Ruffino, Tenuta Lodola Nuova, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, DOCg, 2006

One of the main food pairings found in Tuscany is wild boar, tomato, fresh pasta and Sangiovese. People live on this and for good reason. It's delicious. The issue really becomes about which Sangiovese you choose. What I've pulled out tonight was a gift. I don't know too much about the producer. No big deal. Of all the many fascinating regions and subregions in Italy, Tuscany is the most well-known internationally and probably the most mundane. I don't want to disrespect all those Under the Tuscan Sun die-hards, but as superstar sommelier Rajat Parr states in his stellar book Secrets of Sommeliers, "All you need to know about the supposedly best ( Tuscan Sangiovese), Brunello di Montalcino, is that in 1960 exactly eleven producers were making it and today their ranks have swollen to over two hundred." That's a diluted product. Having said that, certain foods have an preternatural groove with certain wines - typically those that evolved together on the same plots of land. Sangiovese just goes with wild boar and tomato sauce, or so I am hoping. I am matching it not with a Brunello but with a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Wine from this region tends to be similar to a Chianti Riserva with a fuller, softer, more fruit-forward thrust. We'll see.


Gnocchi with Wild Boar and Rosemary (adapted from Mario Batali, The Babbo Cookbook)

Ingredients for wild boar ragu:

- 1 pound of wild boar shoulder, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 6 ounces of tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- Parmesan cheese for grating
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

Ingredients for gnocchi:

- 3 medium russet potatoes
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of grates Parmesan
- 1/4 ricotta
- 1 1/2 cups of flour, plus 1/4 cup for dusting
- pinch nutmeg
- salt and pepper

I'll go out on a limb and recommend you make the gnocchi in advance. That's what I did. It was my first time making and kind of fresh pasta. To make gnocchi: 

1) Put potatoes with skins still on in a medium pot and fill with cold water to cover. Season water with lots of salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are tender but not overcooked. Drain and allow to dry out slightly.

2) While still warm, peel skin off potatoes. Most recipes will ask you to pass it through a ricer or food mill. I took and ordinary cheese grater and went to work. Perfection.

3) Gently combine potatoes, Parmesan, ricotta, flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper, being careful not to over-mix. On a floured board, divide dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a 3/4 inch log. Cut each log into 1/2 inch long pieces. Lay pieces on a lightly floured tray.  

Now, start with your ragu: 

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) Heat olive oil in a Dutch Oven or oven-proof pot until just smoking. Season wild boar with salt and pepper and sear pieces on all sides until browned. Remove to a plate on the side.

3) Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Stir constantly for 5 minutes or so. Add tomato paste, stir through until bricky in colour. Add 5 minutes. Add wine, stock, rosemary and bring to a boil. Return seared wild boar. Cover and put into the preheated oven for an hour and a half. Until it is tender and falling apart.

4) Take out of the oven and remove meat from the ragu. When it is cool enough to handle, shed wild boar with a fork. Skim any fat that has accumulated on the surface of the ragu. Return boar to ragu and simmer until the the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce that coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

5) Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add some significant salt deposits. Add your gnocchi and cook until they float.

6) Ladle 3 cups of the ragu into a 12 inch saute pan and stir for one minute over high heat. Add the gnocchi, toss gently, and reduce heat to medium. Divide between 4 bowls. Add some extra ragu and grated Parmesan.      

Tasting Notes for the 2006 Ruffino Vino Nobile de Montepulciano... 

Vino Nobile de Montepulciano does have a reputation for being over-priced. Even for Tuscan wine. That's a serious charge, because I've always been skeptical about the price-quality ratio with respect to Tuscan wines. I hate to belabour this point but it's worth repeating - compare at $25.00 bottle of Tuscan wine with a $25.00 bottle of Spanish Rioja or Portuguese Douro and talk to me about value. But some people swear by Tuscany. If you've been, you know why people start sighing and issuing whimpers of pleasure in the Tuscan section of your local wine store. Wine is a cheap way to travel. If you haven't been to Tuscany, the combination I used tonight will bring Tuscany to your table. 

The wine was quite good. With respect to appearance, the Ruffino had a bricky hue, reminiscent of Nebbiolo or Tempranillo. On the nose, there was nice complexity and depth: sour cherries, bruised plum, spice, leather, with just the slightest hit of licorice. It did find it had more fruit than your average 100 percent Sangiovese. On the palate, there was nice gum-buzzing acid which played off of the tomato and red wine ragu. There was an appealing resinous quality (balsamic, Kalamata olives, tar) that matched well with the gaminess of the wild boar and rosemary. Dry. Good balance. Fine tannins. The texture and mouth feel of the wine was great, nicely calibrated to this recipe. Try it.