Wine pairings for Spaetzle di Spinaci con Speck
Bianco: Tiefenbrunner Pinot Blanc, Tiefenbrunner Pinot Gris
Rosso: Pinot Noir Linticlarus, Lagrein Linticlarus
There are times when you don’t need to search far and wide. When it comes to pairing this northern Italian dish with wine, you have a fine case in point. Stick to the local, Alto Adige wines, and you are set. If you have the Tiefenbrunner wines available to you, you’re entirely set.
This family-driven winery has been around a bit. Since when? Oh, since 1675. All the wines they make are precision-driven and delectable. The winery focuses on international varieties, but it also makes the seriously loveable Lagrein, a local grape that behaves something like a cross between Pinot Noir and Malbec.
For easy-drinking in the whites category, there’s the Pinot Blanc and the Pinot Grigio. While the other are lovely, they are mostly so aromatically pungent that they will not meld well with this dish. Subtlety is key here.
Taking a step up from whites, there’s the Pinot Noir Linticlarus. Elegant and a bit crunchy, count on this wine to cut through most lighter foods. For a bit more oomph of body, ripeness of fruit and smoothness of tannins, go for the Lagrein Linticlarus. Both offer sincerely earthy undertones and plenty of forest fruits. The Lagrein is better when you want a bit more of…everything.
In most ways, however, it doesn’t matter what you pick from this winery. All of their wines will work very well to quite well. It’s a question of white or red and of which wine suits your fancy more at this very moment. That’s the amazing thing with Alto Adige and its mountain wines: they deliver just about all you want in every bottle.
Cin cin!
Christy Canterbury, Master of Wine (MW)
Wine Editor
@canterburywine
p.s. Check out our recipe for Spaetzle di Spinaci con Speck.
