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By The Glass Chuck Furuya |
Tasty finds
on Italian visitIn summer, the sea is just brimming with life and fresh fish are quite plentiful. We should soon be seeing fresh akule, for instance, in all the stores.
Having just returned from a quick and most inspiring jaunt to Italy, thoughts of simple, pan-fried akule bring to mind, a dry, fresh, lively pigato (that's the name of the grape from Liguria. )
Liguria is often referred to as the Italian Riviera and its seaport villages of Rapallo, Santa Margherita and Portofino feature fresh seafood brought in by local fisherman.
For my palate, the very best white wine from the area (and nearby Cinque Terre as well) is the pigato from Bardinelli (less than $20 in select stores). Bardinelli Pigato works magic with seafood and is well worth seeking out.
Another discovery of my Italian trip was the food-friendliness of barbera from Piedmont in northwest Italy.
For many years, barbera was regarded as a lesser grape and the supply usually outweighed demand. But when grown in the right locations, farmed by the right farmer and crafted by the right winemaker, barbera can be the source for tasty, interesting, food-friendly red wine, and at a good price.
In the Barbaresco area, Moccagatta (less than $20) makes a hearty, well-structured, yet elegant barbera that wow-ed my palate. At around the same price, from the hillsides of Bricco Boschis in Barolo country, comes the wildly rustic, intriguing, much more traditionally styled Cavallotto rendition.
Both are terrific!
If you would like to try a New World style of barbera, another great value is Bricco Buon Natale Barbera (from the winemaking genius Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat). At less than $15 a bottle, this sleeker, well-polished, well-textured rendition shows the artistry and worldliness of a great winemaker.
With barbera, chill the bottle eight to 10 minutes, then serve with barbecued steaks and hamburgers (or akule) on the patio.
Chuck Furuya is Hawaii's only master sommelier and a consultant with Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals. Write to features@starbulletin.com