What fortified red wines combine best with black olives, pistachio nuts and this particular cheese?

Question

Recently I've been making a spaghetti dish where wine is the protagonist. The cooking of the spaghetti is finished in a sauce (whose cooking already started, too) made with red wine, oil, garlic and chilli pepper, so that they absorb much of it. When they're done, I add black olives and soft-texture cheese with an intense taste, not salted and slightly bitter, and mix up. Finally, the whole thing goes in the plate where minced pistachio nuts are waiting.

I've come to the conclusion that I prefer a fortfied wine in here. Moreover, due to the pistachio nuts, I want a sweet aftertaste, but at the same time it should match the spicy flavour given by other ingredients. What are my European choices? I'd prefer cheap enough suggestions (maximum around 10 euros a bottle) but more complete overviews are welcome.

You can see here the cheese at issue. Instead the wine I've used so far is Rosso Gasperini (yes, I know this isn't fortified, the thing is I believe a fortified one would fare better).

http://winefolly.com/tutorial/10-darkest-full-bodied-red-wines/ try this site for starters to your question. — dougal 5.0.0, Feb 19 '17 at 13:54
Hi am thinking about the slightly bitter taste that the cheese gives - but beforehand, do you think that the bitterness and the lack of salt is an issue. Great info by the way - interesting articles. — dougal 5.0.0, Feb 19 '17 at 16:49
@dougal: I guess it needs to be accounted for. As I wrote in a comment to the answer below, the Gasperini goes well with it. — Vincenzo Oliva, Feb 19 '17 at 17:10
Sorry I might have been behind the times with your comments etc. It is great that you are getting feedback and info - also the rest of us are learning something. By the way can I come for dinner? Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee! — dougal 5.0.0, Feb 19 '17 at 17:12

Ken Graham · Accepted Answer · 2017-02-19T23:26:46.510

2

Please allow me to recommend a nice red classic Italian wine called Chianti.

From this Wine and Cheese Pairing Guide we can see that Chianti is paired well to the Pecorino Romano Cheese and nuts. I know that you are using a Columella's Caciofiore cheese that is "considered a sort of "ancestor" of the Roman pecorino cheese, prepared with rennet based on cardoon."

Columella's Caciofiore can be considered a sort of "ancestor" of the Roman Pecorino Cheese, prepared with rennet based on cardoon. Columella talks about this cheese in his treatise "De Rustica": "It is better to curdle the milk with lamb or kid rennet, although it is also possible to curdle it with the cardoon flower or with safflower seeds or fig latex. Anyway, the best cheese is made with as less treatment as possible". (Lucio Giunio Moderato Columella, "De Rustica", 50 AD). Today, in the Roman Countryside, "native country" of the cardoon and the artichoke, some producers still use the cardoon flower as rennet and prepare raw milk pecorino cheese with an ancient taste.

The Chianti red wine could be substituted with a Sangiovese red wine.

If the olives or spices are over powering the taste of your dish you may wish to use a Merlot Wine.

If it is a fortified wine you are after, would like to recommend a fortified Madeira Wine.

Fortified wines, like port, sherry and Madeira, also go very well with rich cheeses. A classic match is English Stilton and port, but other blue cheeses also taste lovely alongside a glass of sweet, flavourful port. - Pairing red wine with cheese.

edited Feb 19 '17 at 23:26

answered Feb 19 '17 at 16:12

Ken Graham

10,587
9
36
63

Thanks! Indeed I have used a Chianti, fantastic. However, under suggestion of this [Italian site](http://www.saporiacasatua.com/prodotto/cacio-fiore/) I used a Gasperini and I appreciated the result. Though, I would like to go for a liquorous wine now, which will be even better, in my opinion. Do you have some in mind? – Vincenzo Oliva Feb 19 '17 at 16:23
@VincenzoOliva How exactly do you define a liquorous red wine: a fortified red wine, a red wine mixed with a liqueur or liquor or something else? – Ken Graham Feb 19 '17 at 16:37
Oops, I see that maybe the use of the word differs from Italian to English. Yeah, fortified red wine. – Vincenzo Oliva Feb 19 '17 at 16:49
How is Chianti and Sangiovese an answer to this question? They are not fortified. – farmersteve Feb 19 '17 at 23:22
@SteveS. Read the complete answer. – Ken Graham Feb 19 '17 at 23:32
I've been thinking, is there some particular reason you think a Madeira would fare better than a Marsala ruby? – Vincenzo Oliva Feb 20 '17 at 03:29
@VincenzoOliva I have enjoyed Madeira in the past and am hoping you would also. – Ken Graham Feb 20 '17 at 05:50
@KenGraham: :D Thanks again. – Vincenzo Oliva Feb 20 '17 at 06:31
@ken just throwing Madeira at the end is not a good answer. I can recommend several really nice wines that are not fortified. But that's not what you asked for. – farmersteve Feb 20 '17 at 14:32

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 19 '17 at 23:26

1

The only answer would be an aged Madeira or Port. I think either would be an excellent accompaniment to the foods are your choosing. Make sure they are fairly old. 10+ years old at least. The older the better...

Best wine I ever had was a 1780s Madeira. Each bottle alone was over $10,000 and a glass at the restaurant was $1000. I know the restaurant owner and he let me have a taste. It was sublime!

answered Feb 19 '17 at 23:26

farmersteve

7,029
11
20

I think the question was about the wine as an *ingredient*, not an accompaniment. – David Mar 08 '17 at 16:32
Either way... he asked about FORTIFIED wine not a regular wine – farmersteve Mar 08 '17 at 16:34
Sure - but as an ingredient, I really don't think "the older the better" applies at all, and actually cooking a rare wine should probably be a shooting offense ;) – David Mar 08 '17 at 16:37

What fortified red wines combine best with black olives, pistachio nuts and this particular cheese?

2 Answers2