Soups & glasses

An emblem of mostly home-cooked regional cuisine, simple but comfortable, and the protagonists above all of the autumn (and winter) tables, soups have been making a comeback for some time now, making room on the menus and conquering even the most refined palates. So why not think of daring something more even in pairing, going beyond the classic territorial pairing or in any case with wines of few pretensions? If made according to the rules, more or less rich and strictly seasonal, a good soup can also go well with great labels.

Take, for example, a great classic of the French tradition – the onion soup – which is also very popular on this side of the Alps where it finds different regional variations, from the Piedmontese mitonata soup to the Tuscan carabaccia. It is a recipe based on poor ingredients: onions, stale bread, cheese and broth, which in the French version is chicken (and in Piedmont chicken). Yet it is said that it was born, literally, as a royal dish; it would have been created to satisfy the sudden night hunger of King Louis XV of France with what was in the pantry: onions, butter and champagne. Substantial and tasty dish but with its own elegance, it goes well with a structured white, enveloping but at the same time fresh and as elegant as Jermann’s Vintage Tunina, a great Friulian wine – to be exact, Venezia Giulia IGT – the result of a blend of native and international vines (Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Ribolla giallo, Istrian Malvasia, Picolit) and partially aged in wood.

Even more rustic, the potato and leek soup is equally delicious and invigorating, especially in the velvety version, with the sweetness of the tubers enlivened by the delicately pungent flavor of the vegetable. In this case, we see very well a Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Doc such as that of Valentini: a vine for too long neglected, it has been elevated to a prestigious and legendary wine by the work of great winemakers such as the Valentini. The result is a complex and generous white characterized by a nice flavor and an acidic shoulder that tempt you to drink it one sip after another. A very versatile wine, which goes well with practically everything and has an almost infinite longevity.

Staying on typically autumn recipes, let’s imagine a delicious steaming mushroom soup, perhaps scented with wild herbs. To accompany it, another “Nordic” white – in this case from South Tyrol – such as Alois Lageder’s Löwengang could be ideal. Chardonnay in purity, remains on the lees for up to a year in barriques and large barrels and is characterized by freshness, flavor and complexity, with an enveloping body and an aromatic bouquet ranging from fruit to butter with light smoky notes. However, if, for example, it were a slightly more rustic recipe – perhaps slightly “dirtied” with tomato, with the addition of meat or bacon and served in the hollowed out loaf – a red could also be great; and why not a great red, like Stella di Campalto’s Brunello di Montalcino which, thanks to a great and respectful work in the vineyard and in the cellar, is one of the leading names in the prestigious appellation. Charming, harmonious, incredibly rich and complex and with a very long mineral finish, it is definitely a wine to share with someone you care about.

Then there is the whole chapter of legume soups, a real universe with a thousand possible facets: from the almost sweet delicacy – enlivened by rosemary and pepper – of chickpeas to that of beans which, however, often combine with tomato (as in beans ‘little bird) and often with the thrust of a generous basic sauté. In this case, especially if the legumes are mixed in the pan (including lentils or broad beans) and combined with a cereal such as barley or spelled, in the glass you need something that can “hold”. For example, the very good Konrad Oberhofer Gewürztraminer Pirchschrait by Hofstätter, a tribute to the grandfather of the winemaker Martin Foradori: it is a truly unique and surprising Gewürztraminer (it stays ten years on the lees in 500-liter barrels), rich in matter yet graceful, which fascinates with aromas of tropical fruit and spices and mineral hints both in the nose and in the mouth.

If you then move on to something even more challenging in the dish, combining the legumes with fatty meat – such as in the bean soup with pork rinds – or other rich ingredients, as in the traditional legume soup with chestnuts and mushrooms widespread in the countryside of the ‘Central Italy, we can also bring up a great red. And if we want to exaggerate why not open a Barolo? For example that of Margherita Otto, the Piedmontese cellar of the American Alan Manley, released for the first time with the DOCG seal with the 2015 vintage: a gem produced in only 2608 bottles, it is very elegant and fragrant and with a tannin already mature. It will certainly make our soup unforgettable.

– Luciana Squadrilli 20.10.2020

Luciana Squadrilli is a professional journalist specializing in food and wine, she collaborates with Italian and foreign guides and magazines, telling the best side of Italy (and beyond). Editor of Food&Wine Italy and food editor of Lonely Planet Magazine Italy, she deals with pizza and oil with particular attention, she loves Champagne and is the author of several titles including La Buona Pizza (Giunti) and Pizza e Bolle (Edizioni Estemporanee).