Nero d'Avola with...

[quijote]

Based on archived posts, it seems that Nero d'Avola doesn't have enough acidity to work well with tomato-based sauces. Any thoughts on this?

I bought a 2001 Abbazia Sta. Anastasia NdA (highly praised on the Italian thread), and would like to match it with appropriate food flavors. The Immer book isn't much help in this regard.

Would this wine go well with herbed chicken?

[Drew]

I wouldn't pair it with the chicken. This is a somewhat rustic wine with deep flavors of blackberry and plum with hints of licorish. Would pair with roasted meats,stews, game or steak.

If you go to the below link, the wine lover's page highlighted this grape and reported on a dinner tasting with four Nero d'Avola's at center stage. This is what they served:

1. Eggplants Flan dressed with Coulis of Pachino-grown Tomatoes

2. Spaghetti alla chitarra with horse meat rolls

3. Tourendot of black-pepper-scented Tuna filet, with Marsala sauce and fennels souté with lard

4. Selection of aged cheeses from Sicily with Confiture of dried Pachino-grown Tomatoes and Onions

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:x_OXMyxalqEJ:www.wineloverspage.com/luca/nero.phtml+nero+d%27avola&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Drew

[This message has been edited by Drew (edited 02-15-2004).]

[Innkeeper]

Recommend a Vermentino with the chicken. If you are not locked into Italian with Italian, a Cotes du Rhone Blanc is another option.

[Thomas]

Drew hit the nail...

[quijote]

Thanks one and all, as always, for the info and recs....

Q

[JohnG]

Horse meat rolls?

[quijote]

Tastes like chicken!?

[Botafogo]

Horse is a wonderful meat. We eat LOTS of it prepared in myriad ways when we are in the Veneto. A friend of ours told his wife she could keep a horse if he could name it "Sfilacci" which is the shredded air dried and salted horse meat they sprinkle on polenta as a primi piatti in Verona. We usually buy long ropes of Horse or Donkey jerky at our favorite Carneceria Equine in Verona for the train trip to Venice.

The secret password amongst friends in the trade at VinItaly when you need a favor is "Ma, mio fratello, abbiamo mangiato cavalo insieme!" (But, my brother, we've eaten horse together!)

You may think I am a savage but you should have known that already, Roberto

[This message has been edited by Botafogo (edited 02-19-2004).]

[mrdutton]

Horse meat does not do well in the US. There was a push by some companies a few years ago to sell it.

They set-up tasting stands in the meat departments of many local grocery stores. Did not go over well at all.

Some people compared it to eating steaks that came from your best friend........ and that kinda killed the effort.

Seems that folks in the US don't have much use for eating their favorite pets...... and best friends.