L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 36 L'Italo-Americano Wine and swine: five Italian wines to get your grill on V egetarians proceed with caution. Wine topic infor- med by flame and meat ahead. Whether it's sausages, ribs, chops, tenderloin, or slow-roasted whole suckling pig, the sizzling sound of swine parts hitting a hot grill, for many, signals the ulti- mate of summer celebrations. When choosing a wine to drink with delectable porky vic- tuals, I look first for reds that drink well when slightly chilled. Next, I lean toward wines that pair with or provide counterpoint to the aroma and flavors of smoke and fire. That means wines with enough fruit to brigh- ten the smokiness, or an earthy character that can marry to it. A wine should also have enough tannin to clean the palate of splendid piggy fattiness. Luckily, such wines generally work well with most condiment sauces, should you decide to use them. Here are five Italian wines sure to serve you well in pork-a- palooza paradise: Cannonau, a grape variety that grows happily in Sardinia, is the island's most important and widely planted red grape. Fruity, spicy, often with notes of savory herbs, smoke and forest floor, Cannonau wines are fleshy in the mouth and drink with dusty tan- nins. My recollection of devou- ring fire-roasted suckling pig in Sardinia cannot be uncoupled from having washed it down with enjoyable glasses of Cannonau. Look for wines pro- duced under the Cannonau di Sardegna DOC, which encom- passes high quality subzones of Oliena, Jerzu and Capo Ferrato, as well as a "Classico" area. You will do well to seek our pro- ducers such as Argiolas, Santadi, Pala, and Sardus Pater. I promise not to subject you to yet another rendition of what has been written ad nauseam of Italy's fourth most planted variety, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, and the ensuing con- fusion when erroneously associa- ted with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano. Nonetheless, I find the average wine consumer to have a good awareness of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. One of the smartest trends in Italian wine today is the effort of some producers to elevate Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, tran- sforming what have sometimes been, and still can be, unremarka- ble wines, into noteworthy one. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wines can range in style from recalling the lithe body of a swimmer to evoking images of an Olympic weight lifter. The variety's dry red wines have aromas and fla- vors of ripe red and black cher- ries, notes of herb, and someti- mes cocoa, if the wine has been raised in oak, and a pleasantly gripping tannic finish. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is also used to make wonderful rosato wines, which you are likely to find sold as Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, an option also recom- mended to exalt the grill's porky pleasures. Recommended produ- cers include Cataldi Madonna, Torre dei Beati, Pietrononj, Tiberio and Zaccagnini. Nero d'Avola, Sicily's second most planted cultivar (after Catarratto) is listed in Italy's National Register of Grape Varieties by its official name of Calabrese. The name derives from Sicilian dialect "Calau Avulisi", meaning coming down from Avola (little town near Ragusa). Typical of Nero d'Avola are flavors and aromas of dark red cherries and berries, floral scents, notes of warm spice, and salinity. Bright acidity balances its softness on the pala- te. Should an opportunity for out- door grilling not present itself soon enough, feel no remorse in introducing Nero d'Avola to good pork salumi. Recommended producers include Cantine Barbera, Gulfi, Occhipinti, Tasca d'Almerita. Known as a good blending partner to Nero d'Avola, Perricone, another Sicilian variety, makes wines of aromatic complexity, good body and inten- sity. I won't kid you, 100% Perricone wines are not super easy to find. Still, I can't help feeling that, after being decima- ted by phylloxera blight, the variety may be making a bit of a comeback, although with just a few hundred hectares of Perricone vineyards area under vine, there is a long way to go. I assure you that the Perricone and Pig show is one you do not want to miss. Recommended (and generally available) producers include Cantine Barbera, Caruso & Minini, Castellucci Miano. Grown mainly in Calabria, Gaglioppo is best known for its expression in the Cirò DOC pro- duction area. A principal grape variety in wines of other Calabrian DOCs such as Savuto and Lamezia, Gaglioppo brings flavors and aromas of red ber- ries, cranberry, pomegranate, forest floor, with Mediterranean grace notes of sea salt, herb, citrus, and moderate tannins. Its high acidity is wonderful opposi- tion to fat on the palate. Pure pleasure wherever pork, fire and smoke meet. Producers to look for include A Vita, Librandi, iGreco, Odoardi, Statti. Castellucci Miano Perricone Vivid notes of black cherry and tart red berries compose a gor- geous fruit core. Hint of violets and warm spice. Sparked to life by bright acidity, the wine's gra- ceful muscularity is complimen- ted by a sleek tannic finish. When choosing a wine to drink with delectable porky victuals, I look for wines with enough fruit to brighten the smokiness, or an earthy character that can marry to it WINE NEWS TRENDS PROFILES JOEL MACK THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2017

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