Match of the week
Chicken liver crostini and Rosso di Montalcino
One of the most striking things about my trip to Tuscany last week was the reminder of how good young red wines are with Tuscan food - right the way through the meal, not just with the main course.
It was certainly true of the first lunch we had when we arrived which was co-hosted by the Bolgheri winery Poggio al Tesoro and San Polo in Montalcino, both owned by the Allegrini family.
I expected Poggio al Tesoro’s fragrant Solosole Vermentino to match the crostini that were handed round at the beginning of the meal - and it did - but not quite as well as the elegant 2014 San Polo Rosso di Montalcino which sailed effortlessly through the tomato, mushroom and (most challenging of all) chicken liver toppings. It also paired really well with a creamy dish of fettucine, zucchini, pancetta and robiola cheese - as did the 2008 vintage of the Solosole which I was also tempted to make my match of the week.
This would apply equally well to youthful chiantis or any other young sangioveses. It’s the acidity that makes them work so well - and the fact that, like white wines, they’re served at cellar temperature.
The San Polo Rosso di Montalcino costs £16.99 from slurp.co.uk and £18.95 at Eton Vintners.
I travelled to Tuscany with Liberty Wines
Montlouis Sec and crab
This great pairing arose as a result of a new interest my husband has in natural wines. Actually no-one has come up with a watertight definition of ‘natural’ but it’s generally agreed that the vines are treated organically and/or biodynamically and the wines made with as little sulphur and chemical additives as possible (in some cases none).
The Premier Rendez-vous Montlouis-sur-Loire 2008 from Lise and Betrand Jousset (16.50) from Vine Trail is a case in point. It comes from 40-70 year old organically reared, low-yielding, Chenin Blanc vines, is late picked and fermented in 1-5 year old barrels, most of them large casks and left on its lees. It really is absolutely superb - full, ripe and peachy with a lovely delicacy and balancing acidity. We had it with some crostini topped with fresh white crab meat seasoned with lime, coriander and a little chilli which was good but I think it would have been even better with totally unadorned fresh crab, freshly picked from the shell.
Other pairings according to the website Ecce Vino which sells the wine are smoked eel, veal or chicken in a creamy sauce, pork au poivre, pan-fried foie gras, haddock (it doesn’t specify how this should be prepared) smoked herring (kippers?) and chicken liver pâté. I’m not totally convinced by this list except for the creamy sauces which are a classic with Chenin.
The Joussets recommend on their page on Vins Nature en Nord that you carafe their wines - even the whites - and don't serve them too cold (not under 10C).
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