With Father’s Day only a week away, I was thinking how nice GourmetStation’s Tuscan Four Course Dinner would be to give as a gift or to serve on Father’s Day and not spend a lot of time in the kitchen. As I looked over the menu I naturally started considering what wine to serve with the dinner to make it extra special.

I invited wine expert extraordinaire, Susan Anderson, to share her ideas about how to pair Tuscan style food with wine. Please meet Susan and join me in welcoming her to Delicious Destinations as our first guest blogger!

Susan became interested in wine right out of college when her brother gave her a book on wine as a gift, a great idea Susan says, for someone new in Food & Beverage Management. Susan went on to work with fine companies like Hyatt Hotels and the Ritz-Carlton. She is now a wine consultant at a major beverage store in Atlanta and says that her passion for wine is driven by constantly changing vintages and the demand to continually learn and relearn.

Susan, what wine you would recommend for the GourmetStation Tuscan menu line that will help make Father's Day a day to remember?

Susan: I’ve always felt Italian wines go best with the foods from the region. The wines from European countries are specifically made to go with the foods from the area.

So, that being said, with the Tuscan soups I would suggest pairing a Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Vernaccia is light straw color, with a delicate aroma of green apple, fresh tasting, dry and fruity. It is particularly good with antipasto, light pasta sauce, fish, light to medium soups, and excellent as an aperitif. My choice would be Falchini “Solatio” Vernaccia di San Gimignano. If yo u can’t find the Falchini Vernaccia, a fresh Orvieto would go well too.

With the entrée selection, I would match a Chianti Riserva or a young “Super-Tuscan” depending how flavorful you like your wines and your entrée choice.  The dominate grape variety and the foundation of Chianti is Sangiovese.

Traditional Chianti is typically blended with Canaiolo and Colorino varieties as well as a small percentage of two white grapes Malvasia del Chianti and Trebbiano. Nowadays, small amounts of Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo are also found in the blend.

My suggestion on a good Chianti Riserva is Nozzole. It has a fragrance of dark berries offset by woodsy notes of leather, earth and vanilla. Nozzole has a full mellow texture underscored by a clean acidic balance that works well with tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and Italian cheeses.

If you like a more intensely flavored wine, I would suggest, Villa Antinori Toscana IGT or Carpineto Dogajolo IGT, both are from Tuscany. Antinori uses less Sangiovese, and more Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah in their blend and Dogajolo uses more Cabernet Sauvignon. I would pair the Chicken Saltimboca with the more flavorful wines.

Wine serving hint: Open all of these red wines an hour before serving to allow the flavors to smooth out and become supple.

Now, moving on to dessert. To toast that special Dad in your life, I would suggest Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Aqui. Rosa Regale is a red sparkling wine. Aromatic with a hint of rose petals and raspberries, it marries extremely well with chocolate. You might want to save a touch to go with that after dinner chocolate too.

TA: I think I’ll skip the entrees and Chianti and move directly to Rosa Regale and chocolate! Susan, thank you for being a guest on Delicious Destinations and sharing your passion and knowledge for wine. I can’t wait to have you return and make recommendations for other GourmetStation gifting meals.

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