wine pairing with truffles?

[thomasein]

hello,

having been able to procure some truffles i am intending to prepare some fairly simple dishes to fully experience the flavour. it was an epiphany for me when I was first served a simple dish of fresh tagliatelle with white truffles.

Anyways, can anyone recommend wines to pair with truffles?

Any recommendation or direction would be useful.

Thanks.

Edited November 2, 2005 by thomasein (log)

[I_call_the_duck]

Lucky you!

My own epiphany with pairing wine with food came with truffles, albeit black ones. One night we paired this French cheese with truffles with a Gigondas, which is a red wine from the Rhone Valley. It was an amazing experience. The wine took on a whole new dimension. Sigh. I still have fond memories of that night.

I read somewhere that a Gigondas is compared to a Châteauneuf du Pape (also of the Rhone Valley), so that may be another alternative.

[Rebel Rose]

Florence Fabricant mentioned truffles and Rhones in today's NYT Online. * She has posted a recipe for Five Spice Chicken Livers.

When winter comes and black truffles do arrive, I'll prepare these chicken livers again, but I will substitute sliced cremini mushrooms for the tomatoes and shower the livers with shaved black truffles as I return them to the pan to complete the cooking.

Where the Rhone Bends to the West lists some California Rhone-esque wines that inspired her recipe.

* Requires free registration

[carswell]

Hey, t.,

Had an exchange with our compatriot ademello about this on the weekend. Here's what I wrote:

Nebbiolo, especially mature Barolo and Barbaresco, is the standard reply, and not without reason.

According to saq.com, there are five bottles of Renato Ratti's 1998 Rocche Marcenasco Barolo at the Signature (C$80). I have a couple in my cellar but haven't tasted it; it's supposed to be approachable at an age younger than many traditional Barolos. There remain a few bottles of Marchese di Barolo's 1999 Cannubi Barolo (C$71), a fine, classic wine. Ditto Abbona's 1998 Vigna Faset Barbaresco (C$47.50). Ditto Travaglini's 1998 Gattinara (C$34; there's also a more expensive reserve bottling that's not necessarily better). And the other day, a friend mentioned that the current bottling of Fontanafredda's generic Barolo (c. C$30) is a pretty good Nebbiolo (the C$71 1998 La Rosa bottling is said to be much improved over earlier vintages, too). If you go with any of these, make sure you decant a couple of hours beforehand and be aware that you'll be guilty of commiting infanticide.

The Signature probably has some older Barolos at astronomical prices. In any case, they'd be best positioned to tell you which are drinking best now.

I can also see some mature southern French wines working: a Côte-Rôtie from the 1980s, say, or a Domaine Tempier or Château Simone. Depending on the dish, a rich white wouldn't be out of place either (Vieux-Télégraphe, big Burgundy, Gaja's chard).

Edited November 2, 2005 by carswell (log)

[Florida Jim]

Mature nebbiolo would be my choice.

If you have none try Bruno Giacosa's Nebbiolo d'Alba, which is a lighter version of the variety with many of the attributes of a mature Barbaresco or Barolo and at a fraction of the price.

Mature Burgundy would be my second choice, especially those which show a bit of that mushroom/truffle note.

Best, Jim

[I_call_the_duck]

Where the Rhone Bends to the West lists some California Rhone-esque wines that inspired her recipe. 

←

The wine listed here: Fess Parker Frontier Red Lot No. 51 California 2004

I take it that's Fess Parker as in "Davy, Davy Crockett...King of the Wild Frontier"?

[carswell]

If you have none try Bruno Giacosa's Nebbiolo d'Alba, which is a lighter version of the variety with many of the attributes of a mature Barbaresco or Barolo and at a fraction of the price.

←

Good suggestion but not for Quebec. The SAQ currently carries only two Nebbiolos, both from 2001, Prunotto's Ochetti and Pio Cesare's generic. Of the two, I far prefer the latter, which is also slightly less expensive (C$30.50 vs. C$35). If thomasein finds himself in Ontario in the next few days, he should check out the LCBO, which usually has a better selection of nebbs (but still no Giacosa).

[Daniel Rogov]

A few suggestions:

Scrambled eggs with fresh truffles grated over - Brut Champagne

Truffled pasta or truffled rissoto - Barolo, Barbaresco or a full-bodied Barbera d'Asti

Truffled oysters - the damned well best red Burgundy your bank account can afford

Truffles en sarcophage with concentrated demi-glace - Brunello di Montalcino, Sassicaia or Solaia

[Vinfidel]

i love wine and wine paring but if anything come in the way of my tartufo i get angry

seriousely i like a stinky burgundy with tartufo even if it is not authentic

sous bois aroma works very nicely

[Brad Ballinger]

Old Barolo, old Barbaresco, old Bandol -- provided they are drinking well and not so old as to be over the hill.