Ferrari-Carano Food & Wine Pairing Guide

This Food & Wine Pairing Guide suggests flavor profiles to assist you when planning your menu. Rhonda's Recipes offer Ferrari Carano wines paired seasonally with a variety of dishes for your entertaining enjoyment. The best rule of thumb is to drink what you like. There are no steadfast rules anymore, but understanding different flavors and textures will help you choose the perfect wine and food pairing. Let your taste be your guide and, most of all, make it fun! A good wine makes good food taste even better.

Pinot Grigio
Light-bodied white wine, gently aromatic with palate-cleansing fruit acid. Great as a sipping wine, brunch or first-courses.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Poached chicken, white-fleshed fish, summer stone fruits, melons, citrus sauces, snow peas, fava beans, baby lettuces, goat cheese, feta cheese, ginger, chives, fruit chutneys, walnuts.

Smoked Salmon & Goat Cheese Quiche
Farfalle with Baby Spinach, Walnuts & Ricotta
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Quiche

Fumé Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc
Light-bodied, dry white wine, with hints of citrus, melon and herbal/grassy notes, slight oak character giving the wine richness with a delicate creaminess.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Chicken, turkey, white-fleshed fish, scallops, oysters, mussels, vegetable-based appetizers, goat cheese, feta cheese, light salads, soups or pasta, Asian food, slightly piquant sauces, asparagus, peas, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, lemon and orange zest, chives, cilantro, chervil, dill, ginger, parsley.

Zucchini Frittata
Sushi Tart
Bay Leaf and Rosemary Olives
Ratatouille Tartlet topped with Laura Chenel Goat Cheese
Cappellini with Shrimp, Tomatoes and Arugula
Spicy Lime Ginger Grilled Shrimp
Tiger Prawns with White Corn Salsa and Mango Coulis
Fennel and Orange Salad

Chardonnay, Reserve Chardonnay, Russian River Valley Chardonnays
Medium-bodied, rich white wine with toasty, vanilla, caramel, clove, apple, pear flavors. Our Russian River Valley Chardonnays are lighter and lean with delicate richness and citrus overtones.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Seafood, such as halibut, shrimp, crab, lobster with rich creamy sauces, seafood salads, veal, chicken and pork entrees, creamy soups and pastas, pesto, buttery sauces, almonds, potato, apple, apricot, peach, pear, mango, lemon accents, tarragon, basil.

Stuffed Artichokes
Minestrone Alla Genovese
Corn and Chive Madeleines with Golden Caviar
Pasta Butterflies with Asparagus and Snowpeas
Risotto with Gorgonzola and Asparagus
Smoked Chicken Ravioli
Chicken with Chanterelle-Basil Sauce
Chicken Scallops with Tomato, Oak Leaf Lettuce and Fresh Basil
Pan-Seared Veal Chops with Apple Cognac Sauce
Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Prawns Sambucca
Prosciutto Wrapped Scallops with Mango Sauce
Salmon in Cardamom Wine Broth
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Cheesecake
Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
Ferrari-Carano Seafood Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad with Peaches
Pesto with Ribbon Pasta
Scallops with Proscuitto in Orange Butter with Carmelized Fennel
Squash and Pistachio Soup
Butternut Squash Bisque
Corn Custard with Scallops
Radicchio Ravioli
Scallops and Wild Mushroom Pasta
Torta Tricolore
Tortellini of Butternut Squash
Scallops with Proscuitto in Orange Butter with Caramelized Fennel
Shrimp and Cannelloni Beans

Siena, Sangiovese
Medium-bodied red wine, with luscious fruit berry flavors. Ferrari-Carano's mountain grown Sangiovese has a deep richness and earthiness that is complemented by full-bodied foods with moderately robust flavors.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Duck, pork, lamb, beef, turkey, roast chicken, grilled tuna, salmon, mushroom, pepper, tomato-based pasta sauces, dark berry fruits, fig, cinnamon, clove, walnut, chestnut, thyme, mint, oregano, rosemary, aged cheeses.

Duck Salad with Raspberries, Oranges and Arugula
Risotto with Gorgonzola and Asparagus
Chicken Cacciatore
Saltimbocca di Pollo
Siena Sorbet
Crostini with Prosciutto, Mascarpone and Compote of Fig
Ratatouille Tartlet topped with Laura Chenel Goat Cheese
Cappellini Pastorella
Grilled Marinated Chicken and Portobello Mushrooms
Shrimp Club Sandwich
Lemon Basil Shortbread
Squash and Pistachio Soup
Warm Scallop and Wild Mushroom Salad
Turkey Cacciatore

Pinot Noir
Medium-bodied, velvety texture, dazzling complexity, bright acidity -- naturally balanced wine.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Veal, chicken, turkey, rabbit, any game bird, filets of beef or pork, duck, smoked, wood-roasted, braised or sausage meats; earthly flavors such as truffles, wild mushrooms, mustards, peppercorns, coriander, horseradish; resiny or scented green herbs like rosemary, thyme, tarragon, oregano, summer and winter savory, chervil, mints and basils; aromatic sweet spices like clove, cinnamon, mace, allspice and nutmeg; sweet vegetables such as tomatoes, beets, carrots, caramelized onions and bell peppers; autumnal fruits like figs, plums, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, currants, black and dried cherries; mild or creamy cheeses like Brie, Camembert, herbed cremes, Cheddar, Havarti and jack.

Duck Breast with Fresh Cherry Sauce
Turkey Cacciatore

Merlot
Medium-bodied, mellow red wine with a natural softness and full-flavored.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Duck, pork, lamb, beef, turkey, roast chicken, roast pork, French onion soup, caramelized onions, tomato, cherry, plum, fig, balsamic vinegar, mint, rosemary, thyme, rosemary, orange zest, Roquefort and cheddar cheeses, hazelnuts, walnuts.

Lamb Shanks with White Beans
Minted Lamb Tartlets
Grilled Red Onions
Apple, Fennel and Blue Cheese Salad with Toasted Walnuts
Pesto, Wild Mushroom and Hazelnut Lasagne
Wild Mushroom Tart
Milk-Brined Pork Chops with Hard Cider Sauce
Roasted Pork Loin with Persimmon Bread Stuffing and Apple Jack and Port Wine Sauce

Syrah
Full-bodied with rich and complex flavors. Exhibits aromas of black fruit, spice and earth with nice balance.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Roast game, beef, salmon, barbecue entrees, stewed tomatoes, currants, chutneys, coconut, cumin, curry, oregano, sage, sharp-aged cheeses, hazelnuts.

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb

Zinfandel
Full-bodied, rich and deep with spicy intense berry flavors.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Grilled red meats, cioppino, blackened fish with Cajun flavorings, ribs, grilled sausages, hearty winter dishes, stews, meat braises, heavy pasta dishes with stewed tomatoes and/or meat, eggplant, cassoulets, barbecue sauces, pepper, nutmeg, oregano, sage, bay leaf.

Pappardelle with Meat Sauce
London Broil with Zinfandel Sauce
Pork Chop Stuffed with Spinach, Pine Nuts and Mozzarella
Grilled Duck Breasts with Black Currant Pomegranate Sauce

Cabernet Sauvignon, Tresor, PreVail Back Forty, PreVail West Face
Full-bodied red wine with rich austere fruit with an elegant refined taste.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Roast beef, rack of lamb, grilled red meats, venison, game meats, grilled tuna or salmon, root vegetables, red wine sauces, aged cheeses, chestnut, bay leaf, rosemary, sage, garlic.

Provencal Beef
Gorgonzola, Walnut and Cabernet Spread
Grilled Lamb Chops with Wine-Mint Marinade
Grilled Marinated London Broil
Grilled Rosemary-infused Brochette of Lamb with Mission Figs
Fresh Mushroom Risotto

Eldorado Gold
Sweet, sauterne-style dessert wine.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Light fruit desserts, apricot, apple, pear, most fruit tarts, lemon desserts, hazelnut, almond, dense apple cake, buttery pound cakes, summer berries, creme brulee, caramel sauce, aged cheeses.

Angel Pie
Fresh Berry Cheesecake
Rhonda's Summer Pudding

Eldorado Noir
Late-harvest black muscat dessert wine. Port-like in style.

Food & Flavor Profile:
Anything chocolate, dense fruit cakes, fondue, dark chocolate and cherries, dark summer berries, aged cheeses.

Lemon Basil Shortbread
Ginger, Fig and Cranberry Semifreddo with Blackberry Sauce
Pear and Dried Cherry Scrunch