Wine Food Pairing in Italy! We had an opportunity to have a "wild" experience this last weekend.
My husband and I drove down to SudTirol to visit a wonderful inn in Villabassa Italy.....this area was once part of Austria (before it was divided after WWII). The food and culture reflects both wonderful heritages.
Dinner, the first evening, our host explained to me was "Wild in a Merlot Sauce". When I got my translation, it seems that venison or game meat is called "wilde", thus the name.
The first course was an antipasta salad served with a crusty Italian bread. We decided that Merlot would be perfect to pair with the whole dinner and we were right! The full bodied Italian Merlot complimented the meaty salad as well as the delicious venison served in the rich wine sauce.
Dinner was a great experience with all the guests enjoying each others company....some physicians visiting from Germany kept us entertained by playing Beatles songs on the piano. Even though their English was limited they knew all the words to the songs! What an international experienc
e!By the time dessert arrived, a hot raspberry concoction served with vanilla ice cream, we had switched from the Merlot to Grappa....the favorite Italian schnapps! Needless to say language barriers were not in place by this time....my German always improves with alcohol usage! As the evening progressed, our host brought out his very special homemade schnapps that he puts together using blueberries....YIKES....it was good! We paired this with a cheese platter that is typical for the last course of any European meal.....WOW.....what a dining delight! This is Wine Food Pairing at its very best!
This terrific Wellness Inn is called the Hotel Emma and has a long history. The hotel itself is 450 years old....good thing the bathrooms have been renovated! For more information on this wonderful place you can go to their website: http://www.hotel-emma.it
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