Stone Crabs with Oltrepo Pavese

This month the #ItalianFWT group is making its way to Lombardy to visit the Oltrepo Pavese region. I am learning that this area creates amazing wines of all fashions, including sparkling, still, and sweet wines in all grape types.  You will find fabulous cuisine, interesting history, and charming traditions here as well.  I have to say thank you to Consorzio Oltrepo’ Pavese for providing us wine samples.  A special thank you to Savannah at Avvinare for arranging the samples for us!

The Oltrepo Pavese region is one of Italy's best-kept secrets. It's only 50 miles south of Milan, yet the tourism is relatively low.  That's good for the rest of us who like beautiful, authentic, and quiet areas to visit.  It is for sure on my bucket list, as the area produces 60% of the pinot nero (pinot noir) grape. The first pinot nero grape was planted in the area about 150 years ago by Count Augusto Giogidi Vistarino.  He believed the mild climate and the clay of the area would be ideal for growing.  This led to the first spumante in Oltrepo in 1865. What a great year that must have been!

The Metodo Classico Oltrepo Pavese is one of the DOCG wines of Italy, the highest degree of quality achievable for wine.  Even with this distinction, tourism has not yet developed, yet this area offers a true glimpse of authentic Italian culture.  There are castles, medieval villages, monasteries, views, and beautiful vistas.  There is a lot to explore in this unknown part of Italy.

We were given a beautiful rose named la Bolla. It is a flavorful and foamy wine with tastes of strawberry and cream, but not exceedingly sweet. There's enough acidity to keep a nice balance with the red juicy fruit. The wine is made in the spumante classic method, with 24 months on the lees plus six months in the bottle. It is 100% pinot nero.  The wine is a salmon pink color, with a thick but soft foam. It is a fresh and crisp wine.  We served this wine with stone crabs from Florida.

Florida stone crabs are quite the treat.  Florida accounts for 99% of the stone crabs harvested each year, making it a vital part of the economy.  This is the height of the stone crab harvest, and fishermen from our city go each year to fish and bring back stone crabs for land-locked Missouri.  Stone crab claws must be at least 2 7/8" long between the elbow joint and the top of the claw that is unmoveable.  

To cook them we like to do it the simple way: steam in saltwater and serve with drawn butter.  We serve them with new potatoes and broccoli, all covered with butter sauce.  Stone crab claws are fairly easy to break when they are fresh.  We loved the sparkling rose with the crabs, the acidity nicely cut through all that butter and created a lovely balance.  

Join my fellow #ItalianFWT bloggers as they explore this delightful area as well! 

• Payal of Keep the Peas shares Just Now Discovering Oltrepò Pavese.
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla adds Second Pours of Oltrepò Pavese Wines with BraisedShort Ribs and Puff Pastry.
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass brings Flying Under the Radar with an Oltrepò Pavese Sparkling Rosé.
• Terri from Our Good Life dishes about Stone Crabs with Oltrepò Pavese.
• Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog showcases A Taste Of The Unsung Wines of Oltrepò Pavese.
• Deanna from Wineivore posts Wine for the Priest! from Oltrepo Pavese, Italy.
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! waxes about the Surprising Wines of Oltrepò Pavese.
• Rupal from Syrah Queen posts Oltrepò Pavese Wines -One of Italy’s Best Kept Secret.
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley showcases 2 Pinot Nero from Oltrepò Pavese with Polenta, Taleggio.
• David from Cooking Chat reflects on Tasting and Pairing with Oltrepo’ PaveseWines.
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm checks out Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna paired with Oltrepo Pavese Wine.
• Liz from What’s In that Bottle suggests we Check Out 'the Other Side of the Pó' for Tasty Italian Wines.
• Jennifer from Vino Travels adds Pinot Nero in Abundance in the Oltrepò Pavese.
• Lisa from The Wine Chef writes Off The Beaten Path: Oltrepò Pavese, A Wine Region to Know About.
• Susannah from Avvinare writes about Wine Treasures To Be Found in Oltrepò Pavese.