Within the varied enogastronomic panorama of our peninsula, made up of local excellence and attention to the quality of raw materials, a place of honour deserves the truffle, protagonist of many typical Italian dishes. And, within the unique tasting experience represented by this prized mushroom, the choice of the wine to go with truffles plays a key role.
Refined and intense flavours such as those given off by truffle dishes, in fact, can be even more enhanced if combined with fine wines to be chosen with care. Just as the most classic or the most innovative recipes are created by the skilful balance of flavours and aromas between the various ingredients, so too the wine to pair with truffles must be part of this harmonious tasting symphony.
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Matching wine and truffles: mistakes not to make
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The combination of wine and truffle must begin with a knowledge of both products, which are strong and distinctive in taste and smell. This is the starting point to avoid making mistakes when choosing the wine to pair with truffles. Here, then, the most common mistakes to avoid to enjoy a truffle dish at its best.
The most recurrent is that of pair the white truffle with a white wine e black truffle a red wine. In truth, the choice of wine does not depend on the colour but on the perfume and its structure.
When choosing truffle wine, it is important to consider above all wine ageing method and barrels. For example, wines aged in wooden barrels, characterised by a rather pronounced hint of vanilla, do not go at all well with the flavour of truffles and would risk spoiling the tasting experience.
When it comes to sparkling wines, however, it is good to be careful and parsimonious about bubbles: Charmat Method sparkling wines tend to cover the flavour of truffles with their concentrated sweetness and effervescence.
Finally, it should not be forgotten that the truffle, although the undisputed star of the dish, is not the only ingredient that brings flavour and texture to the dish: it is also important to take into account the different ingredients to choose what to drink with truffles.
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Wine to pair with truffles: some suggestions
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The main rule for a perfect wine-truffle pairing is to consider the wine as an accompaniment to the truffle, a handmaiden accompanying its lady to make it appear even more noble: the wine must never overpower the truffleneither on the olfactory level nor on the taste level.
Wines that enhance the delicate aromaticity of truffles, without overpowering it with their character and bouquet, are ideal candidates to accompany truffle dishes.
The suggestion is therefore to favour wines with little body, medium structure and a fair amount of tannins and with fragrance not too fragrant.
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The best Banfi wines for white and black truffles
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Among the Banfi production wineshere are the ones we recommend you pair with your truffle dishes (black or white).
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What wine goes with white truffles?
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The white trufflecharacterised by a pungent and intense aroma, with slight hints of garlic on the nose and palate, it has a delicate taste, with slightly spicy and sweet notes. It is mainly used raw to season exquisite egg pasta dishes and needs a not excessively aromatic, dry and slightly bitter wine.
When pairing wines with white truffles, the choice of one Italian sparkling wine is the most classic and popular, especially for those made from Pinot Noir varieties, such as the Banfi Brut Metodo Classico or the Cuvée Aurora Blanc de Noirswhose notes of aromatic herbs combine perfectly with the pungent aftertaste of the white truffle. Also La Lus, the red Albarossa, a variety born from the union of Barbera and Nebbiolo, pairs impeccably with white truffle, thanks to its soft and velvety texture.
If, on the other hand, one is looking for a less traditional wine and white truffle pairing that leaves room for the exploration of new flavour combinations, the ideal choice to tantalise the palate is the Fontanellethe Banfi wine from elegant and complex Chardonnay grapes, suitable for elaborate dishes enriched with a sprinkling of truffle.
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How to combine black truffles
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The black truffle is more versatile in cooking than white, so it can be used both cooked and raw; it has a delicate, almost sweetish flavour and therefore prefers structured wines and aged a few years, such as the Rosso di Montalcino. In fact, the most famous wine from the Montalcino area has a broad and harmonious structure, with awell-balanced acidity which nicely contrasts the sweetish aftertaste of the black truffle.
Finally, also the Chianti Classico goes very well with traditional dishes such as tagliatelle with black truffle, thanks to its balanced structure and the complex but unobtrusive fragrance.