Guanicale & Montelpulciano

Having seen them at Oyama Sausage and Granville Island for some time, I finally succumbed to the lure of trying to cook up some "gaunicale." Unsmoked pig's jowl or cheek, it's a staple of Pasta all'Amatriciana and I'd been thinking about it for too long.

So how could I serve up a plate without some Italian red to go with it? Not likely.

457. 2007 Illuminati Riparosso (DOC Montepulciano d'Abruzzo)

Made in Abbruzzi province near the Adriatic coast, Riparosso is a 100% Montepulciano varietal that has been lauded as a great buy for its price - which is about $17 in our market. I'm usually a fan of the easy drinking nature of Montepulciano wines - especially when compared to some other Italian varietals - and this one was certainly easy drinking but I can't say that it hit me as being all that memorable.

I did love, however, a fellow blogger's posting about the "high-tech gasoline pumps just inside the winery entrance where locals are encouraged to bring their jugs and fill up on white, rose or red for 0.95 to 1.40 Euros per litre." Why can't our local laws be as illuminated as that?

All considered though, I don't think you can go wrong with such a linguistically interesting night, full of Montepulciano d'Abbruzzo, Guanicale and Bucatini all'Amatriciana. It makes me want to book a quick ticket to Roma and the surrounding countryside.