Since I had already tried two new white wines I figured I'd experiment a bit with an Italian red. I looked for an Italian recipe that was relatively easy to make, yet tasty and would pair well with a less bold red wine. I found an easy chicken parmigiana recipe and I have been told that chicken parmigiana ALWAYS goes with a red wine so I figured this would be a perfect meal to try. I found this 750ml 2007 Reserve Monte Antico Toscana Sangiovese. It has 13% alcohol content, was grown in Tuscany, and as I did a bit of research on the bottle found out it labels itself as a "Super Tuscan," and is a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot. It also received 90 points from Wine Spectator, and was voted 2009 Best Value for a Super Tuscan. The bottle has a screw top so while I began cooking the meal, I unscrewed the bottle to let it breathe a bit.
The Chicken Parmigiana and Spaghetti were a combination of classic Italian flavors (or Americanized Italian flavors...) Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella, garlic, basil, breading, plump red tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. The chicken took about 30 minutes to cook in the oven so I poured a glass of the wine to see how it tasted before I tried it with the food. The coloring was fairly light for a red wine, which is typical of Sangiovese. It was more of a light, soft maroon color. I gave the wine a swirl and a sniff and it had a pretty strong nose. I guess the best description I can make of it was earthy (like dirt and grass) but also plum-like and reminded me of a dark fruit, maybe like a prune. My first taste of the wine was a bit strong, it was more full bodied than I had expected. I'm usually a Cabernet Sauvignon drinker when I drink reds so I guess I was a bit surprised by the difference in the Sangiovese. Overall I liked the wine as I had more than one taste, it kind of grew on me as I was able to appreciate the different flavors present in the wine.
Once the chicken and the spaghetti were finished cooking I cut up and heated some garlic bread and marinated some kale to add a bit of green to the dish. I figured since to me, kale tastes like a combo of spinach and arugula, so it would probably pair well with the Italian flavors.
Next I started eating the Chicken Parmigiana and Spaghetti and took a sip of my wine. The boldness that was originally there in the wine wasn't as present anymore. It took on an almost more fruit-like flavor, and was less earthy. I noted some strawberry, or blackberry type flavors but the prune aspect was still there too. It was actually an awesome combination with the chicken parmigiana, and I guess I can understand now why Chianti and Sangiovese is pretty much always paired with Italian dishes.
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