Wine & Food

In the Grotto, the old rock-hewn cellar where Ticino families have spent Sunday lunches for generations, Risotto alla ticinese lands on the table almost automatically. The rice cooks, quite literally, in wine. A generous splash of red Merlot goes into the pot while the rice is toasting, turning the whole dish deep red.

Alongside it comes Luganighe, a coarse pork sausage with bacon, garlic, and, once again, the same Merlot worked into the sausage meat. Two glasses are normally drunk with it: one that's already gone into the pot, and a second, sturdier one poured alongside. Hardly anywhere else do people cook and drink so plainly from the very same bottle. You taste it right away.

Zincarlìn, though, the old raw-milk cheese from the Val di Muggio at the foot of Monte Generoso, calls for no heavy Merlot. The cheese's salt and bite would otherwise make the tannin taste bitter. A lean Bondola or a young Merlot bianco suits it better. For fish from Lago Maggiore or Lago di Lugano, often simply pan-fried with sage, the same rule applies: the pale Merlot bianco won't overpower the delicate flesh.

With game from the valleys of Sopraceneri, venison or wild boar braised with chestnuts and juniper, the Riserva is the way to go. Its tannin and toasted aromas easily stand up to the rich braising juices. And for dessert, a chestnut cake or sweet amaretti, people in Ticino usually don't drink Merlot at all anymore. They're more likely to reach for a nut liqueur or simply an espresso. Pairing sweetness against a dry wine only makes it taste sour and thin.