Shrimp Marinara Wine Pairing . . . from Maremma Toscano #ItalianFWT

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Montepeloso ENEO 2010: Pairing Rating – 9.5 out of 10.0

Rocca Frassinello le Sughere 2013: Pairing Rating – 9.0

This week the Italian Food, Wine and Travel Group (#ItalianFWT) has elected to focus on Tuscan wines outside the norm of Chianti. In this vein, we chose to highlight two wines from the Maremma Toscano region of western Tuscany. Many blog posts have been submitted (see below) by members of the Group, and a Twitter chat is scheduled for this Saturday morning (11/2/19) at 11 am EDT. Use the hashtag #ItalianFWT if you would like to join the conversation.

Maremma Toscano covers a broad area southwest of Florence, from the town of Livorno in the north to the Argentario peninsula in the south. Roughly 150 miles in length, 50 miles in width, and bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea, the area is sometimes referred to as Tuscany’s Gold Coast.

The Gold Coast reference reflects the launch of Sassicaia in 1968, followed by Ornellaia in the 1980s and Guado al Tasso in 1990. With the success of these trophy brands, interest and investment followed from Gaja, Frescobaldi, Ruffino and a host of smaller producers.

These wines hail from the northern reaches of Maremma near the town of Bolgheri. Most are blends of international grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) with little if any Sangiovese, and sell at Bordeaux classed-growth prices. For this blog post, our price/quality sensibility steered us away from these richly-priced wines: a pivot we refer to as #we can do better.

Our pivot led us south of Bolgheri to the town of Suvereto to explore the wines of this DOC, created in 2000. As one of the warmer micro-climes on the Tuscan Coast, Suvereto’s petrified clay soils and cooling sea breezes intensify the flavors of the grapes grown here. An excellent representative wine can be found in the portfolio of producer Montepelosi, called ENEO. We opted for the 2010 vintage ($50). Decant if you are pouring a younger vintage.

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Sangiovese and Montepulciano grapes dominate the ENEO blend, with small additions of Alicante and Marsellan . . . a notably different blend from the Bolgheri wines to the north. With the ENEO, red fruits, savory herbs, bacon fat and earthiness fill the nose, while the ripe, black fruits, and refined tannins & acidity create a luscious mouthfeel.

Buoyed by the finesse and complexity of the ENEO, we sought to find a quality Tuscan blend at a lower price point. Our search took us farther down the Tuscan Coast to the town of Gavorrano and the wines of Castellare di Castellina.

Within the portfolio of wines produced at this estate, the one widely available in the US is the Le Sughere di Frassinello. We chose the excellent 2013 vintage ($24) for our tasting.

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The Le Sughere is a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. The inclusion of Cabernet and Merlot in the blend (a nod to Bolgheri), gave us a nose of red fruits, lavender and dark spices. On the palate, we picked up cherry, plum and licorice. Lighter-bodied and a bit less complex than the ENEO, the Le Sughere was, nonetheless, delicious.

Armed with these two excellent Tuscan reds, our pursuit of a food pairing pointed us to a marinara sauce (so-called “sauce of the sailors”) with some kind of protein. We settled on shrimp to accompany, but not upstage, the marinara – the key to the pairing with these two wines.

There are two critical steps to the preparation of this dish. One is to marinate the shrimp beforehand, as outlined in the recipe below. The second is to source your marinara sauce. Sure, you can make your own, but why invest all that time when these two jarred alternatives are readily available?

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The difference between these sauces is more than subtle. The color and texture tell all. The Trader Joe’s is chunkier, and has tomato paste and parmesan cheese, ingredients not included in the Rao’s sauce. The Trader Joe’s was also a spicier blend, calling out for a more robust wine. Bottom line: we suggest you pair the Montepeloso ENEO with the Trader Joe’s sauce, while either wine will pair with the Rao’s sauce. Buon Appetito!

Take a look below at all the great ideas for exploring Tuscany from the comfort of your own home. If you see this soon enough, please join our chat on Twitter at #ItalianFWT on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 10am CDT.

• A Taste of Tuscany’s Gran Selezione from Vino Travels
• A taste of Tuscany without leaving home by My Full Wine Glass 
• Arugula and Shrimp Pizza with an Olive Oil Drizzle and a Ricasoli Chianti Classico by A Day in the Life on the Farm
•  Can’t Serve Chianti Without Olive Oil by L’Occasion
  • Castello di Brolio Olio e Vino: Schiacciata all’Uva + 2015 Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione from Culinary Adventures with Camilla  
• Chianti Classico Reaches New Heights: Reflections on the 2019 Anteprima from Avvinare
• Exploring Castello di Brolio & On location pairings from the home of Chianti Classico from Somm’s Table
•  Garlic Broccoli Pasta with Italian Olive Oil from Cooking Chat
• Gran Selezione: Pinnacle of the Chianti Classico Ladder? from Food Wine Click 
• Guazzetto Paired with Barone Ricasoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio from Enofylz Wine Blog 
• New Discoveries On The Rich Tuscan Wine Map from Grapevine Adventure 
• Ricasoli Chianti Paired with Tomatoes 3 Ways from Asian Test Kitchen 
• Tasting Tuscany: Tuna, Beans, EVOO, Chianti, Vermentino by Wine Predator 
• Traditional Italian Soup Paired with Chianti Classico from Always Ravenous