Super Tuscans in food and wine

Millie:  We were recently invited to a wine-pairing dinner at Finestra at Solaire Resort featuring Banfi wines from Italy’s Tuscany region and the culinary innovations of executive chef Andrea Spagoni. Raised in Turin, Italy, chef Spagoni’s gastronomic journey started in the authentic and traditional Piedmontese kitchen of his grandmother. He comes to Finestra with experience from the world’s culinary capitals, including Florence, Turin, Hong Kong and New York.

The wines of Banfi are born from knowledge of unique territories, continuous research and time-tested techniques for both the vineyard and the winery. 

We met Guillaume Blanchard, Banfi’s regional manager, and we talked about visiting the splendid vineyards of Montalcino and Chianti of Piedmont, known for wines of great character and outstanding quality.

The six-course premium menu carefully chosen by chef Spagoni were rich with the traditional flavors of Tuscan cuisine, and so were perfect when paired with Banfi wines. My personal favorites are the Castello Banfi, Brunello di Montalcino 2017, an intense and elegant Brunello, and the Poggio Alle Mura, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG that has a great personality and striking, ruby-red color.

Karla: For cocktails we were served the Pinot Grigio to pair with the cured salmon with diced and candied green apples and a tomato gelatin with black pepper crouton. For the red wine, they had beef tartare portioned for one bite with a slow-cooked egg yolk. 

The first course was my favorite course, called Panzanella. Panzanella is a classic Tuscan salad consisting of leftover or stale bread, typically served with fresh chopped tomatoes, onions and sometimes cucumbers. It is usually dressed with simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Chef Andrea’s version had roasted tomatoes, seared scallops and stracciatella topped with a thin slice of bread made into a crouton. We were asked to crack the layer of crouton to dig in and mix the contents of the salad. It was paired with the Banfi Centine Blanco 2021.

Millie:  The Centine Bianco — white, fresh, versatile with unique aromas — has the Toscana IGT imprint on the bottle, which stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica.

Karla: Cacciucco is another Tuscan dish, also known as “fisherman’s stew.” In this dish, chef Andrea served a deconstructed version of the soup and represented it as a sauce instead. It came with shrimps, mussels, potato and a seafood sauce. This was paired with a red wine, Rosso di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura 2020. However, mom and I felt it paired much better with the pinot grigio instead.

Millie: The Rosso di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura is a fresh and fruity wine with intense aromas of cherry and blackberry perfectly combined with notes of licorice and tobacco whose only component is the Sangiovese, an Italian wine grape variety.

Karla: For the third course, we had Ribollita, a vegetable stew with cannellini beans and slow-cooked Kurobuta pork. Ribollita means “re-boiled,” since this Tuscan dish may also be made from leftover vegetables. It was paired with Cum Laude ‘Super Tuscan’ 2018.

Millie: The Cum Laude Super Tuscan is a merry mix of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah from the Estate vineyards and has a great aging potential.

Karla: The fourth course was my second favorite. It was called Gnudi, or a gnocchi-like dumpling made from ricotta instead of potatoes. I'm easily bribed with dumplings and cheese, so together in a dish was a dream come true. Gnudi in Italian means “naked,” referring to it being the naked filling of a ravioli without the pasta. It was served with king oyster mushrooms, a black mushroom sauce with black winter truffles and paired with the Summus, Super Tuscan 2018

Millie:  A combination of 45 percent cabernet sauvignon, 35% Sangiovese and 20% Syrah produces a very intense color with young, fruity hints, complex notes of jam, spices, tobacco and coffee, and a persistent aroma.

Karla: The fifth course was the Bistecca alla Florentina, porterhouse steak with fresh artichoke quarters and potatoes. Of course this was paired with a Brunello di Montalcino 2017.

Millie: An excellent pairing, the best of the best! The elegant Brunello di Montalcino has a fruity bouquet, soft and smooth tannins with a strong acidity giving it a lively and powerful structure.

The three wine sommeliers paid so much attention to filling up our wine glasses, but what struck me the most was the very impressive service by some 30 waitstaff that created a smooth dinner flow the entire evening.

Karla: For dessert, we had the pinolata, an Italian pine nut cake with a saffron ice cream, dark chocolate crumbs and a chocolate tuille. This was paired with a Brunello di Montalcino ‘Poggio alle Mura’ 2017.

I couldn't let go of the wines that it came to a point that I had six glasses of wine in front of me. Luckily, I didn't have to drive home that evening or we would have had to check in. Haha!

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