From Parma, With Love

Ciao! I’m in Parma, Italy for a tournament. I’m enjoying being back on the European red clay for a few weeks before I wrap up my season on hard court. After spending last weekend in Puebla with Jozy, I arrived in Barcelona on Monday morning and spent last week training there before arriving in Parma late Thursday night.

Now, if Parma sounds familiar to you, it might be your stomach talking. Among its many cultural attractions, Parma is famous for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and prosciutto di Parma, both of which are protected by a DOP label. To be called prosciutto di Parma, this Protected Designation of Origin label means that the prosciutto must be produced in Parma, be made from a specific breed of Italian pigs raised within a specific geographic area, and several other quality and production controls. For Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, similar restrictions apply - the cheese must be produced in a specific area from local milk and undergo very specific aging requirements. I set the stage with this info only to underscore how seriously Parma takes quality food!

I think a proper sightseeing guide will have to wait until my next time in Parma (and definitely a stop at Salumeria Garibaldi a la Stanley Tucci), but I thought it could be fun to take you on a food and wine tour of Italy with help from a friend who knows a thing or two about wine. I’ve gotten to see a bit more of the world through Lindsay’s glass, since she is always trying the local wines anywhere we travel in the world. I’ll have to save the story of our wine tasting in Strasbourg for another Bulletin..but at least the pictures looked great!

My mom and step-dad visited Italy this April and Lindsay wrote my mom a cheat sheet to navigate any Italian wine setting. Let’s face it, wine can seem pretty intimidating and hard to navigate, but find someone who will break it down for you in an approachable way, and the game is changed. Now, I’m still pretty new on my wine journey and usually stick to the bubbles or sweeter stuff, but I love learning and am always down to try.

I asked Lindsay if I could share the Italian wine cheat sheet with you all since I’m back in Italy. She also agreed to answer your wine questions in the comments. Class is in session!

My mom, in Italy, being a wine influencer

General Italian wine comments:

• Taste is individual, so don’t feel pressured to like the types of wine that are best known or most talked about, drink what you enjoy!

• Almost all Italian wines will be named after the place, not the grape varietal! You’ll also find this is true in France. Don’t be intimidated! Trust this cheat sheet or quickly Google. Over time, you will familiarize yourself with which grapes are grown and produced in various places.

• There are over 2,000 indigenous grape varietals grown across Italy. There is a LOT of ground to cover - this is only the high level summary to get you feeling confident about ordering.

• If you see DOC or DOCG on the label, these are both geographic indicators similar to the DOP labels you’ll find on prosciutto di Parma or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for example. DOCG is a more rigid and tighter label than DOC and comes with an extra indicator of quality. Various countries have their own labels for the similar concept.

  • This is important in a place like Italy because they have such a long history of making wine that the area under vine has expanded from the tiny little sites and villages that originally became famous to a bigger geographic area to meet demand. To protect these places and the higher quality sites and production, these systems were put in place to help the consumer ensure that what they are drinking is a true expression of the place and method.

• Words like “reserva”, “superiore” on a label relate to time spent aging in oak barrels before release. This usually means these wines are bigger, bolder, and have more oak notes. This is also often a quality reflection as wine makers only can afford to invest in aging their best stuff before selling to the market.

• My #1 wine pairing tip is this - Always come back to “if it grows together, it goes together” - i.e. the bistecca Fiorentina and tomato-based dishes and charcuterie of Tuscany are the perfect pairing for the Sangiovese grape (Chianti), whereas the lamb and truffles of northern Italy are perfect for the Nebbiolo grape (Barolo and Barbaresco). Classic pairings are classic for a reason!

• Wine Folly has a great article about how to decode an Italian wine label, linked here.

CHEAT SHEET - WHAT ARE YOU EATING?

The restaurant will know their food menu and wine list better than anyone. Let them know that you're open to wine pairings and they'll help bring out what works best with what you ordered at the price you're wanting to pay.

• TOMATO BASED PASTA - need a medium to high acidity red to match the acidity of the tomatoes

  • Primitivo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, any of the Sangiovese-based wines (Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino), Nero d’Avola

• CHEESEY PASTA - need a full bodied white to both cut the fatty, creamy mouthfeel of the cheese and hold up to the weight of the cheese OR a light-bodied red for some fun

  • Trebbiano, Chardonnay from Sicily or southern Italy, Nebbiolo (Barolo, Barbaresco)

• SEAFOOD PASTA, PESTO PASTA, OR VEGETABLE DISH - light bodied, high acidity whites

  • Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio, Soave (Garganega), Vermentino, Fiano d’Avellino, Trebbiano, Greco di Tufo

THE RUN DOWN:

Whites

• GENERAL COMMENTARY:

  • the more northerly the place, the less opportunity the grapes had to ripen, so lighter body —> more citrus notes and higher acidity. The warmer and more southerly the grapes, the riper the grapes can get before harvest —> fuller body, riper fruit flavors versus stark citrus

  • Italian whites are mostly light bodied, high acidity, and to me usually have a little bitter after taste (not in a bad way, but like fennel or flint. Very distinctly Italian).

• Pinot Grigio - from Northern Italy. white peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe.

• Soave - from the Garganega grape. Northern Italy. Crisp easy. Chamomile, pear, mineral, thyme. Veal scaloppini, fettuccine Alfredo, Dover sole.

• Verdicchio - lime zest, grapefruit, almond, marzipan

• Gavi - from the Cortese grape. Meyer lemon, apple, almond,

• Friulano - jasmine, orange zest, green apple, sea salt

• Vermentino - if you enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino is the wine for you. Grown on the island of Sardinia and can often find great values compared to Sauvignon Blanc.

• If they have anything Etna Bianco, these are grown in the volcanic slopes of Mt Etna and are usually a bit fuller bodied. Fabulous with tuna tartare, olive dishes, hard cheese. Southern Italian wines are very popular right now.

Reds

• GENERAL COMMENTARY:

  • High-level overview - Sangiovese is THE grape of Tuscany. You’ll find this as Chianti, Chianti Classico, and Brunello di Montalcino.

    • Chianti: “Classico” refers to the original designated growing area between Florence and Siena, it has higher quality controls and lower yields, so it’s the most concentrated and intentional expression of the fruit. Tart cherry, tobacco, dried oregano, leather, balsamic vinegar.

    • Brunello di Montalcino - also 100% Sangiovese. In its youth, think tart red fruits (Cranberry, cherry, strawberry) with some espresso, soil moving into dried rose, fig, leather, dried rose with age.

      • If you taste a Brunello di Montalcino and it is just too much oak for your preference, try a Rosso di Montalcino - same grape, same place, just allowed to be released a year earlier from the winery.

    • Speaking of age….With these wines, try to find the oldest one you can at the price point you want to spend. Age helps these big wines, so any additional years you can squeeze in will help.

• “Super Tuscan” - all this means is it’s a wine made in Tuscany from international varietals like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Cabernet Franc with some Sangiovese. The most famous producers are Sassicaia and Tignanello. They’re absolutely fantastic, and $$.

• Northern Italy - Barolo and Barbaresco, both made from Nebbiolo - only difference is Barolo requires 3 years of ageing by the winery before release, Barbaresco is just 2. Barolo is big, don’t let the light color deceive you! Think raspberry, cherry, rose, tar, licorice. Big tannins, high acidity. Drink this with truffle risotto, handmade pasta, lamb. Absolutely incredible.

• Amarone and Amarone della Valpolicella - delicious and, I think, under-appreciated in the US. Think of these with steak, mushrooms, braised meats, aged cheese.

• Nero d’Avola - from Sicily. Black cherry, black plum, tobacco. Full body. If you enjoy Napa Cabs, this will be in your wheelhouse. Great meat pairing.

Rosé

• Dont overthink the rosés, just enjoy them slightly chilled while sitting and people watching in a piazza. I really enjoy Etna Rosato or Sangiovese-based rosé

Dessert

• If you’re looking for a little sweet treat at the end of your meal, try these:

  • Moscato d’Asti - slightly sweet and lightly sparkling. A great palate cleanser at the end of a meal

  • Vin Santo - this comes from Tuscany. It’s great with a biscotti. Notes of hazelnut and caramel. Made by drying the grapes on mats post-harvest to evaporate water and concentrate the sugars

  • Recioto della Valpolicella - similar concept to Vin Santo, from northern Italy

Sparkling

• Prosecco - There is great Prosecco out there! When ordering Prosecco, try to find one that has “DOCG” at the end, this is the highest quality.

  • Words to look for are “Valdobiaddene” or “Conegliano Valdobbiadene” —> this is the original hillside town and it’s the highest quality

• Trentodoc - The closest equivalent to Champagne in Italy. It’s made in the same method as Champagne, but from Trentino grapes. If you’ve ever watched the podium celebrations at the end of an F1 race and see them drinking/spraying Ferrari, that’s Trentodoc.

• Let’s give Lambrusco its moment, too. Easy drinking pizza wine with a little fizz, sometimes a kiss of sugar

There you have it! Next time I check in, it will be October - cannot believe it. Arrivederci!