L'amore Italian Restaurant

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April 3, 2021 by Kim Abbott

How To Pair The Right Wine With Italian Dishes

When you go out to eat at an Italian restaurant, one of the most common phrases you hear is, “would you like to see the wine list?” Of course, you want to make sure that you select the best wine possible for your meal. If you are wondering how to pair the right wine with Italian food, there are several tips that you should keep in mind. Take a look at some of the advice that we have put together below!

Go With The Bubbly For Your Appetizers

First, make sure that you reach for a wine that has bubbles for your appetizers. Some of the most common Italian appetizers involve quite a bit of salt. This might include arancini, a salumi plate, or a charcuterie board. Therefore, the touch of wine that accompanies sparkling wines is a great way for you to provide a bit of a festive start to your meal.

Reach For The Pinot Noir for Earthy Flavors

What are the most popular options is Pinot Noir. This is a wine that has a light body but an immense amount of flavor at the end. Therefore, this is an incredibly versatile wine that you can use to pair with your Italian dishes. In particular, Pinot Noir is great with earthy food. For example, if you are going to go with wild mushroom risotto, Pinot Noir is a classic pairing option. 

Pick Chardonnay For A Seafood Dish

There is nothing quite like fresh-caught fish from the Italian Riviera. If this is what you are choosing for your meal, then it is a good idea to reach for chardonnay. Chardonnay is a bit silky but also has a slight bite at the end of it. The smooth acidity makes it ideal for cutting through the creamy sauces that come in late accompany fish, shellfish, and other seafood dishes. If you are going with lobster fra Diavolo, then you should definitely reach for Chardonnay. 

Select Cabernet For A Steak Dish

Finally, if you are going with State, then go with a Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an assertive wine that can stand up to Rich meat without overpowering the flavor. The memorable sensations that you are going to create when you mix your steak with Cabernet Sauvignon are going to have you coming back for this meal again and again.

 

Filed Under: Wine Tips Tagged With: Italian Cuisine, Italian Wine, vino, wine

March 3, 2021 by Kim Abbott

What Are The Defining Characteristics Of Italian Wine?

When you think about Italy, one of the first thoughts that probably comes to your mind involves the quality of the wine. Italy is known for its why diversity of wine. One of the biggest reasons why Italian wine is so varied is that there are plenty of grapes that grow up and down the peninsula. Due to the diversity of grapes, there is also a lot of diversity in terms of the wine that Italy produces. If you are wondering what the defining characteristics of Italian wine are, it is helpful to take a closer look at how the wine is produced by each region.

Wine From Northern Italy

First, it is a good idea to take a look at the wine that is produced by Northern Italy. Northern Italy is bordered by the alps. Therefore, the climate here is very different than the climate along the Italian Riviera. This region is known for its white grapes and white wines. For example, Pinot Grigio is produced in this area of Italy. Furthermore, if you travel to Trentino and Lombardy, you are going to find the Champagne of Italy, which is known for producing some of the best sparkling wine and all of Italy. 

Wine From Central Italy

Wine from Central Italy is incredibly familiar to most people in the United States. This line is commonly used with pasta dishes, meat sauces, and olive oil. Furthermore, a lot of the wine from this part of Italy is paired with some of the most popular cheeses in the world. Central Italy is known for its incredible diversity and Landscape. Tuscany is the standard-bearer of this region. What are the most popular wines in this area include Chianti Classico, San Gimignano, and Bolgheri. 

Wine From Southern Italy

Finally, it is also important to take a look at Italian wine that comes from Southern Italy and the islands. Wines from this part of the country are much brighter in terms of their flavor than their earthy, strong Northern counterparts. The volcanic soil produces some of the best fruit in the world. In addition to grapes, this part of Italy is also known for its oranges and lemons. Because the Mediterranean Sea provides a tremendous amount of warmth, the wines of southern Italy provide flavor profiles that match. Fiano and Greco di Tufo produced in Southern Italy.

 

Filed Under: Wine Tips Tagged With: Italian Wine, italy, vino, wine

June 3, 2020 by Kim Abbott

Everything You Need to Know About Using Red Wine in Pasta Sauce

Take a look at the ingredients listed on the jars of pasta sauce in your kitchen pantry and you will likely find red wine listed more often than not.  A small amount of the right red wine has the potential to transform an average Italian dish into a spectacular one.  Red wine contains a variety of important compounds that dramatically improve the flavor of sauce as well as other cooked dishes.

Alcohol’s Role in Flavorful Sauce

The alcohol in wine triggers the release of flavor molecules into sauce, making every ingredient it contacts taste that much better.  Alcohol also dissolves fats, empowering sauce ingredients to release their nuanced flavors.  Other liquids and fats such as broth, water, olive oil and butter do not trigger a similar dissolving and subsequent flavor release.

As long as the alcohol is given sufficient time to cook off, it really will make the sauce taste that much better.  The best chefs in the business cook wine-infused sauce to the point that half the wine is cooked away.  Once the alcohol burns to this level, the sauce’s flavor begins to concentrate, providing quite the delicious taste.

Red Wine Acidity

Ask anyone who has paired a red wine such as Merlot with a dish featuring red tomato sauce about the experience and you will find the tomatoes burn straight through the wine, giving it a flat taste.  Low-acid wines like Merlot are overpowered by the highly-acidic tomato sauce used in pasta dishes, pizzas, etc.

This is precisely why truly elite chefs rely on wines like Chianti Classico for dishes featuring tomato sauce.  Chianti’s primary grape, the sangiovese, has the precise level of acid necessary to perfectly jive with that found in tomato sauce.

Perform a Taste Test

If you are still undecided as to whether red wine belongs in tomato sauce, perform a blind taste test.  Have a family member or friend prepare two separate pasta dishes: one with red wine-infused sauce and the other with plain sauce.  Give each a try and you will likely notice the pasta, pizza or other entrees topped with a sauce containing red wine tastes superior.  Red wine’s bold flavor really is the x-factor of the world’s best tomato sauces.

However, any old red wine will not suffice for truly tasty tomato sauce.  Our chefs abide by this mantra when it comes to using red wine in tomato sauce: “If we won’t drink it, we won’t eat it.”  This means you won’t find any table wine, wine from a box or any other subpar wine in our tomato sauce.  Our tomato sauce contains only the highest quality, most palate-pleasing red wine guaranteed to please your taste buds.

Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Italian Food, Recipes, Wine Tips Tagged With: Italian Cuisine, Italian Wine, Recipe

March 15, 2016 by Kim Abbott

6 Great Italian Wines And Exactly What You Should Pair Them With

How To Pair Italian Wines CorrectlyFoodies are fond of saying, “If it grows together, it goes together.” The statement could not be more true of Italian wines. Italy’s widespread vineyards generate some truly amazing red and white wines from premium quality grapes. These wines pair well with all different types of Italian dishes as well as some other ethnic cuisine.

Chianti

Chianti is a powerful, bold red wine. It is best served with entrees that are heavy on flavor. Order a glass of Chianti with a dish that features a rich sauce to create the perfect combination of food and drink. Chianti pairs well with just about any type of pasta dish. Though many claim that this wine tastes best with a tomato based sauce, it can also pair with cream sauces as well. Chianti has a particularly high level of acidity that tastes fantastic with fatty meats such as steak and game meat.

Prosecco

The Vento region of Italy produces this lovely sparking wine. A glass of Prosecco is the perfect way to start your meal. Drink it alongside any type of seafood (like our Chilean Sea Bass!)  and your taste buds will be awash with the perfect combination of flavors. Prosecco tastes especially good with oysters. This wine also pairs nicely with shrimp, prosciutto, chorizo and Marcona almonds.

Vin Santo

If you are on the prowl for a particularly sweet wine, Vin Santo is the answer. This wine is made with grapes from the Malvasia and Trebbiano sections of Italy that have been thoroughly dried. Take a sip and you will immediately notice the considerable amount of sugar and acid in Vin Santo. The unique flavor jives nicely with biscotti, dried fruit, cheese, tarts and pies.

Sangiovese

If you love Italian food with a kick, a strong red wine like Sangiovese is the perfect way to wash down each forkful. It works especially well with Italian entrees that have beef, cheese or red sauces. Yet some foodies are adamant that Sangiovese also pairs nicely with cream sauces and oil based sauces.

Soave

Soave is one of the most flexible white wines around. It tastes great with just about any type of food. Order a glass of Soave with your salad, pasta or grilled vegetables and you won’t regret it. The only types of food that it doesn’t jive with are those that are especially rich or heavy.

Barolo and Barbaresco

Italy’s Piedmont region creates one of the country’s best grapes, the Nebbiolo. This grape is the foundation of two of the world’s tastiest red wines: Barolo and Barbaresco. These wines are best enjoyed with entrees that have a considerable amount of protein and/or fat such as pot roast, ribs or beef stew.

Filed Under: Cooking Tips Tagged With: chianti, Italian Wine, vino, wine

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3159 E Lincoln Dr
Phoenix , AZ 85016
Phone: 602.381.3159

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Credit for most photos: Kay W. Eskridge: Images By Kay

Our Hours

Lunch
TBD.
Dinner
Mon – Sat: 4pm–9pm
Saturday Dinner: 4pm–9pm

Sunday Closed

Happy Hour
Mon – Fri: 4:00pm–6:00pm
No happy hour on Saturdays

Holiday Closures: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, sometimes Christmas Eve (call to check), Christmas Day

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