Tuscany
4 wine routes
All 4 Tuscany drives
Page 2 of 4
Italian Wine Pairings for British Food, Page 2
Pairings at a Glance
Showing 11–20 of 31 dishes
Kippers
Kippers are cold-smoked herring, split and dry-cured then smoked over oak; Manx, Loch Fyne and Craster are the canonical British origins. Served grilled with butter and brown bread for breakfast or supper. Fiano di Avellino DOCG or a Greco di Tufo DOCG lifts the smoke and the oil; a Franciacorta DOCG works for the cold-buffet version.
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Lancashire Cheese
Lancashire Cheese is a crumbly North West English cheese, sometimes aged ('Tasty Lancashire') or soft ('Creamy Lancashire'). Served on the ploughman's lunch with pickle and bread. Vermentino di Gallura DOCG or a young Chianti DOCG for mild versions; Chianti Classico DOCG scales up for aged Tasty Lancashire.
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Melton Mowbray Pork Pie
Melton Mowbray Pork Pie is the Leicestershire PGI cold pie: hand-raised hot-water crust filled with uncured chopped pork and jelly, eaten cold at ploughman's and hunts. Barbera d'Asti DOCG or a Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC cut the pork-jelly fat with acidity and bubbles; a dry Orvieto DOC works for the mustard-pickle accompaniment.
Perfect grape varieties
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Appellations to explore
Barbera d'AlbaDOC
Barbera d'AstiDOCG
Barbera del MonferratoDOC
Barbera del Monferrato SuperioreDOCG
BasilicataIGT
Oysters
British oysters are coastal mineral masterpieces: Whitstable and Mersea natives, Colchester rocks, Loch Ryan and Jersey oysters. Eaten raw with lemon, tabasco and brown bread, or baked Rockefeller-style. Vermentino di Gallura DOCG or a Franciacorta DOCG handle the raw brine; Greco di Tufo DOCG scales up for the baked versions.
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Potted Shrimp
Potted Shrimp is Morecambe Bay brown shrimp sealed in clarified butter with mace and nutmeg, served on toast. The Lancashire coast is the canonical origin. Greco di Tufo DOCG or a Falanghina del Sannio DOC carries the shrimp sweetness and the butter; Pecorino Offida DOCG is the Abruzzese alternative.
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Red Leicester
Red Leicester is orange-coloured cow's-milk cheese, nutty and caramelised when aged, from Leicestershire. Traditionally eaten with chutney and strong ales but Italian reds pair cleanly. Chianti Classico DOCG or a Barbera d'Asti DOCG handles the aged version; Valpolicella Ripasso DOC for the sharper matured examples.
Perfect grape varieties
Appellations to explore
ValtenesiDOC
Amarone della ValpolicellaDOCG
Barbera d'AlbaDOC
Barbera d'AstiDOCG
Barbera del MonferratoDOC
Roast Duck
Roast Duck carries British tradition of crispy skin, rendered fat and orange or cherry sauce reduction. Gressingham, Aylesbury and wild mallard are the benchmark birds. Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG or a Barbera d'Asti Superiore DOCG carries the duck fat and the sweet-sour sauce; aged Barolo DOCG for the blackcurrant and star-anise variants.
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Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce
Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce is the Easter British dinner, a leg or rack roasted with rosemary and garlic, served with sharp mint sauce cut with malt vinegar. Welsh and Scottish lamb supply the best examples. Chianti Classico DOCG or an Etna Rosso DOC from Nerello Mascalese match the rosemary-herb lamb; Aglianico del Vulture DOC is the southern-Italian alternative for darker, more roasted preparations.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
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BasilicataIGT
PalizziIGT
Aglianico del TaburnoDOCG
Aglianico del VultureDOC
Aglianico del Vulture SuperioreDOCG
Roast Pheasant
Roast Pheasant is the British shoot-country classic, hen or cock bird roasted with pancetta barding, served with bread sauce and game chips. Shoot season runs October to February. Barbaresco DOCG or a Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC is the Piedmontese match; Pinot Nero from Oltrepo Pavese DOC works when the bird is young and lighter; aged Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG suits the thicker bread-sauce versions.
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Scotch Pie
Scotch Pie is Scottish football-terrace food: a small double-crust pie with hot-water-crust pastry, filled with spiced minced mutton or lamb. Gregg's and the Forfar bridies are the cultural reference. Chianti Classico DOCG or a Nero d'Avola DOC take the spiced mince; Aglianico del Vulture DOC for Forfar bridie specifically.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
BasilicataIGT
PalizziIGT
Aglianico del TaburnoDOCG
Aglianico del VultureDOC
Aglianico del Vulture SuperioreDOCG
