Brightly-colored Risotto alla Milanese is among the signature dishes par excellence of the culinary tradition of the Lombard capital. Loved by all, and ubiquitous in most homes and on many menus, it’s a fairly simple dish made with just a few ingredients, offering a delicate taste and the warm rich golden color brought by saffron pistils. It’s a beloved dish with an irresistible creaminess that is enjoyed all year round. But, which wine pairing works best with it? Here is the advice of the poetic Sensorial Wine Analyst Luca Maroni.
Risotto alla Milanese with a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Doc Cantina Terzini
“With a focus on the clarity of its spicy splendor on the nose, this wine intrigues with its hints of sour cherry rather than a licoricey, tannic plum-like finish. It has great clarity on the nose, highlighted by the novelty of fruit, and above all, crystalline in its ability to express varietal aroma definition. Soft and not overly tannic, this wine does not come across as thick and powerful in its expression. Far from it.”
“Rather, there is an essential power there, its intensity is deep, the richness as good: majestic in extracts that give it a thick, full-bodied structure. The density of glycerin is distilledly sumptuous. Yet, the harmony of flavor holds supreme, the persuasiveness, roundness, and depth dominate. It persists for a long time, always turgidly crisp and always roundly well-ripened. A great wine of the pure nature of this admirable grape.”
Risotto all Milanese with a Barbaresco
Barbaresco La Casa in Collina Vite Colte
“Vite Colte creates a wine of ever-increasing pleasantness with this soft Barbaresco La Casa in Collina – a wine with great fruit and a perfect executive enological splendor.” The second wine indicated by Luca Maroni for pairing with risotto alla milanese has a deep red color tending toward garnet, an intense and complex bouquet with notes of ripe fruit, especially blackberries and blueberries. Hints of tobacco and coffee are not lacking. The palate is rich and soft, tannins are sweet and well-integrated. It finishes long, with lingering hints of strawberry and vanilla.
Risotto alla Milanese with an Arneis
Roero Arneis Pescaja
“One senses that each sip of this Pescaja is filled with grapes bursting with sunshine, and its dense pulp exalts the purity of the flower. Shimmering in white and clad in citrus aroma, its fruit releases an essential purity that is grasped, with a sensory treasure that respectfully transforms making its native grape variety vibrate. Thus is the dense, sparkling cadence of this Arneis.”