I had a chance to attend the Cerreto wine dinner at Princi Italia in Dallas in July. It was an amazing meal with equally amazing wines. Joel Dicharray, Sales Director Heritage Collection, was the guest speaker. He made a point to visit all 5 tables each course to discuss the wines and so, it was not only a treat gastronomically, but educationally, as well (well, at least it was for this wine geek).
Cerreto is a family owned winery in the Alba Region of northwest Italy, about 20 minutes by car from Milan.
First Course
Texas Peach Salad
Peaches, purple Cherokee heirloom tomatoes, and roasted garlic honey dressing were paired with:
Blange Arneis, Langhe D.O.C.G. 2022
This is a slightly effervescent wine that is very light on the tongue. It has a champagne style yeast scent to it along with floral notes. The taste is fruity – peachy – and it the yeast lingers on the tongue.
Maybe lemon zest and elderflower on the taste – with the first taste almost being sharp grapefruit. It’s near to a spumante (which is a bit of an insult but that’s my best description.)
This complimented the grilled peach perfectly and the tomato brought out the acid in the wine giving it a sharp bite that wasn’t unpleasant. The acid of the arugula balanced out the sharpness in the wine and the wine brought out the pepperiness of the arugula.
I’d pair this with Tom Yum Soup.
Interestingly, Arneis means “little rascal.” The wine was cold fermented to trap the C02. Incidentally, it’s now served by the glass at Princi Italia, so enjoy it with their lemon piccata on Wednesday night.
Second Course
Braised Leg of Lamb Ragu
with herb cheese ravioli and a basil oil drizzle paired with
Dolcetto D’Alba, Rossana D.O.C. 2021
It’s a shame this wine was specially brought in for the tasting as it pairs perfectly with their Lamb ragu.
It’s a super deep garnet color and while the light does go though it, it’s fairly dark. It smelled so good, I couldn’t help twirling the glass and watching the wine. It smell like a Cinnabon and a Wetzel’s pretzel next to each other, which is a fancy way for me to describe it smelling like sourdough. It’s not sweet like the dolcetto’s found in Texas, but it’s not dry either.
Joel described this as an everyday kind of red. This is what the Italians drink Monday through Friday. So it’s what I’d call a background wine. It will pair with just about anything.
It tastes very chocolatey and chewy when first tried, but with food it’s a good balance for what you’re eating. The lamb sweetened it, while the ravioli brightened it (more acidic).
My dining companion described it as the perfect picnic wine. I’d agree.
Rosanno, the name of the vineyard from which this single vineyard wine is produced, is on a hillside.
Third Course
Roasted New York Strip
Served with grilled roman style artichokes, with a morel mushroom Barolo sauce, paired with
Barolo, Busia, D.O.C.G. 2019
Joel had this wine chilled to cellar temperature. Personally, I like it slightly warmer as I got more scent and flavor. It’s 100% nebbiolo.
When it was cold I could smell spice (fennel) and red stone fruit. As it warmed up and breathed a bit it got a candy apple scent. The cold muted the flavor for me so I enjoyed it as it became silky and less tanic and less “green” as it warmed up.
It was a typical red wine with the steak, and I found it too cold with the mushrooms. It paired well with the artichoke and brings out the flavor. The more herb and au jus the better the wine was….
I made a note that this wine is like a junior league meeting where you’re waiting to get started and the chair never shows up. Good, kinda fun, but disappointing in a way.
Fourth Course
Anisette Biscotti
Hand dipped in honey mascarpone and blackberry coulis paired with
Moscato D’Asti D.O.C.G. 2021
Others described this as having the scent of honeysuckle. I got jasmine and pineapple. It’s another tongue tickler, with a very citrus and bread finish. Slightly effervescent, but definitely not sparkling.
It’s sweet, but not too sweet. It has a tang to it, like your sorority sisters.
It only has 5.5% alcohol by volume.
It went well with the anise in the biscotti and was very refreshing with the biscotti. I liked it with the mascarpone, but that just enhanced the tang in it. The desert was very light and fresh and quite enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
This was my first time to attend a wine dinner at Princi Italia, and if all if them are this much food, have as good of food and wine, I don’t see why I shouldn’t attend more.
I really enjoyed learning about the Italian wine served and hearing notes like “dolcetto is peasant wine. It’s what everyone drinks. Barolo is only for special occasions” and other notes about how Italy enjoys wine. It gave me perspective on the pairings. I’d certainly not have NY strip every night, but I might make a ragu of something. (Or more likely I’ll buy a casserole from the ready meal section from H-E-B, but you get the point.)
Overall, worth seeking out Cerretto for some excellent Italian wine options.
