When tradition calls, our Eros Teboni, the great sommelier, responds with his pairings of Piedmontese,
Franciacorta and Bolgheri wines
In its millennial history, Sus scrofa domesticus has certainly not had an easy life. A controversial relationship with man, who from time to time has seen the pig be considered unclean and repulsive or vice versa become an extraordinary resource. In ancient Egypt he was believed to be the bearer of leprosy and the swineherds were barred from entering the temple, but then in the Odyssey the swineherd Eumaeus is called divine. Jews and Muslims considered pork impure. Etruscans and Romans ate it greedily. “No animal has so many uses for cooking and its meat has fifty flavours”, writes Pliny the Elder, while in the city you can taste sausages, called tomacula or lucanica, thighs, ribs, feet, ears, breasts and liver, the most prized of sow fattened with figs, called ficatum. The wealthy Roman classes in the last farewell to their loved ones, offer pigs, cattle, sheep in sacrifice for funeral rites and banquets, an expensive custom, reserved for the few, but significant, as confirmed by a recent archaeological excavation in Barcelona in Spain, where out of 59 burials only 16 retain traces of pigs. In the dark ages of the Middle Ages, pig breeding will become a legacy of the humble classes, who make a living from it, thanks to the almost total use of its meat, leg, loin, shank, knots, chops, lard, bacon, neck, belly, and of course the large chapter on entrails. If in sacred iconography the pig is often portrayed tenderly next to St.
Anthony, patron of animals and salami, solid in resisting the temptations sent to him by Satan, in Flemish art the pig symbolizes gluttony and in Christian depictions the transgression pig loves to wallow in the mud, just as the sinner wallows in the filth of his sins.” An ancient companion of man whose first representations date back to 40,000 years ago, but which was domesticated and bred since the Neolithic, starting from 6,000 BC. An animal intended to be slaughtered, processed and preserved, for a large and varied production sector, but which in recent years has become the subject of study in various areas of Italy. After intensive breeding and massive productions, particular attention is being paid to extinct breeds, we are concerned with the well-being of the animal and it has been understood how important a natural diet is. Also in South Tyrol there are interesting projects in this sense, with the rediscovery of the Black Pig of the Alps, which is one of the few South Tyrolean pig breeds still in circulation and subject to protection and safeguarding initiatives.
Ancient pigs that populated the valleys south of the Brenner, black or black spotted, present in the Alps, well before the development of modern breeds, with a robust build. Among the numerous cuts of meat that are extracted from pork, the shank has earned a prominent place, it is obtained from the leg and is a firm cut, rich in collagen, which lends itself to slow cooking, to soft and tasty preparations, from glazed and flavourful bottoms for stainless dishes of the Italian regional tradition. So here is the shin recipe from chef Matthias Kirchler, from the restaurant ‘Lunaris 1964’ – Hotel Linderhof – Cadipietra (Bolzano), which we can also prepare in our kitchen. “It is a simple recipe to cook without resorting to professional equipment, just be careful to buy the right ingredients, close to home, like I did.
Do not fear for the procedure, follow my instructions and you will make a great impression with your family or friends. You will need: 1 pork shank, 2 carrots, 2 onions, 1 leek, 1⁄2 celeriac, garlic, 200 ml of water, 500 ml of beer, rosemary, juniper berries, mustard berries, black peppercorns, salt. First wash the shank with cold water, drying it with paper, salting lightly. Wash and clean the vegetables, chop them up, then brown them in the pan for ten minutes and blend with the beer, adding spices, water and a little salt. At this point, put the vegetables in an ovenproof casserole dish, add the shin and the water, so that the meat is half submerged. Bring the saucepan to 180°C in the oven, leaving it to cook for 45 minutes and again for 1 hour and a half at 140°C. Remove the shank from the bottom, spread with a barbecue sauce and finally put it back in the oven for 20 minutes at 180°C. Serve piping hot with potatoes. A really appetizing dish! I’m sure it will go best with the combinations I’ve chosen.
Prosit! Chardonnay – Nature Blanc De Blancs – Nicola Gatta The work of Nicola Gatta, a suigeneris sparkling wine maker who is not a member of the consortium, is spread over 6 hectares of owned vineyards, cultivated with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Vineyards that are between 25 and 35 years old, on morainic soils and limestone hills that characterize the eastern area of Franciacorta, are paired with methods that rely with rigor and determination on the principles of biodynamics, making use exclusively of spontaneous fermentations with indigenous yeasts, without using filtrations, clarifications, herbicides and synthetic chemicals. High-level artisan productions, which look to the territory and express a 100% Chardonnay classic method without added sulphites, zero dosage, which “ages 50 moons on the lees” (50 months) and thanks to the calcareous soils of marine origin, gives minerality and structure , even in non-extraordinary vintages. On the nose great freshness, citrus and almond. On the palate complex, mineral, savory, with light notes of dried fruit, an interesting citric part and a good persistence. Lungocosta Bolgheri Doc Bianco – Caccia al Piano 2020 The acquisition of the Tenuta di Caccia al Piano in Castagneto Carducci dates back to 2003, thanks to the farsighted vision of Franco Ziliani, owner of the Guido Berlucchi and forerunner of the classic method in Franciacorta.
A hunting lodge built in 1868, surrounded by suitable land, which belonged to the Della Gherardescas, where today the new cellar is located, inaugurated in 2014 while the children Cristina, Arturo and Paolo continue in the footsteps of their father. A limited edition 70% Vermentino and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, which benefits from a mild winter, a warm and dry spring, a dry summer. The grapes are harvested by hand in two different moments and the refinement lasts for 9 months in small barrels for the Vermentino and in oak barriques for the Sauvignon Blanc. The nose reveals structure and intensity, with notes of Mediterranean scrub. In the mouth softness, elegance, slight presence of yeasts, light vanilla, orange peel, bread crust, to then manifest itself as creamy, round, with a slightly similar nose and mouth that are completed in a long and engaging finish. Langhe Nebbiolo Doc “La Chiusa” – Chionetti It was 1912 when Giuseppe Chionetti took over the farmhouse in San Luigi in Dogliani, the capital of Dolcetto.
A step that since then will characterize targeted high quality productions, first by handing over the production to the players of the time, then establishing itself with its own identity and more labels, thanks to Quinto, grandson of the founder, Andrea, son of Quinto; Mary, wife of Andrew; until 2013 when it is Nicola, Quinto’s nephew who continues in the founder’s footsteps. In the meantime, the hectares have become 14 with a total production of about 85,000 bottles a year, foreign markets have consolidated, in 2015 3 vineyards were purchased in the Barolo area which yielded three new labels, and the certification has arrived biological. A Langhe Doc, produced in about 10,000 bottles, made up of 100% Nebbiolo with San Luigi and Monforte d’Alba grapes, unfiltered and aged in large oak barrels. On the nose and on the palate freshness, small fruit, berries, raspberries, wild strawberries, a small vegetable part, the sip is more mineral than savoury, clean, pleasant, with a lot of length.
