Campania di Terredora: a wine for every dish

A wonderful evening with Terredora wines at Ristoro degli Angeli, a traditional Roman osteria in the Garbatella neighborhood. The program features a quite ambitious tasting menu. 52 covers in total, all booked well in advance by a select clientele. Let's see how the wines from the estate run by Paolo Mastroberardino pair with the dishes.

Here is the menu:

Aperitivo

Pane croccante con burro di montagna e alici

Antipasto

Frittata senza uova di patate e verza e gnocchi di semolino

Primi

Mezzi paccheri alla gricia del burino
Mezzi paccheri con broccoli e pecorino

Secondi

Coda alla vaccinara disossata
Trippa alla romana alla mentuccia (antica ricetta della Garbatella)
misticanza di campo

Dolci

Crostata di visciole e ciambelline al vino e nocciole.

With these dishes we will drink:
- Greco di Tufo terre degli Angeli 2012;
- Coda di Volpe 2012;
- Aglianico 2010;
- Aglianico Irpinia Il Principio 2008;
- Grappa di Aglianico La Piana.

I arrive around 8 pm and immediately sit down between Paolo Mastroberardino and Salvatore Cutuli of Carreri, the supplier for Ristoro degli Angeli as far as Terredora wines are concerned. Paolo and Salvatore immediately introduce me to Betta and Ivo, the delightful hosts.
As the dining room fills up, we are promptly served the Greco di Tufo along with bruschetta with butter and anchovies. The wine comes from a selection of grapes chosen from a particular vineyard located at 600 meters above sea level. It is a full-bodied Greco that ages on fine lees for several months. The color is an intense straw yellow with greenish glints; on the nose it shows great floral complexity, citrus tones and green apple, with prominent mineral and hazelnut notes in the background. On the palate, an immediate fresh-savory surge that completely envelops the richness of the butter and tames the aromatic intensity of the anchovy. A perfect pairing.

Before we even finish, the antipasto is served alongside the Coda di Volpe, a white wine from the Campanian tradition, soft and slightly more restrained in tones that evoke apple, candied fruit, face powder, and a dusting of nutmeg. A balanced pairing in which the vegetal notes of the preparation come through.

The room is now full, the hum of conversation rises, and we dig into the two half-portions of pasta – the Gricia and the Broccoli e pecorino. The wine is the Aglianico, made with a short maceration (about one week), resulting in medium extraction and aged only in steel and bottle. Ruby-colored with garnet hues, it is fruity with sour cherry notes and gentle spice. On the palate it steps aside for the two preparations. With the broccoli, the sulfurous notes of the dish emerge, together with the saltiness of the pecorino, well tempered by the wine's softness. With the Gricia, the unctuousness and aromatic intensity of the preparation are still very present. A doubt crosses my mind and I ask for a little more Greco. The enveloping fragrances of the great white wine blend completely with the aromas of the pasta, while its bracing acidity beautifully counters the oiliness of the dish.

We arrive, already very satisfied, at the secondi, both characterized by richness and intense aromas. We are served the Aglianico Il Principio, which macerates for 15 days before aging in wood for twelve months. A structured wine of deep ruby red color with garnet glints, with aromas of red fruit in jam, again sour cherry giving way to tertiary notes of leather, tobacco, then toasted and spiced hints, and balsamic notes in the finish. Long gustatory-olfactory persistence. A sort of young Taurasi that blends perfectly with the preparations served.

Paolo tells the room about his wines and the philosophy of his estate, managed in the vineyard with organic principles and without the use of chemicals. With wines that express the full potential of the grapes, following production parameters that remain consistent over the years, ensuring they are always recognizable despite the variability of vintages.

We approach the end with the crostata and ciambelline. We are not at all tired, a clear sign of a complex yet light cuisine and an excellent choice of wines of superb craftsmanship and overall cleanliness. The Grappa di Aglianico alongside the desserts carries intense spice aromas, very soft on the palate. Not satisfied, they also have us taste the other Terredora grappa, the one made from Greco pomace, more aromatic and fragrant. We linger pleasantly with our hosts, say our goodbyes, and leave the restaurant.
The next day I feel full but not at all heavy – truly excellent food and wines, beautifully paired. And I keep thinking back to the evening and the emotions of the sensory experience.