosy By The Fire With Italian Wine.
- Lynn of Savor the Harvest writes about Italian Wine To Warm Your Soul.
- Jennifer of Vino Travels is Starting the New Year with the Big Boys: Barolo and Barbaresco.
- Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs a 2014 Camilla Barolo + Filet Mignon in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce.
- January: Camilla M. Mann Italian Wines for Cold Winter Nights
- February: Jeff Burrows Umbria, with a focus on Sagrantino
- March 2: I’m hosting Biodynamic Wines
- April: Jason Or Jill Barth Island Wines of Italy
- May: Lynn Gowdy Marche and the Pecorino grape
- June: Katarina Andersson Lambrusco? or other
- July: Camilla M. Mann – Lazio Wines
- August: Kevin Gagnon Whites of Northeastern Italy
- September – Jennifer Gentile Martin Passito Wines
- October – David Crowley Abruzzo
- November: Wendy Klik Outside the Norm of Chianti in Tuscany (Montecucco, Bolgheri, Maremma, Valdarno di Sopra)
- December: Susannah Gold Lesser Known Wine Regions of Italy (Molise, Basilicata, etc)
So these really needed more time to be better overall I take it. The Stella ok for now, and for $10 you can’t go too wrong it sounds especially with a hearty red sauced pizza. Sounds perfect for an inexpensive date night at home.
Thanks for the right up. BioDynamic wines in March 🙂
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Yes, Diane, the more expensive wines would benefit by some time in the cellar. But they were plenty tasty already when paired with food! And yes I’mm looking forward to learning more about the biodynamic wine scene in Italy!
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Your first photo… yum! The epitome of Italian style to for a cool night. Montepulciano is more of a food wine for me, not so good for sipping while cooking, how about you? But as with all wine it depends on the producer and style. Would love your Osso Bucca insta pot recipe 😉
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Thanks Lynn! The photo did come out rich and warm and opulent! Yes, I agree that it shines the best with food. Let me try to get the recipe for you!
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Another amazing feast with wonderful wine.
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looks like a fun experiment! I visit Citra when I was in Abruzzo but haven’t tried any of the others. I do think a lot of Montepulciano are at their best when there is some tomato sauce involved along with meat and/or melted cheese (i.e. pizza!). But some are more versatile.
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It’s always fun to care and contrast similar but different wines like these 4. And lucky you to have visited!
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Looks like the perfect winters food and wine pairing to warm your soul. These are some new to me producers as well. Thanks for sharing.
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You know it!
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Got an Intant Pot and I’m scared to use it! Maybe this is a good place to start? We are expecting a snow storm over the weekend and we need warming food and wine. Thanks for sharing!
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I hear you! I’m afraid to use mine too! I’ve delegated it to my spouse (or we do it together or I’m under his direction) or else Sue does it. Slowly but surely, I’ll get some confidence in it. It’s not intuitive to me. There’s a really great facebook group — very informative. So many wonderful foods that take forever otherwise are brilliant in the Instant Pot: polenta, risotto, stews, soups, braised meats. I just did Dulce de Leche (yum!) and people always talk about hard boiled eggs and yoghurt but we haven’t tried those yet.
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What a fantastic spread! Looks like another fun and fabulous meal for you and Sue and gang.
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It was indeed! Fun to explore the range of price points for this wine with such a yummy winter meal!
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I do remember when the temperatures dipped in the 40’s it felt cold in California. Osso Bucco sounds like the perfect winter comfort food for some Italian wines. Great tasting notes.
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You and Sue know how to live! Osso Bucco one of my favorites, but I don’t remember having it the last few years! You’ve inspired me!
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It is so easy with an instant pot!
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