Italian wines for dinner?

[michelle26]

I am having a dinner party and need to pick wine selections for each menu item. The menu goes as follows:

1. Bread and Tomato Soup
2. Whole Stuffed Artichokes Braised in White Wine
3. Walnut and Panceta Pansoti with Asparagus in Parmesan Broth
4. Chicken Scaloppine Stuffed with Grilled Eggplant and Whole Basil Leaves
5. Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis

Thanks for the suggestions!

[wondersofwine]

Do they have to be Italian wines? I was going to suggest some from other regions for some of the dishes. However, sticking to Italian wines, pinot grigio might work with the asparagus dish. Artichokes are difficult to pair with wine as the artichoke tends to dominate and distort the wine flavor. But use the same white wine for braising and drinking. A higher quality Lambrusco might be a good dessert wine with the strawberry coulis. Others may chime in for the remaining menu items or to suggest alternative wines.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 11-14-2002).]

[michelle26]

Thank-you for the reply. In response to your question - no they do not have to be Italian wines. Just something that will go nicely.

Thanks.

[joeyz6]

I'd have Sancerre with the asparagus. The problem is that maybe you want to be drinking red at that point, seeing as though it's the third course. You might try a Bourgeuil or a Cheverny instead, local red appelations that are comprised of cabernet franc, although I've never had either with asparagus -- I'm suggesting them because the Loire is so well-known for its asparagus.

[wondersofwine]

Sancerre sauvignon blanc or New Zealand sauvignon blanc was going to be my suggestion for the asparagus dish also, then I saw the "Italian wines" and thought maybe it had to be all Italian.

[joeyz6]

Michelle, it just occurred to me that I confused 'Cheverny' and 'Chinon' when referring to the cabernet franc varietal. Cheverny is actually made of gamay, not cab franc. Chinon is the cab franc I was thinking of. They're both small appelations within 30 minutes of me, they have similar names, and they both have castles -- this isn't the first time I've confused them. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]