Where Wine Experts and Enthusiasts Share their Unique Wine Experiences.

The middle of November is rivalry time in the world of college football.  It is also the time of year when the retailers and restaurant start blaring “Le Beaujolais est Arrivè”.  For many, there is no connection between the two, but not for my friend and wine lover Andrew Hall.  You see Andrew lives in Columbus, Ohio.  There may not be a city in the country more crazed over its college football team, in his case, the Ohio State Buckeyes.  And, there may not be a more storied or bitter college rivalry than Ohio State vs. Michigan.  So bitter is the rivalry, that the word Michigan is rarely uttered by the denizens of Columbus, euphemistically referring to them, as did former OSU coach Woodrow Hayes, as “that school up north”.  The last game of the Big Ten football season always features these two teams. 

One of the most famous wine regions in the world is Chateauneuf du Pape.  Chateauneuf du Pape covers almost 8,000 acres in the southern Rhone Valley of France.  The officially demarcated wine region enjoys a very warm climate, baked by the Mediterranean sun.  While both red and white wines are made here, it is the red wine that has made this area famous. 

With winter upon us thoughts naturally drift towards warm comfort food.  Wit this in mind, IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to suggest a great wine to pair with pasta bolognese:

Because Bolognese is a thick tomato and meat based red sauce, it tends to need a tannin friendly, but acidic wine. Therefore the Palmina 2007 Dolcetto ($20) from Santa Barbara blends seamlessly with Bolognese. The dolcetto’s acid works with the tomato base and the rich ripe fruit blends well with whatever meat used in the sauce. Dolcettos by there nature are built as food friendly wine and certainly it’s a variety you don’t see too often. Of course there are wines available from Italy, but some areas of California are producing outstanding Italian varietals. Palmina focuses of Italian varieties and has quietly been making excellent wines. - Michael Cervin, Wine Judge, Restaurant Critic, and IntoWine Featured Writer

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The key to a brilliant Bolognese is cooking various meats with simple vegetables and cream for several hours. The enzymes in the cream break down the proteins in the meat and extend the richness of the sauce. To that end, you need a bold red wine to match the amount of flavor in the sauce. My suggestion is the Italian Barbera – in particular Anna Maria’s Abbona Cadò Langhe Rosso. Barbera has enough acidity to cut the richness of Bolognese sauce and a treasure chest of flavors to mirror the sweetness that comes from the vegetable sugars that break down during the extended cooking process. The 2004 vintage of this wine received praise from Gambero Rosso in 2007 receiving the ‘due bicchieri’ award. A bottle of this wine and a plate of Bolognese pasta is the perfect pairing. (About $25) - Ben Spencer, Cellar Master at Bernardus Winery and IntoWine Featured Writer