Everybody has heard of Tuscany in the central western part of Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Tuscany is famous for being the homeland of the Italian Renaissance, and its center, Florence is one of the world’s top tourist sites. Tuscany is the birthplace of an interesting, albeit often expensive wine revolution. Super Tuscans, red wines made according to winemakers’ art rather than bureaucrats’ fiats blew a hole in the official Italian wine classifications. The best Super Tuscans are prized the world over, even though their official ranking is plebian, and their price is semi-stratospheric. Great, what about the food?

What are some Tuscany food specialties that go with red wine? Before we answer, a word or two of warning. You can get the recipes from an Italian cookbook or the Internet, either from the Italian or the English-language name. You may have to make some substitutions. We only recommend wines that are fairly available in many parts of North America. When you’re in Tuscany, make sure to try the local specialties with relatively unknown wines.

Arista di Maiale con Cannellini (Pork Loin with Cannellini Beans) is made with cloves, rosemary, garlic, olive oil, and ideally cannellini (white kidney) beans. You can substitute Great Northern or navy beans. This dish may also be enjoyed cold. If your pockets are deep go with a Brunello di Montalcino DOCG wine. Other good choices are Chianti Classico DOCG or Chianti DOCG. By the way, DOCG is the best Italian wine classification, which doesn’t always mean the best wine. The G stands for Garantita, but life holds few guarantees and DOCG isn’t one of them.

When you are hungry for a steak does Italy come to mind? It should, especially Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Broiled T-bone Steak). These steaks are huge. I remember one I enjoyed in Florence, Italy long, long ago that was simple, and simply out of this world. This steak is great with Chianti and don’t go for a bottom-of-the-line version.

Of course you know that boar is wild pig, and you might think that as a “white” meat you should pair boar with white wine. You’ll probably enjoy it more with a substantial red. One great preparation is Cinghiale all’agrodolce (Wild Boar in Sweet and Sour Sauce). To do this right start with a fillet of wild boar and marinate it for a couple of days in a wine vinegar sauce with far too many ingredients to list here. If you can’t get wild boar fillet, check with your butcher. I’m told the real thing is best accompanied by polenta or potato gnocchi. Suggested wines include the Ghemme DOCG from the Piedmont region or the Abruzzi Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG. (The Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC is not the same wine.)

Porchetta (Roast Suckling Pig) can be a real treat, especially for a celebration, as the piglet usually weighs about 18-22 pounds (about 9-10 kilograms). If you’re not used to cooking for a crowd don’t start with this dish. Recommended wine pairings include Abruzzi Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG, Chianti Classico DOCG, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. Vino Nobile, isn’t that a beautiful name?

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Did you ever want to drink a wine with a very low alcohol level? Here’s your chance. Today’s wine is kosher, marketed by the largest kosher wine distributor in the world. It comes from the Asti province of the Piedmont region of northern Italy home to some fabulous wines that, at least usually, aren’t low-alcohol or bargain priced. This wine comes from the Moscato Blanco grape, the most widely planted Muscat in Italy. This is the oldest known grape variety in Piedmont, and perhaps one of the oldest grape varieties in the world. You’ll find this grape in well-known French Muscat de Beaumes de Venise AOC and the quite pricey South African Constantia, both dessert wines.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Bartenura Moscato 2007 5.0 % alcohol about $ 10

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Description : Classic Moscato with aromas of peach, table grape and apricot. Medium sweet with a slight effervescence and a low alcohol. There is a pleasant minerality that gives the wine structure. Soft and pleasing. Enjoy with spicy seafood dishes or serve with fruit custard desserts. Tasting Note : Pale straw yellow color; spicy apple, citrus and light pear aromas; sweet apple and pear flavors with balancing acidity, with peach and litchee notes on the finish.

And now for my review. At the first sips the wine was sweet, and I tasted some honey. Its first pairing was with a commercial barbecued chicken and a side of potatoes roasted in chicken fat and a light, tomatoey sauce. The wine’s acidity picked up with the chicken wings and breast, and the potatoes. The stronger tasting chicken leg choked out the wine. When paired with a mixed tomato salad containing basil the Moscato lost acidity but picked up some fruit. It became too sweet.

The next meal involved ground beef in ground semolina jackets and a sour sauce containing Swiss chard. This is a delicious Middle Eastern specialty known as Kube. The wine had honey and refreshing acidity, but this wasn’t a good way to do sweet and sour. The Moscato’s honey taste picked up with fresh strawberries.

My final meal was composed of a Portobello mushroom omelet accompanied by a spicy salsa containing tomato, onion, green pepper, cilantro and other ingredients. The wine struck me as bold and its honey taste was strong. Interestingly enough the salsa intensified the wine’s sweetness.

I finished this bottle with Matjes herring followed by two local cheeses. The results were basically the same, apples, honey, and light acidity. The herring brought out increased apple taste, and the Swiss cheese intensified the honey. An asiago cheese split the middle.

Final verdict. I will not buy this wine because while above price represents the American market, I had to pay considerably more. But at the American price I would definitely buy it, especially for those times that I want a sweet low-alcohol wine that tastes pretty good.

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