Piedmont Sparkling Nebbiolo & a Pungent Anchovy Green Sauce #WinePW

Posted by foodwineclick on December 13, 2014 · 26 Comments 

#WinePW Wine Pairing Weekend Holiday Entertaining!
Welcome to the December edition of our monthly Wine Pairing Weekend group! December is holiday party time! Our job this month is to create some creative sparkling wine and appetizer pairings.   If you see this early enough, please join us December 13th at 10 a.m. Central Time. We’ll be chatting on twitter at #WinePW about our holiday sparkling wine pairings. We’d love to have you join us!
You can never have enough sparkling wine at the holidays

You can never have enough sparkling wine at the holidays

Sparkling Wine and Appetizers for the Holidays
We love sparkling wines of all types, and we never need an excuse to open one.  Friends are coming over? Open a bottle of sparkling wine!  Good day at work? Bad day at work? Tuesday? Open a bottle of sparkling wine!
With the holidays upon us, you’re sure to have lots of extra opportunities to open sparkling wines to enjoy over a bite of food with friends. If you think Champagne or Methodo Classico sparkling wines only go with delicate fancy foods like tea sandwiches, think again.  They provide the perfect counterpoint to your most flavorful snacks. Today’s suggestion uses a Sparkling Rosé to cleanse your palate after a delicious mouthful of fresh spicy garlicy fishy green sauce on a hunk of bread or cracker. Ready for another bite? Yes!
Sparkling Nebbiolo Rosé from the Piemonte in Italy

Sparkling Nebbiolo Rosé from the Piemonte in Italy

Luigi Giordano Sparkling Nebbiolo 2012 (purchased locally at South Lyndale Liquors $29)
Eye: Bright clear intense pinkish orange. Plenty of nice fine bubbles.
Nose: Mildly yeasty aroma, bright red berries.
Mouth: Yeasty strong fruit, nice lively acidity. Lip smacking tartness, great for clearing away strong flavors.
Brut Metodo Classico Nebbiolo Rosé from Luigi Giordano

Brut Metodo Classico Nebbiolo Rosé from Luigi Giordano

 We’re concentrating on the Piedmont region of Italy over in our #ItalianFWT group this month, so I did my best to dig up a Piedmont sparkling wine locally in Minneapolis.  Not so easy! Beyond the famous Barolo and Barbaresco, Piedmont winegrowers produce some wonderful sparkling wines. We rarely see them in the US, at least in Minnesota, so when I get a chance to try one, I always do! This sparkling Nebbiolo is made in the Methodo Classico (Champagne method), so it is vinified as a still wine, then sent for a second fermentation in the bottle, hence the carbonation.  One unique feature with this wine is that it is made in true rosé style. It’s made with red wine grapes (Nebbiolo here) with the fermenting juice spending a brief time on the skins before being pressed, hence the color.  Rosé Champagnes are often made by mixing a bit of red wine in with the predominantly white wine before the second fermentation, seems like cheating to me.
Rich, fresh, garlicy, spicy and fishy all at once.

Rich, fresh, garlicy, spicy and fishy all at once.

Acciughe al Verde (Anchovies in Green Sauce)
This is a very traditional antipasto in the Piedmont where they just eat it straight with knife and fork. If you think European cuisine is all elegant, restrained, white tablecloth food; think again!  This spread is full of fishy, garlicy, fresh green spicy flavor, it’s definitely NOT for the meek.  You will be surprised, though, as only the most confirmed anchovy hater won’t like it. Whenever we prepare it, we are surprised to see how eagerly it is received.

Sparkling Nebbiolo easily clears the flavors of the anchovy mixture.

Sparkling Nebbiolo easily clears the flavors of the anchovy mixture.

This flavorful topping for bread or cracker goes beautifully with sparkling rosé, as the wine carries its own flavor in addition to cleansing the palate. The tart acidity along with the carbonation does a great job of clearing strong flavors.

winePW_sparkling_appetizers_20141207_101

Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

The Fine Art of Sciabola (sabering)
Want to add some extra fun to your celebration? Break out the saber. We were introduced to sciabola on our first trip to Italy, and we have embraced this fun method of opening sparkling wines ever since.  Now, every opportunity we have, we pull out the sword and go for it.  Here’s  our daughter, Casey, in her first attempt with our friend Leslie in Barbaresco.  No problem, you can do it, too!

Sparkling Wine and Appetizer Pairings
Here are the ideas available from our group for you.  Try something new this year!
Bacon and Greens Dip with Bubbly by Cooking Chat
Piedmont Sparkling Nebbiolo & Pungent Anchovy Green Sauce by foodwineclick
Segura Viudas Aria Cava with Oysters and Spanish Tapas by Confessions of a Culinary Diva
Butterflied Spicy Prawns and Treveri Sparkling Wine by Wild 4 Washington Wine
A Seasonal Nibbles Duet + Pear Valley Vineyard’s Frizzante Muscat by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Appetizers served with a Sparkling Wine by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Cranberry Brie Biscuit Bites and Sparkling Muscat by Curious Cuisiniere
Moscato with Fresh Fruit Almond Cake and Zabaglione by Vino Travels — An Italian Wine Blog
Domaine Meriwether Sparkling Wine and Make Ahead Spanakopita by Tasting Pour
Wine and Dine: Anna de Cordoniu Brut NV and Herbed Parmesan Crisps by Grape Experiences
Italian Sparkling Wine: Bubbly & Bacon #winePW by Girls Gotta Drink
The Holidays Sparkle on #WinePW by Rockin Red Blog
Butternut and Bubbly by It’s Okay to Eat the Cupcake
Smoked Salmon and Potato Chip Appetizer with Louis Roederer Champagne by ENOFYLZ

Don’t forget to our Twitter chat today, December 13th at 10 a.m. Central Time. We’ll be talking about our tips and tricks for the best holiday wine pairings. We’d love to have you join us!

Be sure to mark your calendars for January’s Wine Pairing Weekend, hosted by Christy at Confessions of a Culinary Diva. We’ll be sharing “New Wine Resolutions – Wine or Region you want to explore in 2015. Join in the #WinePW 8 conversation on Saturday January 10!

Acciughe al Verde (Anchovies in Green Sauce

This recipe is adapted from Matt Kramer’s A Passion for Piedmont cookbook.  Out of print, you can find this book used on Amazon.

This intensely rich, garlicy, fresh tasting appetizer could change an anchovy-hater’s mind! As always with Italian recipes, choose the highest quality ingredients you can find.  It makes all the difference!

Wine Pairing Suggestion
A flavorful Brut Metodo Classico (champagne method) sparkling rosé will pair beautifully.  The bright acidity and carbonation do a great job cleansing the palate between bites.  The more forward flavor of the rosé is strong enough to hold it’s own vs. the intensity of the food.

Ingredients

  • 1 – 2oz. jar of high quality anchovies packed in olive oil.  8 whole salted anchovies would be even better, if you can find them ( just remember to rinse and de-bone them first)
  • 1 bunch Italian parsley – accept no substitutes here, make sure you get Italian parsley and not curly parsley or cilantro; stems removed.  Save some intact stems and leaves for garnish
  • 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 pinches of ground red (cayenne) pepper

Instructions

  • Remove the anchovies from their packaging and separate the halves if they are still joined.
  • Process the Italian parsley and garlic in a food processor, leaving them with some texture.  Don’t process until they are smooth.
  • Add the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and ground red pepper to the food processor and mix thoroughly, leaving the mixture with some texture.  Again, don’t overprocess.
  • Plate the anchovies and pour the green sauce over them.  This works best in a shallow bowl or terrine as you’ll want to be able to stir the mixture up.
  • Serve on crusty bread or crackers.

winePW_sparkling_appetizers_20141207_53

Filed under ItalianFWT: Italian food, WinePW: Wine Pairing Weekend · Tagged with , , , , ,

Comments
26 Responses to “Piedmont Sparkling Nebbiolo & a Pungent Anchovy Green Sauce #WinePW”
  1. Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere says:
    December 13, 2014 at 6:07 am

    We need to get a saber just for opening sparkling wine bottles! That would be a way to get the party started! Your appetizer sounds wonderfully flavorful. I can see how it would make for a great pairing.

    Reply
    • foodwineclick says:
      December 15, 2014 at 8:38 pm

      Thanks Sarah! Give it a try, you can use the back (dull) side of a kitchen knife to get started. Once you’ve done it one time, you’re an expert forever. And people love to learn, it really is a great party starter. Good luck!

      Reply
  2. cookingchat (@cookingchat) says:
    December 13, 2014 at 6:12 am

    wow, sparkling Nebbiolo! That’s something new. That spread looks like it would have pretty intense flavor, definitely need a refreshing pairing.

    Reply
  3. Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm says:
    December 13, 2014 at 8:05 am

    Wow, it’s our lucky day. Not only did we get a wonderful food and wine pairing but we also were able to share a little of Italy with you. Thanks for sharing and for hosting this month.

    Reply
  4. ooooo666 says:
    December 13, 2014 at 9:32 am

    Thanks for the #ItalianFWT shout out! Jealous of the sparkling nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is one of my favorites and to see it in a sparkling form here in the US is for sure unique.

    Reply
  5. culinarycam says:
    December 13, 2014 at 10:10 am

    We JUST opened a bottle of wine with a shoe last weekend. We might have to get a saber! Thanks for hosting this month’s #WinePW, Jeff.

    Reply
  6. Martin D. Redmond says:
    December 13, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    I must confess when I saw the title of the posts for this week, yours was the most intriguing Jeff. I adore sparkling rosé. Didn’t know they produced them in Piedmont. I can definitely see this working with your appetizer! Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
  7. SAHMmelier says:
    December 14, 2014 at 8:35 am

    I’ve never seen sparkling nebbiolo. How interesting! I am sorry I missed the chat. Is the group open? Would love to learn from you all.

    Reply
  8. Michelle Williams says:
    December 14, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    Looks delicious Jeff. I would love to try the Piedmont Sparkling Nebbiolo!

    Reply
  9. Jade Helm DWS CSW says:
    December 15, 2014 at 4:44 pm

    Never had a sparkling Nebbiolo – intriguing. Did you put all those bottles out in the snow and take a picture? Too cute.

    Reply
  10. arneis2013 says:
    January 12, 2015 at 8:23 am

    I’m so glad to see that you’re making good use of the snow.

    The recipe looks wonderful. It’s definitely one of my favorite dishes in Piemonte, but we can’t get such delicious anchovies here.

    Reply
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