THE GOOD OIL MILL
AT YOUR HOME
Wine and extra virgin oil. Two of the most important constituents of the Mediterranean Diet and key ingredients on the Italians’ dinner tables since forever. Two elements which walk side to side, sharing similar features and getting along with all the traditional recipes, being then able to donate unforgettable tastes and aromas.
It’s a strong bond, between olive oil and wine: both are products of the motherland, which has been farmed with care and knowledge.
And if we are so lucky to have the possibility to choose among thousands and thousands of wine and EVO oil is because every single one of these products is unique on its one. Many and various are the small but in the end big factors which contribute to make an high quality wine or extra virgin oil, for example: types of graps or olives, weather conditions, cultivations till the conservation part.
But if there are so many different kinds of wine and oil then it’s best if we all know how to proper choose them, without running into some mistakes which we could’ve all avoided only being a little more informed and paying a little more attention.
There are two tricks to follow if you want to correctly combine extra virgin olive oil and wine, creating the perfect synergy between aromas and flavors, protagonists of all Italians’ cooking styles.
The first one we’d like to share is called “pairing by concordance”; by the name its very easy to get an idea of how this trick works. In this case the best solution to take is to choose a wine and an olive oil which “get along” with the the rest of the ingredients, without creating sharp contrasts.
It’s simply enough if wine and EVO oil both have features which are similar to the kind of food you want to serve: delicate goes with delicate, intense goes with intense, sweet with sweet and so on.
On the other side we find the “pairing by contrast” instead and here there’s only a rule to follow, which is definately the risky one. If you decide to go with this trick then you will want to look for those wines and olive oils which will have flavors in contrast with those of the main course… but be careful, you still need to find a kind of balance between all the ingredients, without creating any discords.
These two tricks to better pairing extra virgin olive oil and wine is a lesson to learn and once you do that, you will never forget about it. If you are able to cook a recipe which is very well balanced in all its componets and that it’s also able to create a synergical atmosphere during the dinner, then you win.
Now let’s find out together how to plan this exact experience by choosing the correct olive oil and wine.
The choice of what kind of food to bring to the dinner table has both a seasonal variability, i.e. it depends on the season in which you are, but it also has an “emotional” variability, i.e. it depends a bit on what you want to taste in that precise moment.
If you want to offer a fish or white meat menù, then the perfect condimente would be a light fruity EVO oil, like our PDO Veneto Valpolicella – Passioni di Verona or one of the most popolar oils we have, Or De Noires. A great wine match to this very delicate meal could be a nice glass of DOC Lugana or if you are looking for a little bit more sapidity then a DOC Soave could be the one for you – both come from the wine line “Cort’Emilia Bonamini“.
The main elements of this creation are lightness and delicacy, following the same tastes without creating any discords.
If you are going for something a little bit more intense e flavorful like a nice bruschetta, a warm soup or a juicy red steak then in this case it’s opportune to consider a stronger olive oil as well. Just think to our award winning Vert De Vertes or our most sold Santa Giustina, both green in color and taste.
In this case let’s leave aside the fresh and delicate white wine and go for a bolder red wine, like our DOC Valpolicella. The wine line Cort’Emilia Bonamini has three different Valpolicella red wines to choose from: the DOC Valpolicella, the DOC Ripasso Superiore Valpolicella and the DOCG Valpolicella Amarone.
If you are thinking on a “pairing by contrast”, this chance could come up at the end of the meal, when it’s dessert time! And here also comes the time to debunk the myth of “sweets goes with sweets”.
The “Cort’Emilia Bonamini” Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry goes well with desserts made with peaches, red fruits or dried pastry; sweets yes, but a little less sugary and which can have a sour or bittter note, able to better balance the pairing.
Last but not least: maybe weird but true, also extra virgin olive oil can be paired up with sweets and desserts!
A mild and light oil like our PDO Garda goes best with ice-cream, better if it’s vanilla.
A medium fruity olive oil like our Campo di Casa gives its best if paired with apple strudel or desserts with fresh fruits.
To finish with meditation and EVO oil time, you can also dare a matching between dark chocolate and our PDO Veneto Valpolicella.
In the end, there are not precise rules to follow, the most important thing is to prefer the wines and oils which we like the most and that can better enhance what we’d like to serve to our guests.
Our tradition as Italians and as Frantoio Bonamini is filled with high quality goodies to choose from… the only thing to do is trying, experimenting, daring and then pick up all the culinary triumphs that will come for sure if you decide to correctly pair extra virgin olive oil and wine.
