Food and wine pairing in Trentino

For many foodies, Italy is way up there on the must-visit list. Not only are there world-class restaurants in all the big towns, even the smallest villages boast places where the chefs (who are often self-taught) take pride in bringing out the best in the ingredients they work with.

Regionality is king in Italy, of course, and local traditions influence even the most innovative of chefs. This is definitely the case with Marcus Baumgartner, who was recently awarded a Michelin star for his work at Maso Franch in Trentino’s Valle di Cembra – although that’s not to say that he’s unaware of trends in top-class international cooking.

A recent dinner there kicked off with escalopes of goose liver (a nod towards the cuisine of Central Europe – Austria is only a few kilometres away, over the Brenner Pass) served with marinated apricots and aged balsamic vinegar. Although the dish itself was a success – the sweet-sharp flavours of the apricots and balsamic proving a perfect foil to the rich livers – the wine match was a catastrophe. A Pinot Noir Pavia IGT 2006 from Canaletto provided a horrendous mismatch, with not enough acidity, too much tannin (even though the tannins were relatively gentle) and altogether the wrong kind of fruit.

The next course – mullet with a salad of thinly shaved raw artichokes dressed in a sharp lemon vinaigrette – could easily have proved equally disastrous: vinaigrette, citrus and artichokes are not really known for their food friendliness. But Santa Tresa’s Rino Janka IGT 2006, a southern blend of Grillo and Viognier, struck exactly the right balance. Its fresh minerality worked beautifully with the tricky ingredients, while its ripe fruit highlighted the sweetness of the mullet fillets.

A rich, buttery lasagne with lobster and green asparagus was paired with two wines, both from Cantina La Vis. The Ritratto Bianco 2003, an unusual blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling, had had enough time to develop a rich, honeyed complexity, but the vintage’s lack of acidity made it a slightly clumsy wine. As a match for the dish, it was just pipped at the post by a DOC Chardonnay 2006, whose light, crisp style worked well with the asparagus without being overwhelmed by the lobster.

The next course, a tribute to the local game hunting tradition, was a risotto of pigeon enriched by the addition of a Rosso di Sorni 2006, a juicy, fruit-packed wine made of Lagrein and Teroldego. Although the pigeon could arguably have been better offset by something a touch more sophisticated, perhaps a red with a touch of gaminess to add depth to the red fruit, the combination bounced along fairly pleasantly.

Our appetites flagging slightly, we moved on to the coup de grace, a beef fillet served with a Port sauce and a chicory and potato gratin. This was partnered by a San Martino IGT Toscana 2001 from Villa Cafaggio, a 100% Sangiovese made from three specially selected clones. Its richness and depth worked well with the robust flavours on the plate.

We rallied our appetites for the final assault on a plateful of buckwheat canoli filled with chestnut mousse and quince and a sauce made from strawberry wine, all washed down with a glassful of the Cantina’s Cru Mandolaia Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2006. This versatile sweet wine, which was all zesty citrus fruit with the previous night’s citrus-based pudding showed a different, more honeyed face with the canola, marrying harmoniously with nut and fruit flavours.

The Maso, which is owned by the local co-operative, the Cantina La Vis, is perched on a hillside overlooking the terraced vineyards of the Dolomites. In addition to its Michelin-starred restaurant, the Maso is also a hotel, with a dozen or so comfortably furnished rooms (from €95 per night, inc breakfast). It makes a great base from which to explore the surrounding countryside, where there’s good walking to be had and plenty of stunning scenery. Visits to local wine producers are easy to arrange and the streets of nearby Trento are lined with chic shops and cosy bars. The hotel is also within an easy hour’s drive of both Verona and Lake Garda, both of which have plenty to offer visitors to the region.

A few more places to check out if you’re in the area:

Agritur El Volt, Piazza Alpini No.8 Fraz, Palu’ Giovo, tel: +39 0461 684 132.

A visit to the Al Volt Agriturismo (which is located in a village near Maso Franch) provides the visitor with a real insight into the traditional life of local farmers. Part of the house is exactly as it was during the early half of the 20th century (and so pretty much as it has been for centuries. Guests can tuck into home-made wine, pickles, bread and charcuterie, or even a full meal, by the light of an open fire during winter or out on the terrace overlooking the mountainous landscape on a warm summer’s evening (by arrangement).

Osteria il Cappello, Piazza B Lunelli 5, Trento, tel: +39 0461 235 850.

The Osteria il Capello is simple and informal. What it does best is honest, down-to-earth grub based on local produce. It’s not fancy, but the welcome is warm, the wine list is reasonable and the prices are low.

Scrigno del Duomo, Piazza del Duomo 29, Trento, tel: +39 0461 220 030.

If you fancy something a bit grander, the Scrigno del Duomo is arguably Trento’s best restaurant – it’s even got the Michelin star to prove it. You can stop by for a drink in the wine bar (there’s about 1,000 bins on the list) or you can opt for the full monty in the restaurant, which specialises in local, traditional dishes like strangolapreti, roast rabbit with polenta and strudel.

Alla Fassa, Via Monsignor Nascimbeni 13, Castelletto di Brenzone, tel: +39 045 7430 319.

On a sunny day there are few more enjoyable things to do than to spend a long, leisurely lunchtime on the shores of Lake Garda enjoying wonderfully fresh fish. Alla Fassa specialises in dishes based on fish caught straight out of the lake, but also incorporates plenty of other local produce. The passion for food also extends to the 100 or so bottles – most of which are also available by the glass.

La Bottega del Vino, Via Scudo di Francia 3, Verona, tel: +39 045 8004 535.

This atmospheric Victorian Gothic wine bar/restaurant is deservedly popular with locals and visitors alike. The cellar boasts 80,000 bottles, but if you prefer to sample a range of wines, some 50 or so are available by the glass. Traditional dishes like polenta and bacon or baccala vicentina are served in hearty portions.

Al Capitan della Cittadella, Piazza Cittadella 7/a, Verona, tel: +39 045 595 157.

I’ve not been to Al Capitan yet myself, but a friend of mine who knows Verona (and its restaurants) inside out swears it’s the best fish restaurant he’s been to in ages. On the basis of his recommendation alone, I reckon the Al Capitan must be worth a punt next time you’re in Verona.

Natasha Hughes is a freelance food and drink writer who writes for Decanter, Wine & Spirit, Delicious, Off Licence News and Traveller. She also has her own blog 3 Little Words

Wine flights at Fortnum's

With half an hour to kill I finally managed to get to Fortnum & Mason’s groundbreaking wine bar 1707 the other day. It’s situated in their very posh new wine department in the basement and offers an impressive range of wines by the glass with a modest menu of snacks that would make a good pre-theatre supper.

It’s also - curiously - one of the few bars and restaurants in London to offer wine flights, an opportunity to compare and contrast different wines of the same type. I don’t know why this has never taken off in London. Restaurateurs argue that they get left with open bottles but I think it’s a great way to encourage customers to become more knowledgeable and acquire the confidence to buy more expensive wines.

I ordered a Sauvignon flight which consisted of their own label Sancerre (a 2005 made by Dezat, a 2006 Neudorf Sauvignon Blanc from Nelson in New Zealand and a 2005 Vieris Sauvignon from Vie di Romans in Friuli. I also had a plate of potted shrimps.

The classic minerally Sancerre stood out on first sip. The Neudorf initially seemed a bit clumsy with an overload of gooseberry, asparagus and green bean flavours and the Vieris, too, with its powerful lemon zest character, a little one dimensional. With the shrimps, which were served with a creamy dressing rather than the traditional spiced butter, the Neudorf acquired an intense limey note which drew me to it more, the Sancerre’s flavours became even more intense and the Vieris remained unchanged. After a few more mouthfuls and sips the Neudorf really blossomed and become rich, lush and complex. I ended up liking it the best of the three.If flights don’t appeal you can order many of the other wines on the list by the glass - a great way to try before you buy.

Fortnums own bottlings, which are made for them by top producers such as Billecart Salmon (the ros champagne), Bruno Sorg (their Alsace range) and Torbreck (their Barossa Shiraz) are well worth exploring too.

Some great Gascon discoveries

Last week I spent a couple of days in the Gers region in the south-west of France researching a piece on foie gras (for which you’ll have to wait a couple of months, I’m afraid, until it’s published in Decanter). But I made some other interesting discoveries.

First, it’s a beautiful part of the world. Once you’re past Auch (we were driving up from the Languedoc) it opens up into gloriously pretty countryside with rich, fertile fields and rolling hills. On a clear day, which we were lucky enough to experience along with two striking sunsets, you can see the Pyrenees on the horizon.

This is duck country (hence the foie gras), armagnac country and Tannat country. Its most prestigious appellations are the Tannat-based Madiran (picked out by Roger Cordet, author of The Wine Diet as being particularly high in polyphenols) and the obscurely named Pacherenc du Vic Bilh which like Jurancon is made from Gros and Petit Manseng (among other obscure grapes) and comes in dry and sweet versions. Conveniently Madiran is the perfect match for confit and Pacherenc for foie gras, two perfect terroir-based pairings (assuming, of course, that you eat foie gras)

Chateau Laffitte-Teston

We visited two wine producers at Maumusson: one on the recommendation of Vincent Labeyrie of Club Gascon - Chateau Laffitte-Teston - and the more famous Chateau Bouscass whose winemaker Alain Brumont put Madiran on the map. We thought the reds of this other Laffitte (which has two Fs and two Ts) remarkably good value, especially the 2005 Vielles Vignes which was rich, dark and damsony with that refreshingly bitter, tannic twist at the finish that makes Madiran such a good match with duck. It was an incredibly reasonable 9.35 euros a bottle from the cellar door.

We also bought some of their lighter, more fragrant Reflet du Terroir which was only 6.80 euros.At Bouscass we tasted our way through a couple of vintages of Bouscass and Montus, ending up with a few bottles of Chateau Bouscass Vieilles Vignes 2000 at 17.50 euros. I thought it was tasting wonderfully supple and sensual but Brumont’s daughter, who was dealing with visitors to the winery that afternoon, reckoned it still had a couple of years to go to reach its peak. (Bouscass is a blend of Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with a tiny amount of Petit Courbu and Petit Manseng)

We also bought a few bottles of their least expensive sweet wine - the glorious jasmine and apricot-scented Vendemiaire 2000 (just 8.40 euros) which we discovered was another great match for a galette des rois.

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go to Chateau Viella whose younger, even more floral and fruity 2005 Pacherenc we had tried and enjoyed at the foie gras producer. But it’s not far away - you could easily take that in too.The following morning we’d lined up a crash course in armagnac at Chateau de Laubade at Sorbets where we toured the distillery and tasted armagnacs going back to 1937. It’s a particularity of armagnac that the better bottles are released as single vintages rather than being blendied from components from several different years. (More about this later this week.)

My favourite was the ‘57, of which thre are unfortunately no bottles left but look out for the opulent vanilla-rich ‘75 if you get the chance. In the UK Laubade is imported by Berkmann and Eaux-de-Vie but you'll obviously get a better choice if you buy from the distillery which will also give you a chance to see the impressive 105 ha estate which has been carefully farmed according to the principles of lutte raisonne (the use of chemicals only when necessary) since the mid 70s. There’s a large flock of sheep which were picturesquely driven up the hill as if to order by the resident shepherd.

So there’s plenty for the food- and wine-lover do in Gascony but where to eat and stay? That’s more of a problem at this time of year when many hotels are closed and some restaurants only open at lunchtime. We were thus thwarted in our plan to visit the splendidly named Hotel de Bastard which apparently has an armagnac menu and ended up instead outside the Gers in a town called Grenade sur l’Adour (in another oddly named hotel called Pain Adour et Fantasie. The Adour is the river that runs through the heart of south west France and which has inspired Alain Ducasse’s latest restaurant at the St Regis in New York which opens later this month.)

The Pain Adour et Fantasie is particularly well situated with bedrooms and a terrace that overlooks the river and would be lovely, we thought, in summer. The rooms are also unusually reasonable and the food ambitious - the restaurant has a Michelin star. I’m not sure that the French obsession with sucr-sal (sweet and savoury flavours on the same plate) is entirely what’s wanted in this part of the world but two of the dishes including an unctuous winter soup of Jerusalem artichoke, turnip and celeriac. with deep fried snails stuffed with mint (a brilliant idea - much better than parsley) and fillet of venison with liquorice and a beetroot ravioli were terrific. And you may be relieved after a couple of days in the Gers to discover a confit-free zone . . .

My first encounter with Alain Ducasse

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester in a nutshell:

• Food: Great cooking in the literal sense of the word in unfashionably generous helpings. Don’t miss the chicken in Albufera sauce (a Ducasse signature dish) the innovative cheese plate or the dazzling desserts.
• Wine: A lavish and eye-wateringly expensive list
• Style/Decor: Spectacular. The walls facing the windows are studded with green silk covered buttons to reflect the trees in Hyde Park opposite. The Table Lumire in the centre, surrounded by its glittering fibre optic curtain, is admittedly a touch naff but get the sommelier to show you the gorgeous cellar.
• Service: Impossible to fault
• Who to go with: A sugar daddy, a commodity trader who’s just got his bonus (though there is a £35 set lunch)
• Who not to go with: Someone who doesn’t like dressing up
• Verdict: Three star Michelin cooking on a grand scale. Incontournable (unmissable), as the French say.

I reluctantly accepted an invitation to eat at Alain Ducasse’s new restaurant at the Dorchester last week. I don’t particularly like the trend among top chefs to build global empires and after mixed reviews I expected the food to be bland and overpriced. I also expected not to like the man himself. Judging by the photos I’d seen, he looked a pretty tough nut, more a hard-boiled businessman than a chef. Well, I’m happy to say I was wrong on both counts.

Ducasse is what London has been looking for for a while, a grand restaurant that has the potential to get three stars. Not that the intensely media-savvy Ducasse says that is what he’s after. “It is the customers who give stars. Let Michelin do what it does. I will do what I do.” he told me.

He must be doing something right for last week, regardless of his dismissal of Michelin, he picked up 3 more stars in Las Vegas and Tokyo, bringing his tally to 15, second only to Joel Rebuchon. He has 25 restaurants worldwide and seems not content with that. He’s planning to open three more - another in the Eiffel Tower in Paris, two in New York early next year.

Why go on? He surely can’t need the money. “Because of what I am going to discover the following day” he says enigmatically. It figures. He's clearly fascinated by new ingredients, a relentless perfectionsit. In the kitchen of the Dorchester he is hyperactive, barking out instructions to his staff, summoning dishes, encouraging us to taste. “Go on, go on. Eat!”

A dish of plump, sweet Scottish langoustines in a surprisingly rustic leek broth arrives tasting like a fishy cock-a-leekie. A sommelier brings a glass of Puligny Montrachet (a 2004 from Nicolas Potel) which he pronounces too cold. The dish needs more sauce, says Ducasse. Next a poached egg with crayfish and wild mushrooms is presented for his inspectation with a sauce like a super-concentrated fish soup. A bold, generous dish, spilling with flavour it passes muster. “Il faut manger! You must eat up” Ducasse exclaims, encouraging us like small children to clear our plates.

So what does he think of London? Surely we should already have more top restaurants? “Well, you won the rugby (alluding to England’s recent victory over France), you can’t have everything” says Ducasse, betraying an unexpected flash of humour. “You can’t have the greatest diversity of restaurants, the best design, the most dynamic dining scene . . . and the most Michelin-starred restaurants. But whole issue of stars is a false debate. What you want is happy clients.”

Back out in the dining room we are treated to the whole Ducasse experience. Waiters hover around us, delivering plates. Small baskets of warm gougres, tiny deep fried pumpkin ravioli. a plate of crudits cut from heirloom vegetables served with an anchovy dip and whipped cheese. The bread which includes Scottish style baps and wheatmeal rolls is exemplary. Ducasse’s team have done their homework.

My first course of scallops with vegetables and jelly, unexpectedly served at cool room temperature, works well with a creamy Josmeyer ‘H’ Pinot Auxerrois 2004 but I would probably have gone for something a little crisper, given the accompanying light, herby jelly and the wasabi dressing. A chestnut soup with foie gras and small chunks of soft sweet chestnut is sublime. We get an extra taster of poached foie gras served with mango spring rolls. The Pinot Auxerrois is better with this.

My main course, chicken with an ‘Albufera’ sauce, made from foie gras, brandy and white port is utter heaven. It goes perfectly with a superbly supple Garaudet Volnay, the Les Roncerets 2000. I wonder what it would taste like with ‘Yquem. I get a forkful of meltingly tender venison from my neighbour at the table and wish I could have had that too.

We were going to pass on cheese but are urged to try the cheese course - four different cheeses with accompanying relishes - Valencay goats cheese with sweet pepper, Montgomery cheddar with poached grapes and muscat wine jelly, a 3 year old Vieux Comt with a hazelnut and vin jaune paste and a Stilton with Mostarda di Crema. No trundling cheese trolleys for Ducasse - this must be the way forward with cheese. We could have done with another wine at this point, not that the choice would have been easy. An Amarone maybe.

A delicious Domaine de Souch Jurancon Cuvée Marie Kattalin 2004 struggles manfully with a battery of desserts - a riot of chocolate and raspberries, a ‘coco-caramel delight’ (a reinterpretation of crme caramel accompanied by a lime sorbet) and a spectacular rum baba offered with a choice of two rums to pour over it. (Ducasse clearly likes the theatre of pouring at table). There’s even a palate-cleansing post-dessert of pink grapefruit macerated (I think) in grenadine topped with another ethereally light sorbet followed by many other sweet-toothed offerings on trolleys but I’m simply too full. The clever thing about the meal is that it builds towards a crescendo, like a firework display, rather than tailing off.

It’s rare these days to feel so completely satisfied with an experience. Almost nothing disappoints with the possible exception of the sonorous spa-style music, the super-abundance of pink (the plates, the water glasses, the sommelier’s ties) and the rather silly Table Lumire in the centre which is surrounded by a shimmering white floor to ceiling curtain that designer Patrick Jouin compares to ‘walking into a cloud’. Perfect for Posh and the other WAGS*

* the term coined for footballers’ wives and girlfriends

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, Park Lane, London W1K 1QA
Tel: +44 (0)20 7629 8866
www.alainducasse-dorchester.com