Brodetto di Pesce – Wine Pairing

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Verdicchio: Bucci Superiore 2014 – Pairing Rating: 10.0 out of 10.0
Sangiovese/Montepulciano Blend: il Casolare 2017 – Pairing Rating: 9.0
Rosso Piceno Superiore: Velenori il Brecciarolo:  Pairing Rating:  8.5

This month our Italian wine blogging group has chosen to focus on the Pecorino grape and other wines from the Marche region on the east coast of Italy. Food pairing ideas among these bloggers abound and can be found at the bottom of this post.

The Marche (MAR-kay) region (or Le Marche in Italian) is known for its very long stretch of coastline and, therefore, its seafood. Other noteworthy foods include Pecorino cheese (Formaggio di Fossa), Porchetta (suckling pig stuffed with herbs), Prosciutto di Carpegna, and olives ascolane (stuffed olives, breaded and fried). For this post, however, we chose to focus on their famed fish stew, Brodetto di Pesce Marchigiano, as well as their red and white wines.

Brodetto di Pesce is a fish soup said to be bequeathed by the Greeks. The combination of shellfish, fish, tomatoes and spices allowed us to explore both red and white wine pairings. And while the adapted NYT Cooking recipe below looks lengthy, the prep and execution are relatively simple. The result is a dish chock-a-block with fresh seafood in a rich tomato-onion broth. Similar to Bouillabaisse and a bit less grassy than Cioppino, which typically incorporates green bell pepper and oregano, the Brodetto was aromatic and lively but cried out for a suitable wine pairing.

Our first wine pairing choice was a red wine from Marche called Rosso Piceno. The Piceno name comes from the ancient Picini tribe that lived in this part of Marche until conquered by the Romans in 2 BC. It is said that Hannibal refreshed his troops with this wine. For this pairing, we chose the Velenosi Rosso Piceno Superiore il Brecciarolo 2013 ($14).

Il Brecciarolo is a blend of 70% Montepulciano and 30% Sangiovese.  Medium-plus in weight with ripe, spicy, red and black fruits, the wine was exceptional for its price point. Destemmed fruit, 20-day maceration and relatively neutral oak aging all added to the wine’s refinement and balance. However, the dominant Montepulciano was too heavy and tannic for the delicate fish flavors of the Brodetto. Better to pair this wine with sharp cheeses and grilled red meat. We felt we needed a lighter
way forward and found that in Fattoria San Lorenzo Il Casolare Marche Rosso
2017 ($13).

Il Casolare, a blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Montepulciano, provided a better pairing alternative. Light-to-medium in body, with abundant red fruits, this juicy wine was clean, fresh, balanced and easy to drink. Fermented and aged for 6 months (3 + 3) in concrete allowed the Sangiovese to deliver its spritely freshness, keeping the Montepulciano in check. Just the right weight and acidity for the tomato-based Brodetto. We are looking forward to enjoying more of this wine with light summer fare.

But the best was yet to come. We found that pairing in a white wine from the Le Marche region. Initially we thought that wine would be Pecorino, but we were unable to find any in Southern California, so we focused our attention on the more widely available white wine from Le Marche called Verdicchio, from the Castelli di Jesi zone. And in our view, the best Verdicchio from this zone is produced by Villa Bucci.

The Bucci Superior 2014 ($20) delivered notes of apple, pear and green herbs, with a characteristic bitter-almond skin taste on the finish. Crisp and refreshing, this unoaked white exhibited the ideal balance of fruit, acidity and alcohol:  perfect with the Brodetto. The Bucci Superior should also be high on your pairing list for shrimp cocktail and simple grilled fish dishes.

One final note on the white Pecorino wine: In general, Pecorino is medium-bodied and straw-colored with hints of sage, thyme and mint on the nose. The acidity on the palate is high (like a crisp Sauvignon Blanc) with apple, pear and citrus flavors evident. From Le Marche, seek out Cocci Grifoni’s Colle Vecchio; from the Abruzzo region, look for Pecorino’s made by Cataldi Madonna and Tiberio

Below you will find the links to all the posts composed by fellow bloggers in the #ItalianFWT Group. There is much to glean from their wisdom and experience:

• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla will dazzle us with “Oven-Roasted Trout with Citrus Salsa Crudo + 2017 Lunaria “Civitas” Pecorino”
• Gwendolyn, the Wine Predator is “Pairing Pecorino d’Abuzzo from Ferzo: Lemon Caper Shrimp #ItalianFWT”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Sheepish about new kinds of wine? Try Pecorino! #ItalianFWT”
  
• Cindy at Grape Experiences does a “Twirl. Sip. Savor: 2016 Tenuta Cocci Grifoni Offida Pecorino Colle Vecchio and Creamy Garlic Shrimp with Linguini”
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish asks “Looking for a New White Wine to Serve this Spring? Try Pecorino from Tenuta Santori in Italy!”
• Susannah from Avvinare shares “Pecorino from the Lady from Le Marche – Angela Velenosi- Velenosi Vini”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click goes “On the Hunt for the Pecorino Grape”
• David from Cooking Chat shares “Roasted Asparagus Pasta with Pecorino”
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest is “Discovering the Pecorino Grape #ItalianFWT