Pairing WINE and CHESTNUT, the secrets to starting autumn in the best possible way.

Autumn has arrived, do you already know how to pair chestnuts and wine?

The temperatures have dropped and we need to warm up our spirits, while in the vineyards the harvest continues non-stop, in the woods chestnuts are being harvested, the autumn food par excellence.

A particular food, full-bodied but at the same time light, rich in flavor and equally low in fat, the chestnut became widespread as a fruit for consumption during the Middle Ages, and it is in this period that various recipes based on chestnuts were born.

The pairing is really recommended and well structured: as in all table pairings it is good to make sure that the chosen wine supports the chestnuts well, unlike the usual opinions I advise you to try the chestnuts with white wines that manage to tone down the typical softness of the chestnuts.

In particular, this combination is interesting with the traditional chestnut gnocchi seasoned with good pesto, this recipe is to be tried with the Vermentino Superiore Doc Maen from Podere Grecale , a white with good acidity and a certain structure, so that the wine can play in the mouth with the aroma of the ingredients.

Are you already kneading your chestnut gnocchi? ⇒ CLICK HERE , if you want to discover other combinations continue reading!

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How important are chestnuts in our tradition?

Italy is one of the main producers of chestnuts, so much so that there are up to 800,000 hectares of cultivated land, however several years ago, the chestnut was widely used to feed the less well-off classes, as it is durable, it only deteriorates after several days.

Together with chestnuts, wine was also found as a common nourishment, both possess a great energetic power and still today recall the feast of St. Martin, when the wine ferments in barrels and people take to the streets to taste it together with a nice bag of chestnuts roast.

It must be made clear that chestnuts and chestnuts are not the same thing, so much so that in 1939 there was a royal decree establishing the differences: in general we can say that the chestnut is the wild fruit of the chestnut tree, while the chestnut comes from cultivated trees.

Thanks to their versatility, chestnuts are the protagonists of many dishes, in fact if ground it is possible to obtain a flour which, in addition to desserts, is also ideal for the typical gnocchi of Liguria and Tuscany.

Chestnut gnocchi are irresistible if seasoned with the classic Ligurian pesto, in fact the sweet tendency of the gnocchi is balanced with the strength of the typical Ligurian sauce, this combination must immediately make us think of a wine with good structure and capable of degreasing the mouth .

My recommendation is the Vermentino Superiore Doc Maen from Podere Grecale , a white wine made exclusively from Vermentino grapes, a vine in which the company wanted to invest to develop its full potential.

Maèn in Ligurian dialect means marine, and the names here are not given by chance, in fact its grapes come from the vineyard closest to the sea, where while you work you can hear the background of crashing waves and the scent of salt hangs in the air .

Riviera Ligure Di Ponente Vermentino Superiore Doc Maen 2020 - Podere Grecale

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The chestnut can give life to delicious desserts, such as the typical chestnut, in this case the sugar makes the sweet component evident and the wine must be rather structured, characterized by the same sugar quantity.

We therefore look for freshness, aromaticity and fine perlage: all this is in La Morandina's Moscato d'Asti , a sweet white wine, with a fragrant nose and a fresh and savory palate.

The Morando family has very deep roots in Castiglione Tinella, dating back to 1780; the philosophy that guides the hand of Giulio and Paolo Morando is that of total respect for the environment, with the rejection of chemical products in the vineyard and the insertion of a modern photovoltaic system which reproduces almost 50% of the electricity.

This Moscato d'Asti is the most representative wine of the company, the true flagship of this wonderful land, it will therefore be able to PERFECTLY accompany a dessert such as castagnaccio, typical of the tradition of the rural lands.

Moscato Asti Docg 2022 - La Morandina

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We finish with the classic roasted chestnuts, this typical preparation involves cooking on the grill in the appropriate pan with holes, which gives the product a typical slightly bitter aftertaste.

This particularity given by cooking leads to choosing a wine that is not too powerful and that can clean the mouth, in fact I choose the Barbera d'Asti docg Maremonti from Castello di Gabiano .

Fairly structured and juicy, with the right acidity balanced by good softness, in short, a jovial and intelligent Barbera, created by Castello di Gabiano to be a wine capable of speaking to everyone.

Barbera D'Asti Docg Maremonti 2019 - Castello Di Gabiano

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These are some of the pairing suggestions but, in the Italian gastronomic panorama, the accompaniments never end, the important thing is to identify the characteristics of the various ingredients.

Choose your combinations and enjoy a special autumn!