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I Love Italian Regional Cuisine - Pairing Sicilian Cuisine With White Wine

By Levi Reiss

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Published: 09Mar2010
Word count: 509
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Can you believe that almost half of Sicily's huge wine production is made from white grapes? Not many of these wines are available in North America, at least not yet. So I have suggested fine or sometimes fair to middling white wines that come from other regions of Italy. All the more reason to plan a trip to this great island. Just take my advice, don't go in the summer unless you love the heat.

If you like anchovies and you like fritters you may go for Crispeddi (Anchovy and Dill Fritters) that also contain peperoncino, Italian hot peppers. Recommended wines include Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC from The Marches, a wine often paired with fish and seafood and Vermentino di Sardegna DOC from the island of Sardinia northwest of Sicily.

Sicily was once part of the Arab world and you can see the Arab influence in many dishes such as Couscous con Pesce (Fish Stew Couscous). Sicilians tend to make couscous with fish such as grouper or red snapper, whereas North Africans tend to prefer vegetables, mutton, or a lamb sausage known as merguez. Once again Vermentino di Sardegna DOC is suggested but so is Fiano di Avellino DOCG from the Campania region of southern Italy. I am a real fan of Fiano but don't think of suing me if you are unhappy with it.

Involtini di Pesce Spada (Swordfish Rolls) can be tricky to prepare but are delicious. It goes great with salmoriglio sauce, an Italian sauce that you won't find in many local supermarkets. Once you worked hard on the fish and the sauce, you'll want to be pleased with the wine. Two of the choices are Greco di Tufo DOCG or its close neighbor, Fiano di Avellino DOCG.

Some say that Pasta con le Sarde (Pasta With Sardines) is Sicily's signature dish. I'm not all that partial to sardines and even less so to raisins but lots of Sicilians eat it up. If you want to do it right, use Bucatini and cook it al dente. This is really a Sicilian dish and so let's not be surprised that the appropriate wines are probably not available here. Your best bet is probably the Verdicchio di Matelica DOC. If you can't get it try your luck with its cousin Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC that most people put lower in the wine pecking (sipping?) order.

For dessert you may want to try Cannoli con Ricotta (Ricotta-stuffed Rolls) that are available in many Italian pastry shops. Otherwise making them is tricky but they can be delicious. It's also tricky to find an appropriate dessert wine to accompany them. The best choice is probably Moscato Passito di Pantelleria DOC from the tiny island of Pantelleria south of Sicily. In 1971 this became the third wine to be accorded the once prestigious DOC classification. You might also try your luck with the once great and now trying to claw its way back Marsala. Take my advice; don't even think about a Marsala cooking wine, not even for cooking.

Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine wine with the right foods and people. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines and new sections writing about and tasting organic and kosher wines. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.

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