Wine pairings for Gemelli con Menta
White: Gewurztraminer Kolbenhof from Hofstätter, Cantina Terlan and Cantina Adriano
Rosato: Nardó Masserei from Schola Sarmenti
Last week I led the pasta-wine pairing notes discussing the aromatics of summer basil. Check out last week’s post here. The same idea leads for this week’s pasta. And, because most of us are all caught up in chasing summer’s last few rays of sunshine, this week I’m keeping it short and sweet (well, the wine is dry, but…you understand, right?!)
Mint is a polarizing herb. Most of us love it; some of us dislike it with gusto. So goes the trend with Gewurztraminer, a grape correctly characterized by wine folk as tasting of “lychee and roses”. My stand-bys are listed at the start of the article – all northern Italian wineries with pristine-clean wine styles and brilliant aromatics. By the way, just because Gewurztraminer smells a bit perfumy doesn’t mean it’s not totally dry…especially when crafted by the Italians.
Alternatively, if you’ve been bitten by the rosato wine bug and have someone at the table more inclined toward red wines, go for the Nardó Rosato from Schola Sarmenti. Mind you, there’s loads of body in the Gewurztraminers listed above, so the primary difference is that this rosato will give you red, ripe strawberry and watermelon notes with a mental nod to red wine given the deep pink color. Very light, low alcohol and aromatic reds could work here, but for sticklers for pairings, there’s just no room for tannins with this dish.
Capture the best of the fading days of summer with wine!
Check out our recipe for Gemelli con Menta and our About post that gives a brief origin of the dish.
Cin cin!
Christy Canterbury, Wine Editor
