Talk about self sufficient… Last night my wife made a fantastic sugo (from sauce we made in February) with the artisan pasta we imported from Puglia and cheese grated over the top that we imported directly from Italy. Finally washed down with a bottle of Passopisciaro Nerello Mascalese from Mount Etna which we imported mid last year. Talk about a satisfying meal….
Whilst Monday was a public holiday in Victoria, some of my family got together to make the sugo for this coming winter. Whilst peel tomatoes (especially San Marzano) are fantastic, nothing beats your own sugo and this year we made it over two weekends.
The tomatoes this week was a massive improvement on those from a couple of weeks ago. These contained less liquid and more concentration: key ingredients to a good sugo.
These bottles will keep for at least a couple of years an if you know any Italian friends, see if you can beg, borrow or steal a few bottles from them and try the real deal…..
Tonight is my perfect night in.
My beautiful wife has had a ‘sugo’ cooking since mid afternoon and an old bottle of Isole e Olena Chianti Classico ready to drink for dinner.
A good red sauce and an aged Chianti almost tops my list of the ‘perfect night in’.
According to Wikipedia ‘Aglianico del Vulture is an Italian red wine based on the Aglianico grape produced in the Vulture area of Basilicata. It was awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status in 1971 and the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) status in 2011. Located on volcanic soils derived from nearby Mount Vulture, Aglianico del Vulture is the only DOCG in Basilicata.
Whilst Nero d’Avola, Montepulciano and Primativo has grabbed the limelight in the last ten years for indigenous varieties grown in the South of Italy, I think Aglianico is the grape variety that has the most potential to chalange the noble grape varieties of the North. Whilst this statement is not new, the difference is now that there is actual infrastructure and the right tools to give Aglianico the attention it deserves.
Via Mondo Imports we import from Basilicata Pipoli Vigneti del Vulture with the highlight being their 2008 Aglianico del Vulture and for me, it is a wine that I am constantly drawn to. When I am on the road, I love showing this wine, and it always receives a fantastic response.
Last night my wife cooked a fantastic sugo and soon as I saw the richness of the tomatoes in the sauce, I knew the Aglianico would be a great match. As is the case with wines like this on a school night, I had to stop myself going back for another glass. Why? Because with wines that draw you in, another glass means another glass and then another glass and in the end, the bottle is gone. Not a bad thing on a Friday or Saturday night, but not something I try and do on a school night.
il vino da tavola 