[ WINES ]
4 Australian wines with some mind-blowing pasta dishes.
by Simone Ratti (Lulu La Delizia, Perth, Australia)
At Lulu La Delizia, the small, al dente eatery in Subiaco, on the outskirts of Perth, hours are poured into lovingly crafting pasta to make sure it is packed with plenty of bite. So you may be a fan of mopping up oodles of sauce, but here the idea is not to drown the pasta. This sign of respect for the product was passed down by the chef’s ‘nonna’ herself, aka Luigia Valvasori who emigrated to Australia in 1952 from Casarsa della Delizia, in Fruili, in the far north-eastern corner of Italy.
Sommelier Simone Ratti shared some of her best pairings with Australian wines made from Italian grape varieties with us. At the point where Old World meets New, the Italian accent still packs a punch, even thousands of kilometres away from home. One thing’s for sure though – not trying these combos one day is im-pasta-ble.
01.
Corzetti ‘alla genovese’ & Canvas Fiano by Juniper
“Corzetti are disc-shaped pasta, shaped by hand then with a wooden stamp where the pattern is similar to that of a coin. Hailing from Liguria, on the north-western coast of Italy, they are rarely served without the famous pesto sauce made with basil. The herb lends the dish a delicate and subtly perfumed flavour calling for white wines made from native Italian grape varieties like Fiano in the Canvas Fiano label by Juniper. The herbaceous notes of the Fiano resonate with the parmesan, pine nuts and especially the basil. The wine is only matured in stainless steel tanks and shows vibrant freshness with a long salty finish that cleans the palate and prepares it for the next mouthful!”
02.
Tagliatelle della Delizia & Aglianico by Spinifex
“This ragù with veal, pork, vegetables and red wine is our great classic, which has been on the menu since we opened. The ragù sauce is our chef Joel Valvasori’s family recipe. Its many spices make it the perfect partner for a peppery, full-bodied red wine like the Aglianico by Spinifex. The wine encapsulates Aglianico, a late-ripening Italian grape variety which expresses itself particularly well at 300 metres above sea level in the Adelaide Hills in Southern Australia. Due to the climate, the wine gets time to develop its aromas and its remarkable acidity which leaves the tastebuds totally refreshed. The wine is matured in oak casks, lending it its beautiful spice aromas and its density, which resonates with that of the ragù”.
03.
Gramigna with sausage and fennel & Picolit by MDI
“This tube-shaped pasta is the funniest with its curlicue shape! We put fennel seeds and saffron in the pasta itself then serve it with pork sausage, fennel and sage and orange ragù. The richness and fattiness of the meat in a sauce needs to be balanced by the fresh acidity and minerality of white or orange wines, like the MDI Picolit, from Mildura in Victoria. The fruit, from the Italian grape variety Picolit, is soaked for 22 days and this extended skin contact is what gives the wine its orangey colour and its aromas of orange blossom which pair really well with this sauce. The final touches are given to maturation in oak casks to perfect its elegant texture”.
04.
Spaghettini with clams and broccoli spigarello & Piggio by Piggs Peak
“This is another of our cult recipes, which has an amazing texture because it contains semolina. The bitterness of the broccoli spigarello is combined with the saffron and the saltiness of the clams, then a touch of chili lifts the dish and the balance. The ideal pairing is a perfumed, mineral wine with structure, like the Piggio by Piggs Peak made from Pinot grigio. The vineyards in New South Wales are located approximately 850 metres above sea level around the town of Orange. It is a cool region that lends great freshness and acidity to the wines, all of them matured in stainless steel tanks. The wine displays lemony notes which mesh really well with the seafood and the floral bouquet echoes beautifully with the saffron, ushering in its great mineral finish”.
Illustration - Elise Enjalbert
An applied art and illustrative crafts graduate, Elise Enjalbert is an illustration artist who is in love with colour and draws her inspiration from her own personal experience and commitments. She has been expressing her creativeness for the past ten years, providing her clients with sensitive, offbeat artwork. Whether they feature people, emotions or nature, she brings her creations to life by working with light and volume using coloured, textured flat tints and a variety of colour techniques ranging from paint to colouring pencils and stretched canvas to digital media.
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