@savoirpair Bolognese meets Burgundy. We opted for Pinot instead of Italian wine for our Pasta dish. #pinotnoir ♬ Vlog ・ Stylish city pop(1275391) - orino
Bolognese just cries out for and Italian wine pairing, right? A little Chianti, or Barolo or Brunello would be easy choices. Tat’s what we thought when we tasted Tina’s delicious version of Bolognese. And something wasn’t quite right. Maybe it was the wines we tried – that each had some tannin or leathery-ness or big body. They were ok with the dish, but not quite right. Tina’s recipe calls for ground Turkey and ground pork rather than ground beef, and I suspect that’s what made for some dissonance in the pairing. There wasn’t enough fatty meatiness to the dish to stand up to the bigger reds. They sort of shouted out the more delicate texture and flavor of the dish.
As a dutiful wine pairer, I had no choice but to find an alternative. My inclination was to pick something a little more fruit forward, and lighter in body. Definitely a red, just a different red. The Cotiere Hilliard Bruce Vineyard Pinot Noir fit the bill perfectly. This wine had a beautiful bouquet of cranberry and delightful floral characteristics of violets and lavender. On the palate the cranberry/cherry combination was evident, and while not a super lightweight wine, its gentler mouthfeel worked so well with the delicate flavors of turkey and pork, while still matching with the tomato-intensive sauce. Its 13.5% alcohol also make it a bit more delicate than the 14% plus that’s common for many Italian reds (and even other California Pinots) At under $45, this is an excellent value. Many good Santa Rita Hills Pinots start at $60 and go well over $100, so while it’s not a cheap bottle, it’s not nearly the splurge some people we know (ahem) make on Pinots. So, we had to say Arrivederci to Italy and hello to the Santa Rita Hills for this dinner. We give this Pinot a big Thumbs up!