Fusilli al pesto e Greco di Tufo Le Ormere

Fusilli al pesto di rucola selvatica e Greco di Tufo Le Ormere: the charm lies in imperfection

The fun game of pairings (or: perfection is not of this world, thankfully!)

As they say: "once you find the rule, you find the trick" – this is more or less the philosophy that now characterizes my journey of pairing cooked dishes, or not, with the nectar of Bacchus, after having of course adequately digested the golden rules of food-wine pairing learned over 15 years of AIS courses and related studies.
Today the fun part of the pairing game is choosing which starting point to use as a reference – let me explain: in some circumstances it is the persistent desire to uncork a well-kept bottle from the cellar, perhaps stored for a while, that pushes me to engineer the best dish to enhance the bottle itself; in opposite circumstances it is the presence of particular ingredients in the fridge, with which I prepare a traditional or creative dish, that makes me pause for a moment to choose the wine most suited to the occasion.

In this case the two components of the game sought each other out and, lovingly, found harmony: I had a bottle of Greco di Tufo 2012 di Le Ormere, a gift from my friend Franco Notarianni of the AIS delegation of Avellino, which I wanted to let rest for a few months before uncorking – I don't like young whites, all fermentative notes and citric acid – but the time was ripe, and the deliberate purchase of wild rucola and very fresh red prawns (paid a fortune for them) definitively completed the plan.

The wild rucola pesto I made by blending in a mixer (given the tight preparation time I skipped the marble mortar!!!): rucola, a clove of garlic, a handful of walnuts, some grated parmigiano, chili pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Once the mixture was ready, I finished it with the liquid from the prawn shells to give it that marine touch, then covered it with cling film and set it to rest in the fridge to avoid any possible oxidation, preserving the beautiful dark green color of the greens.
On a flat plate I shelled the prawns, removed the digestive tract, and roughly chopped them, then placed them in the fridge alongside the pesto.

Le Ormere is a young producer from Santa Paolina, established in 2012, working organically without certifications and with minimal sulfite additions only at bottling. The wine is housed in the classic bottiglia alsaziana, now a must for the type (Mastroberardino docet); the vines are over 10 years old because in the past the grapes were sold to the Cantina Sociale.
While the pasta was cooking – or rather il fusillo Di Martino di Gragnano – I anticipated the uncorking to get ahead of the game: silicone stopper for a decidedly "natural friendly" Greco, golden color with a shimmering intensity of strong concentration as a Greco from TERRA DI LUPI deserves, good body with the swirl of the glass signaling that the substance is there. On the nose it is decidedly full-bodied: sunflower honey, yellow peach, white pepper, siliceous rather than sulfurous minerality (Santa Paolina is not Tufo).
The sip is rough, at times uneven due to a marked acidity of lime and unripe peach coming through; the sweetness hinted at on the nose gives way to a discreet savory note – there may be a split between body and firm sensations, in the sense that a little more structure is missing. I refill the glass and head to finish the fusilli, leaving the wine time to express itself.

I drain the pasta al dente and in a wide, tall aluminum pan I toss it with the rucola pesto, helping myself with a few ladles of pasta cooking water, and once all the liquid is absorbed I add the chopped prawns so they flavor everything. I plate and begin tasting: the fusilli, perfectly al dente, has adequately absorbed the pesto with its vegetal and slightly bitter flavor, well balanced by the sweet-savory of the almost raw prawns and the silkiness of the pasta – the taste is bold but also very well balanced.
The glass of Greco di Tufo de Le Ormere manages with its fresh citrus and white flower notes to enhance the dish; only in the final finish does it lack that driving force, that persistence capable of perfectly closing the circle – yet at the same time the interplay of the parts was very pleasurable, a chase of contrasting and flirtatious sensations, as a new amorous encounter should be.