Barbecue and Brunello

I cannot deny that I have a great affection—perhaps bordering on obsession for Italian wine. So when two students from Italy came to dinner last week I was determined to keep it All-American.

My husband, who normally doesn’t get involved with the wine selection, planned a meal around his spicy dry-rubbed pork ribs. But this time he weighed in by asking, “We’re not serving an Italian wine, are we?” I assured him that I was thinking of a nice American barbeque wine.

I was in the basement rummaging around for a California Syrah or a spicy Oregon Pinot Noir when our guests arrived carrying a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino—one of Italy’s most famous wines and not an inexpensive bottle for two kids living on a meager student’s budget. Right away I knew we would have to open it.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is a region in Tuscany known for producing full-bodied wines with great longevity from Sangiovese Grosso—a clone of Sangiovese, Italy’s most planted grape variety and the backbone of many of the wines of Umbria and Tuscany.

Brunello is the local name for this grape and depending on the terrain where it is grown, which varies widely in soil composition, altitude, and slope orientation plus the winemaking style, the wines can range in flavor from lighter sour cherry fruit to dense and dark with notes of vanilla.

I was a little worried about the eclectic pairing of down-home barbeque food—ribs, sweet potatoes, candied carrots with mint, green beans sautéed with bacon and onions—and such a decidedly Italian wine. But I needn’t have been.

This particular Brunello, made in a more traditional style by the producer Le Macioche, had plenty of sour cherry fruit with an herbal spiciness and a smoky, almost woodsy note—like the forest floor.

It turned out to be a perfect pairing with the herbs and spices in the dry rub. And in the end, it gave me yet another excuse to reach for an Italian wine when barbeque season rolls around.

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