Pasta con le Sarde and the Masterpiece of Marches

Pasta con le Sarde relies on a mix of flavors that you wouldn’t expect to work together, yet manage to balance each other out into a heart-warming, thoroughly enjoyable plate of pasta.

The onions and fennel add a sweetness to counteract the slight saltiness of the fish, while still allowing the flavor of the sardines to remain center stage. The currants reset the palate each time you happen upon one: A burst of briary, sweet fruit intermingles with the rich toasted pine nuts and almonds.

When it came time to select wines to go with this preparation, Verdicchio makes the match. Any Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi looks luminescent white gold in the glass with a bouquet of citrus fruit, lemon curd, orange blossom and an earthiness that is sometimes fresh cut grass and other times green olive.

This masterpiece of Marches has a crisp acidity with a mid-weight feel in the mouth as flavors of peach and lime danced across the tongue with a semi sweet mid palate performance and an herbal quality to the finish.

A great wine for a wide range of food but absolutely wonderful with the Pasta con le Sarde as its tongue curling acidity cut through the intense flavor of sardine and added wonderful complexities to each bite with its herbal fresh finish.