A Perfect Summer Dinner with a Vino Called Falerio by Saladini Pilastri, Actually Being in Italy, is Really The Only Thing That Could Have Made It Better

By Saturday evening the rain storms had passed but the cooler air remained. It was a perfect summer evening for dining al fresco.

We made a wonderful Italian dinner and I happened to have just the wine to pair with it. 

The wine called Falerio from the vineyard of Count Saladini Pilastri, embodies all that is so truly exquisite in Italian white wines.

I am not talking about mass produced Pinot Grigio that has unfortunately become so popular here.

I mean the scores of unique regional wines, of relatively small production, that are conceived throughout Italy. Like this one made near Spinetoli, a sweet medieval town, in the Province of Ascoli Piceno of the Italian region called The Marches.

These are wines that are crafted to make the most of where they are produced. The unique terrior, the land, climate and culture of their place. The result is a unique and sublime wine experience.

It is a beautiful symbiotic relationship of nature and the women and men of these wonderful places. Fortunately for us we live in the world where we can can bring this right to our own backyards.

The meal was a Broccoli Rabe Pesto with an artisan pasta and Turkey Sausage from a recent Whole Living issue. The nutty bitter flavor of the pesto and meatiness of the the turkey, I could not find sausage so I made meatballs, found a wonderful enticing contrast in the bright dry flavors in the wine. Apple, pear, almonds and hazelnut. The crisp acidity dashed through the olive oil and garlic of the dish to a sensual crescendo.

We also had fresh New Jersey corn from the Montclair Farmers Market and a salad of greens, roasted red beets and sliced radishes. All the ingredients were from Italy or New Jersey farms.

I could close my eyes and imagine this feast on a long table in the yard of a Marche farm house or a Villa if I let my ideas fly. Happy people all around and the delightful aura that the Marches emanates from centuries of harmony with nature.

I had tasted this wine some weeks ago when it was presented at a tasting in New York. I was delighted to find it in the Stew Leonard's wines next to the Trader Joe's in Paramus. It was purely happenstance that I was there so clearly meant to be.

Try this wine you will not be disappointed.

Saladini Pilastri