Cioppino – Red or White Wine? #ItalianFWT

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Montepulciano d’Abruzzo:  Nicodemi Notàri 2016 – Pairing Rating:  9.3 out of 10.0

Trebbiano Abruzzese: Contesa Trebbiano d’Abruzzo 2015 – Pairing Rating:  8.8

This week the Italian Food, Wine and Travel Group (#ItalianFWT) has elected to focus on the foods and wines of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Many blog posts have been submitted (see below) by members of the Group and a Twitter chat is scheduled for this Saturday morning (10/5/19) at 11 am EDT. Use the hashtag #ItalianFWT if you would like to join the conversation.

The Abruzzo region, due east of Rome, offers diverse topography and foods. The Apennine mountains of central Italy define Abruzzo’s western border and are home to hearty Mortadella, lamb, pork liver sausage and saffron. The eastern Adriatic shore is known for its seafood and fish stew (Brodetto). So it’s no surprise that the two principal grapes of the region – Trebbiano Abruzzese (white) and Montepulciano (red) – pair beautifully with these regional specialties.

To explore the pairing capabilities of the Abruzzo wines made from these grapes, we chose to stir up a pot of Cioppino. Cioppino? An Italian fish stew? Almost correct. Cioppino is indeed a tomato-based fish stew but is said to have been created in the North Beach area of San Francisco by Italian immigrants from Genoa. According to Wiki, the name comes from Ciuppin, a classic soup from Italy’s Liguria region, similar in flavor to Cioppino but with less tomato. According to us, the name means Delizioso!

The Internet is replete with recipes for Cioppino. We chose one (see the end of this post) by DeeDee Henderson found in allrecipes.com. Do not be put off by the lengthy list of ingredients; the recipe was easy to pull together. It does take a good bit of simmering time to tease out all the flavors, so plan accordingly. Importantly, this recipe is a little tomato-dominant, which turned out to be the critical factor in the wine pairing.

Most somms will advise you to pair this seafood-laden dish with a crisp, dry white wine. Abruzzo’s Trebbiano seemed like a reasonable place to start. We pulled the cork on a 2015 bottle of Trebbiano d’Abruzzo produced by the Contesa ($24), a family-managed winery in the hills outside the town of Pescaro.  On clay soils with a bit of limestone, the Trebbiano flourishes amid the abundant sunshine of central Italy and cool Adriatic breezes.

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The Contesa seemed to extract the best that the Trebbiano Abruzzese grape has to offer. The nose was subtle but elegant with scents of apple, stone fruit and white flowers. On the palate, the attack was light and crisp with notes of pear and apple; but what lingered with some persistence was citrus, minerality, medium-plus acidity, and creamy notes of almond on the finish.

Sipping as we prepared the Cioppino, we thought the wine was delicious. But with the dish, not so much. The Contesa’s citrus and the dish’s tomato base seemed to clash. The tomato base won, negating the beauty of the wine. Save this refreshing Trebbiano for Shrimp Scampi, Lobster Roll or a cream-based Seafood dish. With the Cioppino, however, we felt compelled to move to red wine.

For its ability to pair with tomato-based pasta dishes, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo seemed like a logical choice. We selected the Nicodemi Notàri 2016 ($23). Fattoria Nicodemi is in the town of Notaresco, in the heart of the Colline Teramane zone, thereby giving this estate a DOCG status – the highest zone designation in Italy.

Nicodemi should have named their wine Guise. The wine was as polished and deeply-colored as a heavy Napa Merlot, yet midweight in body. And the beguiling nose of plums, baked cherries and spices reminded us of a Brunello with 10 years of bottle age! Yet the vintage was 2016. Amazing.

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On the palate, the Notàri was rich with blackberries, ripe tannins and notes of balsamic. The relatively low acidity was sufficient to stand up to the tomato sauce of the Cioppino without overpowering the delicate seafood flavors. We thought the Notàri was superior to the Trebbiano in this pairing, and at $23, an excellent value. There are more complex and more expensive Montepulciano’s on the market: Praesidium for $40, Masciarelli’s Villa Gemma for $80, and Emidio Pepe’s for $100. But Trish and I don’t think these enhance the pairing in proportion to their price.

If your version of Cioppino is lighter on the tomato base, then go with the Contesa Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. However, if you choose to follow the recipe at the bottom of this post, then the Notàri Montepulciano is the better choice. Mangiamo!

Below are the participants and their titles for the October #ItalianFWT Abruzzo event. The articles will be published by Saturday, October 5, 2019.

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm will share about “The Food and Wines of Abruzzo”

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla will bring us “Scrippelle ‘mbusse + Ferzo Passerina”

Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen will reveal “5 Iconic Abruzzo Wines to Try from Torre Zambra”

Jen from Vino Travels will share about “The Variety of Abruzzo Wines”

Gwendolyn from Wine Predator  from tastes and shares “3 Montepulciano and 1 Trebbiano from d’Abruzzo #ItalianFWT”

Cindy from Grape Experiences from suggests the you “Immerse Yourself in Wines from Abruzzo for a Genuine Taste of Italy”

Pinny from Chinese Food and Wine Pairing is “Celebrating Abruzzo Wines with the Ferzo Passerina, Citra Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Caldora Chardonnay”.

Linda from My Full Wine Glass suggests “Abruzzo wines to pair with fresh fall produce (#ItalianFWT)”

Jeff foodwineclick brings us “Pairing Magic with Ferzo Pecorino and Squash Risotto”

Nicole from Somm’s Table“Cooking to the Wine: Lammidia Anfora Rosso from Abruzzo & Post Roast with Tomatoes and Chickpeas”

David from Cooking Chat Cooking Chat, will share “Baked Haddock with Pasta and White Wine from Abruzzo”.

Susannah from Avvinare will take “A Fresh Look at the Wines of Abruzzo”

Rupal from Syrah Queen will share “Exploring The Wine & Gastronomy of Abruzzo”

Katarina from Grapevine Adventures San Lorenzo Winery – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo between Sea and Mountain

The live Twitter chat is always a highlight of these wine blogging events! Feel free to tune in whether you are sharing an article or not. It’s a great way to learn more about wines from Abruzzo!