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octobre, 2020
Pasta Night
Better with bones: After a summer of salads and veggies on the grill, it’s braising season again. Slow cooking on the bone yields pork that’s succulent and tender, and bones make any tomato sauce extra savory. So, there’s a chef’s secret that now you know: everything tastes better on the bone.
If cooler weather has made you hanker for some comfort food, this pork-rib sugo is your dish, deeply satisfying and stress reducing. It has been a challenging year, for sure, but a sweet-smelling, homestyle, Italian American ragù on the stove will make your kitchen the place that everyone wants to be. You may just want to double the sauce, so you have enough to serve on polenta the next day.
If your market doesn’t have a butcher who will saw ribs into riblets for you, you can make this sauce with cubed pork shoulder. If you can round up some pork bones to add to the sauce while it simmers, you’ll be glad you did.
Many of us may need to get a little creative with Halloween activities this year. Here’s one game plan: Line up some scary movies, toss a platter of rigatoni, dress a heaping green salad, and open a bottle of California Cabernet Sauvignon. All treats, no tricks.
EVERY NUMBER TELLS A STORY
California’s wine community takes sustainability seriously. Just look at the stats. The tally of sustainable stakeholders is spiking, and they’re having an impact from grape to glass. Numbers to boast about: Wineries that produce 92% of California wines. More than 30% of California’s vineyard acreage. And over 6 million cases of wine. All are certified by Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing’s program, a certification with rigor and meaning. Sustainability is a journey, and there is always more to do, but just look how far we’ve come!
The Pour
Which Wine?
The 2020 California grape harvest is well underway, with most of the state’s vineyards picked and cellars full of fermenting juice. Both Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel tend to bring up the rear, so some grape growers may still be watching and waiting for these varieties to reach ideal ripeness. Either variety would complement this robust pasta dish. California Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be more refined, structured and elegant, Zinfandel more spicy, zesty and fruit-forward. Whichever you choose, pay attention to serving temperature. The bottle should feel a little cool to the touch for maximum enjoyment.
Meet the Grapes: Explore more wine pairings
Wine Institute is an association of California wineries and affiliated businesses from the beautiful and diverse wine regions throughout the state. Wine Institute works to create an environment where the wine community can flourish and contribute in a positive fashion to our nation, state and local communities. For information please contact communications@wineinstitute.org.