02
Nov

Halloween and Tenuta wines

On October 31st, as everyone knows, Halloween is celebrated, a very heartfelt holiday, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, but which in recent years has also taken hold here in Italy. It is a celebration of Celtic origin, which has taken on “macabre” forms in the United States since the twentieth century.

Halloween is linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain: in fact, according to the Celtic calendar used 2000 years ago in England, Ireland and northern France, the new year began on October 31st, and represented a time to gather and celebrate. In 840, under Pope Gregory IV, the Catholic Church instituted the feast of All Saints for November 1, and therefore the term “Halloween”, from the Scottish All Hallows’ Eve, would mean “Night of all sacred spirits”, that is the eve of All Saints.

However, there are those who trace the origin of the name to the story of Jack o’Lantern, who was condemned by the devil to wander the world, illuminated only by the light of a hollowed-out pumpkin containing a candle. In English the term “digging” is said “to hollow”, and the act of digging is “hollowing”. The term Halloween seems to derive from this.

After Protestantism broke off the All Saints tradition, Halloween took on more and more a secular connotation. Due to Irish immigration, this tradition soon spread to the United States, where it became one of the most important holidays of the whole year.

It is a tradition that on Halloween, children go from house to house in disguise to ask for sweets and candies, with the question “trick or treat?”. It seems that this is a reference to the medieval tradition of almsgiving: in All Saints’ Day, poor people, masked, went from door to door asking for food in exchange for prayers for the dead.

Undoubtedly one of the most important symbols of Halloween is the carved pumpkin. The use of hollowing out pumpkins with scary expressions dates back to the Irish and Scottish tradition of carving turnips to make lanterns with which to remember the souls of Purgatory. Immigrants to the United States began to use pumpkins because they were available in large quantities and being larger made the carving work easier.

In addition, the carved pumpkin was also linked to the previously mentioned legend of Jack o ‘Lantern: Jack was a drunkard, who one evening met the devil in a pub. Being in a state of intoxication, his soul was almost totally owned by the devil, but Jack asked the devil to turn into a coin to allow him to pay for the last drink. In exchange, his soul would have belonged to Hell. However, once the devil had changed, Jack put it in his purse, where there was a silver cross, which prevented the devil from transforming himself again. To be released, the devil promised him that his soul would be free for another ten years. At the end of time, however, the devil came back and Jack deceived him again, imprisoning him in a tree, on whose trunk he had engraved a cross. This time, in order to get free, Satan promised to spare Jack eternal damnation. This one, however, had committed so many sins that, when he died, he was rejected by Heaven. He was thus forced to wander for eternity, illuminated by the light of a candle placed inside a pumpkin.

The pumpkins, in addition to being carved, are also an integral part of a typical Halloween menu. On the tables of many families, on the night of October 31, perhaps before the children go out to make “trick or treat”, dishes made with pumpkin abound.

Pumpkin is a versatile vegetable, with many vitamins and few calories, perfect for staying in shape even in winter.

With its different varieties, from the Marina di Chioggia to the long one in Naples, from the Mantuan one to the long one in Albenga, it lends itself to many different recipes.

But which wines can be paired with a menu based on this typically autumn vegetable?

The simple cooked pumpkin pulp has a very marked sweet tendency, which can be well balanced by Brut sparkling wines.

Tenuta del Buonamico proposes, in its bouquet of wines, the Spumante Particolare Brut. It is a blend of Trebbiano, Semillon and Pinot Blanc, which is made according to the Charmat method, that is, with the addition of selected yeasts directly in an autoclave at a constantly controlled temperature. Here, with a fermentation of about 120 days, there is an optimal froth, followed by an almost immediate filtration, to preserve the natural freshness. After a few weeks of refinement in autoclave, the wine is bottled, followed by ageing in the bottle for 4 months. Of a beautiful straw yellow color with greenish reflections, the nose is floral. The scent of flowers soon gives way to aromas of white berry fruit and, on the finish, toasted bread. On the palate it is complex, with a marked acidity that contrasts with a balanced sugar content. The fine and elegant perlage makes it drinkable and perfect for any occasion.

A sparkling wine like this is perfect to accompany dishes in which pumpkin is present “in purity”, such as velvety, baked pumpkin or pumpkin gnocchi seasoned with butter and sage. Try it also with the sardine fillets stuffed with pumpkin, sprinkled with a little breadcrumbs and baked in the oven, and you will be pleasantly surprised!

However, if an acid note is added to the velvety, with goat cheese or passion fruit, the sweetness of the pumpkin is mitigated, and therefore we can propose an aromatic white wine.

At Tenuta del Buonamico we offer you the M.I.O Viognier IGT Toscana: it is a 100% Viognier. Originally from the Rhône Valley, in France, it is a vine with limited productivity, so it is easier to find it blended with other grapes. Having it in purity, on the other hand, allows us to make the most of its organoleptic characteristics, and refining it in stainless steel allows us to keep its aromas unaltered. The nose is intense, fresh, floral, with a great note of fruit, citrus, peach, apricot and tropical fruit, such as banana and pineapple. On the palate it is fresh, lively and pleasantly bitter on the finish, and is endowed with a lively minerality.

Perfect with spicy dishes, white meats or raw fish, it will also amaze you with a typical Halloween pumpkin risotto, or with pumpkin meatballs, fried or baked in the oven.

With more complex dishes, such as marinated pumpkin, or pumpkin tortelli with parmesan and mustard, pairing must prefer a spicy and aromatic white wine.

We at Buonamico offer you our Vasario IGT Toscana, a pure Pinot Bianco that ferments and refines at 30% in French oak tonneaux for about 8 months. This combines the typical elegance of Pinot Bianco with a series of easily perceptible tertiary aromas. The nose is intense, complex, with hints of flowers and yellow-fleshed fruit, fused with vanilla and tropical fruit notes. On the palate it is broad and well structured, balanced and with a soft and persistent finish. Try it with shellfish with light sauces, baked fish, white meats with light sauces and semi-aged cheeses. Also enjoy it with sautéed pumpkin with rosemary or duck breast and pumpkin, for a combination that will leave you breathless.

The pumpkin, however, is also perfect for making desserts, and in particular the pumpkin tart, the Pumpkin Pie, the pumpkin muffins, the pumpkin and chocolate roll.

For these desserts, Tenuta del Buonamico proposes its Spumante Particolare Dolce, made with 100% Moscato grapes. Also in this case the sparkling wine is made according to the Charmat method: the sparkling wine is made directly from the must in an autoclave at a constantly controlled temperature. After the fermentation, which lasts about 120 days, there is an almost immediate filtration, followed by a few weeks of aging in an autoclave. Bottling is followed by a small refinement in the bottle.

The scent has hints of peach, exotic fruit, nutmeg, candied fruit and grapes, enriched with notes of sage, honey and orange blossom. Good freshness, on the palate it is soft, floral, intense, pleasant, with a long lasting taste -olfactory and a fine and elegant perlage. Being perfect not only with leavened or sponge-based desserts, but also with dry pastries, we recommend it with pumpkin biscuits or pumpkin and cocoa shortbread, which will also be excellent for the classic “trick or treat”.

So, enjoy a Halloween party, don’t forget to uncork a good bottle of Buonamico wine, and you will see that the party will be even better!

 
 

Buonamico Shop

Il gusto della Toscana a casa tua

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Buonamico Soc. Agricola Srl - Sede Legale via Provinciale di Montecarlo, 43 55015 Montecarlo - Cod Fisc. E P. Iva 05585560963 - Registro delle imprese di Lucca 05585560963 Cap. Soc. 1.000.000,00 € Int. Vers.