Wine & Food

Abruzzo's cuisine is a shepherd's cuisine. That still holds true today, even though no one travels with the flocks anymore. Arrosticini, small skewers of mutton or lamb, are grilled on the fornacella, a narrow, elongated iron trough set over glowing charcoal. According to legend, it was invented to make tough old mutton edible after all. A young, chilled Cerasuolo suits this better than any heavy red wine. Its acidity cuts through the fat without overwhelming the seasoning.

Things get spicier with Ventricina, a coarse salami from the area around Vasto, seasoned generously with Diavolicchio, the small hot chili of the region. It's only since the late nineteenth century that this chili has found its way into the sausage at all—before that, it was simply white. Standing up to this heat requires fruit and tannin simultaneously. A young Montepulciano holds its own without fading, while a wine that's too delicate simply vanishes next to the chili.

Pallotte cacio e ova—small fried balls of stale bread, egg, and pungent Pecorino cheese, braised in tomato sauce—reflect the cucina povera of times past. Nothing was thrown away. The cheese inside often comes from the same sheep that once wandered the tratturi, and its saltiness makes the tannin of a Montepulciano served alongside noticeably softer.

Things get a touch more festive with Zafferano dell'Aquila, the saffron from the high plateau around Navelli, which has grown there since the Middle Ages and is considered one of the finest in the world. A risotto or pasta featuring it calls for a full-bodied but not overly tannic white wine. A mature Trebbiano carries the earthy sweetness of the saffron without competing with it.

For anyone who wants just two rules to remember, these are the ones. Fat and salt make a hard wine more approachable, just as Pecorino cheese does alongside Montepulciano. Heat, on the other hand, calls for fruit rather than tannin, which is why a young, fruit-forward wine suits Ventricina better than a heavy Riserva aged for years in oak.