Pumpkin gnocchi and gewurztraminer

I’ve always thought of gewürztraminer as a bit of an inflexible wine - brilliant with spicy food. rich patés and pongy cheese but not much else. However it went brilliantly with several dishes at my local, Bellita in Bristol the other day including a classic Italian dish of pumpkin gnocchi with sage and brown butter.

It wasn’t from Alsace though which may have made a difference but part of a new range of Tasmanian wines from Aldi of all places*. It’s made by an outfit called Artisan Tasmania and costs a relatively hefty (for Aldi) £10.99 but not as much as the chardonnay and pinot noir in the same range which are £16.99.

That said it’s delicious - not as heavily scented and drier than its Alsace counterparts (it’s 13.5%) but a lovely aromatic counterpoint to the rich, slightly sweet pumpkin sauce. It was also very good with a dish of heritage carrots with goats yoghurt and harissa so I guess that’s the sweet/spicy element it loves working again.

Anyway it’s a wine worth looking out for when it becomes available (online only, curiously) on October 1st.

For other wine matches with gnocchi see The best kind of wine to pair with gnocchi

*Just to clarify it isn't on the Bellita wine list just a sample owner Kate Hawkings - also a wine writer - had been sent to try by the supermarket. And even if she could put it on her list she wouldn't. All her wines are made by female winemakers!

Gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce and Barbera d'Asti

A surprisingly good pairing I came across in a local Italian restaurant on Saturday night. The (admirably light) home-made gnocchi were dressed with a fresh tomato sauce with basil which I would have thought would have been overwhelmed by the firm, well-structured 13.5% Barbera the boys had ordered with it - a Ca’ del Matt 2002. (For preference I’d have drunk a dry Italian white such as a Soave.) But it was spot on - even better than it was with my main course of slow roast pork belly.

It could be that the primary fruit flavours, which had faded, were lifted by the acidity of the tomatoes. Or it could be yet another demonstration of just how food-friendly Italian wines are. Or rather New Zealand ones. On digging a bit further I discovered that the winemaker, Matt Thompson was a Kiwi! Suppose the name was a giveaway . . .

Image © Igor Dutina - Fotolia.com