Here is a quick and easy recipe (it’s ready in 20 minutes) that goes very well with Elena Walch’s Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Vigna Kastelaz 2023.
Gorgonzola recalls the wine’s intensity and structure, which in turn balances the cheese’s savory/herbal note. Caramelized pears and walnuts amplify the aromatic part of the Gewürztraminer.
Ingredients for 4 persons:
- 360 g fusilloni
- 200-220 g sweet blue cheese
- 2 tablespoons of whole milk
- 40 g butter (20 g for the sauce + 20 g for the pears)
- 2 ripe but firm pears (Williams, Abbate or Kaiser)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 60-70 g coarsely chopped walnuts
- White pepper to taste.
- Salt to taste.
Procedure:
Toast walnuts in a pan without oil until golden and aromatic, then set aside.
Preparing caramelized pears
Peel the pears and cut them into cubes. In a frying pan heat 20 g butter, add the pears and cook them 2 minutes.
Add 2 teaspoons of honey and caramelize over medium heat for another 3-4 minutes. They should brown without flaking.
Turn off and keep aside.
Prepare the gorgonzola cream.
In another pan, melt the remaining butter. Add the chopped gorgonzola and melt it gently.
Combine 2 tablespoons of whole milk to make a smooth cream and adjust with white pepper (but do not add salt: gorgonzola is already savory).
Cook the dough and assemble
Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Drain when al dente and immediately transfer to the pan with the gorgonzola cream.
Stir-fry for 1 minute then add the caramelized pears and stir gently. Top with chopped walnuts, keeping some aside for garnish.
Service
Serve the pasta piping hot, with a final sprinkling of white pepper and a handful of crunchy walnuts on top.
To make the dish even more harmonious with the Gewürztraminer, add a micro-gratings of lemon zest at the end of cooking: it enhances the aromatic notes of the wine without covering the cheese.
In the chalice:
(Edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)
Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Vigna Kastelaz 2023 Elena Walch
Intense straw yellow. Typical aromas of rose, citrus and herbs. Great freshness and elegance on the palate that takes us to the finish of absolute composure and fragrance. Long aromatic and saline persistence.
Production area:
Vigna Kastelaz is an extraordinary steep vineyard overlooking the wine village of Tramin, a single vineyard that is strictly defined and cartographically limited. Because of its steep slope, which touches 63 percent, Kastelaz is laid out on narrow terraces and enjoys a completely southern exposure-a true rarity in South Tyrol.
It is a postglacial hillside, composed of layers of light limestone soil with sand veins and rocky layers of granite and porphyry. The microclimatic features are also rich in contrasts: the grape clusters can enjoy the heat and direct sun exposure during the day, the strong afternoon wind and then be cooled by the low mountain temperatures at night. We are between 330 and 380 meters above sea level.
Grape varieties: 100% Gewürztraminer, with very low yield.
2023 vintage:
After a typical spring, a cool phase in May slightly delayed the growing season, resulting in the beginning of flowering only toward the end of the month. High temperatures, and drought in June and July, then slowed vine development again and, so to speak, normalized it. In early August the long-awaited rains arrived, providing the vines with the water they needed. The meticulous work in the vineyard paid off, despite the challenging weather with hot periods contrasted with cool periods with rain. Thanks to “South Tyrol’s golden autumn,” the grapes were finally able to benefit for a long time from optimal weather conditions and, above all, a lot of sunshine, to such an extent that the start of the harvest was postponed from the “historic” date of early September. In terms of quality, the 2023 vintage expresses itself with very balanced levels of acidity, characteristic fruit and good structure.
Grape harvest: Strictly hand-picked.
Production processes: A 6-hour skin contact takes place before pressing. Soft pressing, static decantation of the must by lowering the temperature. Fermentation in stainless steel at a controlled temperature of 18°C. After fermentation long aging on its own yeasts.
Alcohol content: 14.50% Vol.
Serving temperature: 10°C.
Recommended pairings:
Scampi (or other shellfish) with citrus and spices; Light curry or dish inspired by Asian/Thai/Indian cuisine; “strong” or blue-veined/semi-flavored cheeses + honey, dried fruit or jams; Duck or pork breast in sweet and sour/fruity/spicy sauce; Fusion or creative dishes: for example, a risotto with fruit and spices, or sautéed vegetables with Asian spices.
