Thai Green Curry Chicken with Montiano 2004 Falesco

The Thai green curry is a delicious Thai preparation used to season and flavor many meat and vegetable dishes. Green curry is a concentrate of spices and aromas, some of which are difficult to find commercially. For this reason, to prepare the dish we used ready-made green curry paste, easily found in ethnic food stores or supermarkets with a dedicated specialty section.
We decided to prepare pollo al curry verde, served alongside riso basmati, and paired it with a great Italian Merlot: the Montiano 2004 from cantina Falesco, the historic winery of the Cotarella family.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400g Basmati rice;
• 2 chicken breasts, approximately 400g total;
• 2 teaspoons of Thai green curry;
• 450ml coconut milk;
• Extra virgin olive oil;
• Salt and a pinch of pepper.

PREPARATION:
The dish is very simple to prepare. Cut the chicken into cubes and sear over high heat in a wok with extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes. Then add the green curry paste and coconut milk and continue cooking the meat over low heat. Wait for the meat to cook in the thickening coconut milk as the preparation takes on the characteristic color that green curry imparts. At the end of cooking (approximately 10 minutes), season moderately with salt and pepper (the curry sauce is already very flavorful).

The dish should be served alongside the rice, cooked in the meantime in boiling water.

The Thai green curry chicken with rice presents the following taste and olfactory characteristics:

• rice: light aromaticity and sweet tendency;
• chicken: intrinsic and perceptible induced succulence, fairly perceptible structure;
• green curry: aromaticity, spiciness, and very perceptible gustatory-olfactory persistence.

The preparation is characterized mainly by its aromaticity, spiciness, and notable gustatory-olfactory persistence (GOP). The succulence of the preparation, including that induced by chewing, is also an element to be duly considered.

Montiano is produced entirely from Merlot grapes grown in northern Lazio on the border with Umbria. Planting density is approximately 4,200 vines per hectare and yields are very low (45 q/ha). After alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel for approximately 20 days, it rests for one year in barrique and another nine months in bottle before being released to market. And to remain for many more years in my cellar. The 2004 vintage was, by the way, an excellent one.
In color deep ruby with a brick rim, on the nose we perceive a wide aromatic range: immediately tertiary, ethereal aromas with evident spice notes. Then hints of tobacco, plum jam, and menthol. An intense and complex wine.
On the palate it impresses with sumptuous elegance: the balance between the fresh-tannic component and the very well-dosed alcohol (13.5%) is striking. The tannin is extremely fine, of great class; beautiful softness. The persistence is very long with evident balsamic returns.
But how did the pairing between the chicken and the wine go?

The aromaticity, spiciness, and gustatory-olfactory persistence of the preparation pair beautifully with the intensity, softness, and intense aromatic persistence of the wine. The good structure of the food is well supported by the equally perceptible structure of the Merlot. Finally, the succulence of the preparation, beyond that induced by chewing, is well counterbalanced by the "drying" capacity of the alcohol, well present in our wine.
In my opinion the pairing was a success. And we enjoy this beautiful food-wine combination that gives us sensations of great harmony.

At the end of the official presentation of the concept for the Italian Wine Pavilion at Expo 2015, held at the end of July in Rome at the Spazio Open Colonna of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, I met Riccardo Cotarella, owner of cantina Falesco. I took the opportunity to tell him that I would be reviewing the pairing of Thai green curry chicken with his magnificent Montiano 2004. I then asked him what he thought: "Montiano 2004 still has some vibrations..." He then added: "Yes, it could work."
It would be wonderful if Riccardo Cotarella would weigh in directly, to tell us in person what his thoughts are on the matter.