Wine and food: A duet

As I mentioned before, I want to post my pairing food and wine final paper, which was based on a four-course dinner we had instead of class on Monday. It was, as stated, phenomenal, and I am excited to share the product of my four months of training. I don't just eat and drink (well, ok, maybe mostly), but I learn too. I mean, call it what you want, but I'm pretty much a certified connoisseur at this point. Even using descriptions such as "Fruity Pebbles" and "Golden Grahams" (it's perfectly acceptable in the wine world, honest).

So sit back and try not to laugh at my assignment. Or fall asleep.

A Dining Experience: The transformative power of wine

Our pairing food and wine class dinner at Boccadamo consisted of four parts: an antipasto, a first course, second course, and dessert. Each was served with a wine chosen to enhance the quality of that particular dish, including a white, two reds, and a dessert wine.

We will begin with the antipasto, which was a beautifully displayed prosciutto di pratomagno con mozzarella fior di latte (thinly sliced and salted ham layered over a large ball of fresh mozzarella). A buttery and slightly acidic DOCG from the Forino-Avellino region was chosen to compliment this starter, called “Grecco di Tufo”. The wine had a blonde, yellow color, like that of sunshine. It was fruit on the nose, with notes of vanilla and flowers, and slightly acidic on the palate with a slightly citrusy taste and a medium body.

Tasting the prosciutto and mozzarella subsequently to the wine, I discovered the ham to be saltier and the cheese creamier. The wine seemed much less acidic, and in fact, took on a distinctly buttery flavor while feeling smoother, and more full-bodied feeling in my mouth. It was interesting, because I heard others comment that the wine seemed more acidic with the pairing, and that the food seemed to have less flavor. After hearing this, the prosciutto did seem to taste less salty in contrast to the wine, but that was probably in my head, as my first impression was pretty clear.

Overall I thought it was a lovely pair; the acidity of the wine brought out the flavors of the dish while cutting through the saltiness, leaving a smooth, buttery feel, and ultimately a cleansed palate. Although I enjoyed both the wine and the food alone; their influence on each other made them impossibly more delicious.

Our first course was pasta al forno con polpette, a lasagna dish, paired with a light, woody red wine called “Nero D’Avola”, a Sicilian IGT. It was dark raspberry in color, a sort of “vampire” blood red. On the nose it was very rich with aromas of bark and alcohol. Before the food it seemed light, rather dry, and not woody as it had smelt.

To my pleasure, the pasta made the wine much smoother and took away the dryness. It also tasted a little bit “grapier”. While the wine was better with the food, I’m not sure I felt the same way about the pasta, which I thought felt a little bit lighter and less flavorful with the pair. It’s almost as if the dryness of the wine soaked up the moistness of the tomato sauce, but perhaps it was only cutting through a little bit of the grease. I did notice certain spices, such as garlic, more distinctly in the pasta after the wine.

Overall I thought it was a nice pair; the combination gave me a mouthful of flavor before a feeling of a cleansed palate, and the wine, much better in my opinion after the food, gave the pasta a lighter dynamic, which in retrospect is probably better for a first course.


I had my first sample of Florentine beef with our second course, tagliata di manzo con rucola e grana, paired with a medium-bodied, complex red, which was an IGT from Puglia called “Primitivo Matane”. The wine was a deep garnet color, a light shade of blackberry. It’s was very interesting, as it smelt warm and dirty, earthy, and chocolatey, with aromas of vegetables.

Before trying it with food, the red was seemingly dry and acidic at the same time, tasting herbaceous and fruity. After tasting the beef, the wine lost any hint of dryness, and I noticed only its acidity, which cut straight through the fattiness of the steak becoming full and smooth in my mouth. The meat tasted almost sweeter before the wine, but all of its levels of flavor were brought out with the wine, ranging form sweet to salty, and tasted juicier rather than “fatty”.

This was an amazing pair in my opinion; all of the flavors that were brought out in the complex red, the perfectly cooked steak, and even the arugula and parmesan side were not only compatible together, but a result of each other. The textures and flavors could not have gone any better together.

For dessert, we had torta mimosa, a delicious, citrusy cake. A vino liquoroso from the Sicilian region, called “Florio Ambar Moscato”, was chosen for this final dish. It was a yellow, golden color, and quite brilliant, with an interesting nose of fruity pebbles, golden grahams, and butter. It tasted just as sweet as it smelt, like peach and honey, with a medium-heavy body and smooth sensation; similar to, but not as thick as a syrup.

The fluffy, cake-like dessert was somehow even lighter and more delicious with the pairing of the wine. Every combination is different in its own way, and this match was no exception. I felt like not only did the wine and dessert compliment one another, but actually became more complex and flavorful with each sip and bite. The textures and flavors built upon one another, releasing different notes of peach, honey, lemon, and cream, until you almost couldn’t tell where they were coming from- the wine or the cake.

Had the wine been any sweeter it would have overpowered the cake, and any less sweet it would have been lost in the cake. Similarly, if the cake’s texture had been any lighter it would have been swallowed up by the wine, and any heavier, the wine wouldn’t have seemed so smooth and honey-like in contrast. Of all the pairs I had this evening, I felt that this was perhaps the most satisfying.

Overall I was very pleased with my experience at Boccadamo’s. I absolutely loved the food, and I felt that each chosen wine did its job expertly.

The first combination was just light and flavorful enough to tease my taste buds, while the second pair was delicious and subtle enough to enjoy without detracting from the main course. The meat was definitely a main event, the wine and steak complimenting and assisting each other with equally bold, complex flavors. And at last, the grand finale, a delectable duo that made the meal one to remember.

No two pairs are going to be alike, and this dinner was a good learning experience for me to recognize the different purposes of pairs, and how together, they can transform a simple dinner to a multi-faceted, complex, and delicious experience.