I Love Italian Regional Cuisine – Pairing Trentino Cuisine With Red Wine
Trentino-Alto Adige is located in the center of Italy’s northern border touching Switzerland and Austria. Trentino is the southern part of the region. The northern region is known as Alto Adige, formerly Südtirol. Trentino-Alto Adige is officially bilingual; a sizable portion of its population is German speaking. Consequently the local cuisine has a lot of Germanic influence.
Gnocchi di Pane (Bread Gnocchi) a base for sauces. Bardolino DOC from Veneto or Valtellina Rosso also known as Rosso di Valtellina DOC from Lombardy.
Do you like sausages? If you do, try one of the local specialties Biroldi con Crauti (Blood Sausages with Sauerkraut). This delicacy is stuffed with nuts and spiced with nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. It goes with the Dolcetto d’Alba DOC from Piedmont.
Speck (Smoked Ham) is quite popular in these parts. It’s made from boned pork shoulder. The best Speck come from local farmers’ smokehouses but you may have to be satisfied with a commercial version. Enjoy with a local wine made from the red Schiava grape or a Dolcetto d’Alba DOC.
Chamois is a local goat found in Gemsenfleisch (Chamois Tyrolean style) cooked with red wine vinegar, salt pork, sour cream, and herbs. It’s served over toasted bread. Suggested wine pairings include Cannonau di Sardegna DOC from Sardina, or if you want to go all out, Barolo DOCG from Piedmont.
If you’re not up to eating goat, enjoy Carne Salata (Marinated Beef with Juniper Berries). The locals marinate the beef for a month. Enjoy with Barbaresco DOCG from Piedmont or an Italian Pinot Nero.
Another fine beef dish is Costata di Manzo con Cipolle (Beef Ribs with Onions). Suggested wine pairings include Barbaresco DOCG and Barolo DOCG from Piedmont or a Chianti DOCG from Tuscany.
