HELP

[Randy Caparoso]

Well, everyone has an opinion, especially when your dishes are a little sketchy. Rigatone alla "Vodka," I'm not sure about at all, since it doesn't sound like a classic that Marcella Hazan or Lorenza d'Medici would write about (if anything, Hazan would make a "Drunken" roast with Grappa, rather than something the Russians make).

I assume that your linguine's white sauce is a bechamel, which is basically butter and flour cooked into a roux, to which you add milk until it gets nice and creamy smooth, and maybe a little grated parmigiano to enrich it further. Although I'm not sure if you're adding any other tidbits (like mushrooms, chicken, shrimp, etc.), I'm going to assume that the predominant flavor component is the milky/creamy taste of the sauce. Therefore, I myself (with all due respect and adulation to Curmudgeon) wouldn't pick a Sauvignon/Fume Blanc to go with it, since that sort of white wine would be too sharp with acidity; and the combination of creamy/lactic sauce and sharp wine is not as pleasant as it could be (the wine would make the sauce taste floury and milky, and the sauce would make the wine taste sour). Does this make sense?

But I wouldn't really go for a red either -- even a light tannin style, since few reds really contribute a creamy quality that would gel with the taste of a white sauced linguine (unless, you use LOTS of cheese, which would deepen sauce's flavor and make it more red wine friendly).

Therefore, my suggestion would be for a softer, lighter acid/body white such as a Soave, Orvieto, or Est! Est! Est!. A lighter style Italian Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc -- which are creamy soft and moderate in acid -- would not be such a bad idea either. Stay away from Pinot Grigio, though, because those tend to be almost lemony sharp. So going back to my first choice, there are a lot of first class Soaves to choose from -- Anselmi and Zenato being two of my top choices. Among Orvietos, it's hard to go wrong with Falesco.

Anyway, if you can get back to me on the makeup of your Vodka sauce, maybe I can shed some light on that, too.

[This message has been edited by Randy Caparoso (edited 12-04-1999).]