Brunello di Montalcino is one of the wines Italian reds most appreciated by connoisseurs all over the world. A wine of great depth and depth, with intense aromas and full, elegant flavour, it brings to mind the territory from which it comes.

For Brunello di Montalcino we prefer thepairing with dishes succulent with a strong and intense flavour, structured and rich in sauces.

Brunello di Montalcino: the wine's characteristics

On colour is deep ruby red with garnet-coloured highlights, making it unmistakable even at first glance. The perfume is very sweet, with hints of fresh fruit that combine elegantly with notes of tobacco and liquorice. La structure is powerful, with an excellent balance between tannic charge and aciditywhich pleasantly tantalises the palate.

To achieve these characteristics, the best Sangiovese grapesmatured according to the timing dictated by nature on the hills of the Banfi estate, fermented at a controlled temperature in combined steel and Horizon French oak barrels for at least 2 years.

How to pair Brunello di Montalcino

Once the fine characteristics of this wine are known, the question arises "how to pair Brunello di Montalcino?"

This is not an easy wine to match because of its strong taste and important structure. As anticipated, the rules for pairing Brunello di Montalcino are basically two:

• do not choose dishes that are too delicate;
• prefer moist disheswith vigorous character sauces.

In fact, the strong presence of tannins might be a bit harsh to sensitive palates, thus creating an unpleasant feeling of dryness: sauces, gravies and creams help to diminish this sensation, creating a very pleasant and refined contrast of flavours.

Dishes with character, therefore, for a wine with just as much character.

Starters

Starting with hors d'oeuvres, the most suitable combination is with the mature cheeses and perfect those of the Val D'Orcia such as the Pecorino di Pienza matured in Barriquethe right combination to savour the taste of genuine Tuscany.

The first

All mushroom and truffle recipes go perfectly with Brunello di Montalcino, although the most recommended pairing is certainly with the pappardelle with wild boar ragout or with the picianother type of handmade pasta typical of Tuscany.

Meats

When it comes to meat, on the other hand, this wine is just as demanding: preference is given to the red meat, both wild and furry, prepared with sauces with a strong character and strong aromas.

One of the dishes of Tuscan cuisine to pair with Brunello di Montalcino is, for example, the peposoa very tender stew that cooks slowly for almost three hours in a copper pan, with a thick, enveloping sauce. Alternatively, this wine also pairs sublimely with the meat roasts.

Among the game recipes that go well with Brunello di Montalcino is undoubtedly the the duckseared and served on a reduction of onions and balsamic vinegar.

Sweets

How to pair Brunello di Montalcino with dessert? This signature red is not really a dessert wine, but its strong taste can be enhanced if accompanied by biscuits and dark chocolates with liquor filling.

Tips on how to serve Brunello di Montalcino

Finally, another important rule concerns the serving temperature and the goblet to be used for serving Brunello di Montalcino.

Since it is a very full-bodied wine, it is advisable to open it some time in advance, as well as to decant it into a crystal carafe before serving it at the table, if it is a vintage wine: the oxygen in the air will reawaken the qualities and aromas dormant during the long rest in the bottle.

The ideal temperature is 16-18°Cwhile the glass recommended must have a wide, pot-bellied shapeto accommodate all the fragrances that make up its inimitable perfume.

It is important to know that you don't have to be a professional sommelier to know how to make a tasting experiences of wines: just follow some tips on wine tasting.

Practical tips for tasting wine

The first tip for tasting wine is to do not compromise your senses before tasting. This means avoiding eating heavy foods, chewing gum or smoking, but also not using perfumes or creams with too strong a fragrance, as they may alter olfactory perceptions.

The second suggestion is to always start with the lightest wines and continue with gradually more full-bodied and structured ones.

The third piece of advice is to do not touch the chalice with your handsHold the glass by the stem to prevent the heat of your hand from affecting the temperature of the wine.

Tasting wine: a multi-sensory experience

Tasting a wine is a complete experience from a multi-sensory point of view because, as we have seen, it involves most of the senses: sight, smell and palate.

The view

The first sense involved in a wine tasting is the viewFrom its appearance one can already understand many of its organoleptic properties, which can be confirmed or not during the subsequent stages of tasting. The characteristics to bear in mind during the visual examination are:

• colour
• clarity
• consistency
• effervescence

Colour: white, red or rosé? And what are the intensity and hue? The variety of the grape variety, the vinification process, the age of the wine and the production area are just some of the factors that influence this.

The second phase is the evaluation of the clarity and transparency, i.e. the ability or otherwise of light to shine through and the possible presence of impurities or residues. To do this, it is necessary to tilt the goblet 45° against a white background with good lighting.

Then there is the consistency of wine, linked to the content of substances other than water and responsible for its organoleptic profile. To examine it, it is necessary to swirl the wine in the glass to assess its fluidity, the first of the reasons for the well-known gesture that has become the symbol par excellence of wine tasting.

One can observe droplets of wine running down the walls (in Italian this is referred to as 'bows"(French for 'tears'). Full-bodied, heavy, well-structured wines will go down more slowly, while lighter wines, particularly white wines, will go down faster.

Effervescence is probably the first thing we observe in sparkling or semi-sparkling wines. It is the development of bubbles, the perlage, which forms after opening a bottle, a consequence of the release of carbon dioxide, which dissolves and releases the gas, whose bubbles create the typical froth of these wines.

The sense of smell

Once you have passed the visual examination, you move on to the olfactoryThis is perhaps the most important part, but also the most difficult: it takes a lot of practice to be able to grasp all the olfactory notes. All wines have aromas that can be traced back to more than 200 different types of substances present in even minute quantities in the wine, the combination of which produces an aromatic bouquet that differs from wine to wine, but also, depending on storage conditions, from bottle to bottle.

The smell of corkis perhaps recognisable even to the inexperienced, whereas it can take several attempts to identify the countless fragrances that constitute the aroma of a wine.

Our practical advice on how to taste wine with the nose is to proceed in two three stages:

• at first,bring the rim of the goblet to your nose, inhale deeply and then move the glass away, trying to identify the most characteristic scent;
• subsequently,   swirl the glass;
• at this point, bring your glass closer to your nose and sniff again to pick up the different notes.

Taste

Wine tasting is the last step in tasting and consists mainly of evaluating the taste sensations that are perceived during the wine's stay in the oral cavity. The different substances present in the wine interact with the taste buds of the tongue producing stimuli that are then passed in the form of nerve impulses to the brain. In addition, the gums and oral cavity are subject to 'tactile' stimuli that in turn produce sensations, which are then sent to the brain in the form of impulses.

How do we proceed?

The sip must be discreet and be done by trying to swallow as little air as possible. Taste the wine with your whole palate, not just your tongue, making sure to distinguish, in addition to the flavour of course, the consistency and viscosity, and hold it in your mouth for as long as you need. Wait a few seconds to make sure of the aftertaste.

If you want to put our tips on wine tastingour wine cellar is happy to host you for various tasting tours in the company of professional sommeliers.