Abbona Barbera del Monferrato, Warm and Elegant #ItalianFWT

Our host, Gwendolyn from Wine Predator, invited us to this #ItalianFWT (FoodWineTravel) in a blog post that shared these five reasons for drinking Barbera:  What We Love About Barbera– 5 Reasons

• Full body
• High acidity
• Low tannins
• Intense ruby color with a pretty pink rim
• Can stand up to rich juicy foods from hamburgers to lasagna

and it’s often more affordable than those other Italian wines that start with the letter B!

I chose the Abbonna Barbera del Monferrato for this event. This is an elegant bottle of wine.  In fact, we used this wine to celebrate a recent job change for me. I am a retired school principal who works post-retirement at the University of Missouri as an education consultant for those who don't know me.  I have dedicated personal time to help develop the Missouri Teacher Development System and now I am going to be working full time on this project!  I am sad to give up one of my part-time positions as a field representative for a teacher evaluation system. That work was important to me and I believe in its effectiveness in improving teacher practice. 

Let's get back to wine.  

The red Barbera grape is grown throughout Italy, but the Piedmont region, at the foot of the Alps, produces the most celebrated Barbera wines, including Barbera d’Alba and Barbera d’Asti. Traditionally, Barbera exhibits sour cherry and other red fruit flavors, light tannins, high acidity, and medium body. When aged in oak, Barbera gains body and complexity.

This Barbera wine, the Abbona Barbera, was the child of Juliette Colbert de Maulevrier, a French noblewoman, who started what later became the Marchesi di Barolo winery in the early 1800s. Passionate about wine, she was one of the few women involved in growing and making at the time.

The Abbona family inherited Marchesi di Barolo and have been making astounding wines there since 1895. Today, Valentina Abbona, a sixth-generation producer, heads the winery. When she was a kid, her parents told her Juliette’s story and even now it inspires Valentina to follow her passion for wine. (source: Total Wines webpage)  I love a great story about a winery, don't you?

BRAND Abbona
COUNTRY / STATE Italy
REGION Piedmont
WINE TYPE Red Wine
VARIETAL Barbera
STYLE Elegant
ABV 14%
TASTE Black Fruit, Red Fruit, Nutmeg
BODY Full-bodied

PRICE POINT $18

The #ItalianFWT bloggers and wine experts have also written beautiful posts about Barbera.  Please go and check them out.

• Linda Whipple is Getting Reacquainted with My Old Friend Barbera on My Full Wine Glass.
• Nicole Ruiz Hudson has 5 Nights of Barbera on Somm's Table.
• Terri Oliver Steffes shares Abbona Barbera del Monferrato, Warm and Elegant on Our Good Life.
• Cindy Rynning writes It’s Time to Drink More Barbera! on Grape Experiences.
• Andrea Lemieux asks Wherefore art thou, Barbera d’Asti? on The Quirky Cork.
• Wendy Klik pours Vietti Barbera d’Alba Tre Vinge 2018; Organic, Sustainable, Bio-dynamic on A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• Camilla Mann is Exploring a Few Bottles of Barbera Plus Wild Boar Tamales + 2018 Cascina San Lorenzo Barbera on Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
• Susannah Gold shares "Barbera – A Look at Asti, Alba and Nizza on Avvinare.
• Jennifer Gentile Martin offers up The Abundance of Barbera in Piedmont with Fontanafredda on Vino Travels.
• Our host, Gwendolyn at Wine Predator, is featuring 2017 Aldo Clerico Barbera D’ Alba with Anchovies, Pizza, Sausage Orecchiette.

Classic Barbera food pairings include Italian cuisine, especially beef dishes and tomato-based sauces.  We have reduced our red meat intake so we decided to use a meaty scallop in this dish we developed for this wine.  We also exchanged traditional pasta for cauliflower rice.  We were very happy about these exchanges.

The pairing worked beautifully.  The rich tomato and olive sauce enhanced the deep red fruits of the wine.  The olives were very important to this dish, their saltiness with this deep wine was delightful.

Scallops with Tomatoes and Olives

Yield: 4

Author: Terri Steffes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

A delicious Italian inspired dish.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb scallops
• 1/4 t. black pepper
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c Barbera wine (or other dry red)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1/4 c olives
• fresh basil
• 2 c cauliflower, riced

Instructions

1. Thaw scallops, if frozen. Rinse scallops; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle scallops with the pepper; set aside. 
2. Set aside half of the diced tomatoes. In a blender or food processor, combine the remaining diced tomatoes and the juice from the can. Cover and blend or process until smooth; set aside.
3. Preheat a very large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add oil to hot skillet; swirl to lightly coat skillet. 
4. Add scallops to hot skillet; cook about 4 minutes or until golden brown and opaque, turning once. Transfer scallops to a warm platter; cover and keep warm.
5. Add wine and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the wine mixture is reduced by one-third. Add the reserved tomatoes, the pureed tomato mixture, and the broth. Bring to boiling then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken slightly.
6. Remove from heat; stir in olives. Divide hot, cooked riced cauliflower among four shallow pasta bowls. Spoon sauce over fettuccine; toss to combine. Arrange scallops on top of riced cauliflower. Sprinkle with basil. Serve immediately.

Calories

258.74

Fat (grams)

2.96

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.58

Carbs (grams)

17.40

Fiber (grams)

3.84

Net carbs

13.56

Sugar (grams)

4.24

Protein (grams)

37.31

Sodium (milligrams)

1447.69

Cholesterol (grams)

70.36

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