Farmers’ Market Pasta with Chiaretto di Bardolino, an Italian dry rosé, is my idea of enjoying the virtues of summer. Farmers’ markets are a favorite of mine throughout the year, but it’s in the summer months when they come into their full expression, vendor tables overflowing with summer produce and relaxed shoppers strolling and savoring the farmers’ summer bounty. And then there is rosé wine, not just for summer sipping, however, its bright acidity, hints of floral and citrus flavors, and thirst quenching freshness make for an ideal pairing to the cuisine and lifestyle of summer. American’s love affair with rosé wine may have originally been the product of the rosés from Provence, but as rosé’s popularity continues to grow so too do the styles, countries of origin, and grape varieties used in producing the swelling selection of rosé found on store shelves today.
This month my fellow Italian Food, Wine, and Travel Bloggers were generously supplied with samples of an Italian rosé called Chiaretto (key-are-et-toh) produced in Northern Italy on the shores of Lake Garda, 30 minutes from Verona. Chiaretto was new to me, but its origins date back to the 19th century. The Chiaretto winemakers initiated a “Rosé Revolution” with the harvest of 2014, focusing on producing a wine pale pink in color with more aromatic and floral notes.
Disclosure: The wines in this post were provided as media samples. All opinions are my own.
Chiaretto’s Style and Flavor Profile
Light to medium body, dry with notes of citrus, floral, herbs, apricots, berries, spices like cinnamon, cloves vanilla, and overall freshness.
Italian Indigenous Grape Varieties used for Chiaretto
Corvina is the primary red grape along with Rondinella and Molinara.
Food Pairings
Chiaretto’s light to medium body and freshness make it a food friendly wine for appetizers, charcuterie, pasta & vegetables, salads, fish, poultry, & pork that is grilled, roasted or fried, slightly spicy foods, and sushi.
My Tasting Notes
2017 Le Tende Bardolino Chiaretto Classico
12.5% abv | sample – $11.00 average price | blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Sangiovese
Produced in the Classico Bardolino zone on the eastern hills of Lake Garda in the Veneto region of northeast Italy. The soil type is clay with an average vine age of 5 years. Harvest is manual; grapes are macerated for 48 hours on their skins followed with two months aging in steel tanks on the lees. Le Tende Azienda Agricola
Light copper salmon in color. Light body and lean with bright acidity. Notes of red berries, citrus, and minerality.
2017 Albino Piona Bardolino Chiaretto
13% abv | sample – $8.00 average price | 80% Corvina 20% Rondinella
Produced in the Bardolino zone on the southern side of Lake Garda in the Veneto region of northeast Italy. The soils are morainic hills formed from ancient glaciers that took the rocks from the mountains and moved them down where vineyards are now planted. The vineyard age ranges from 10-25 years. Harvest is in September, and the grapes are skin macerated for 12 hours followed by fermentation and aging on the lees. Albino Piona
Light pink in color. Light+ body and medium acidity. On the palate hints of red berries, herbs, and stone fruit.
My Food Pairing
Both the Chiaretto rosés paired well with the Farmers’ Market Pasta. The rosés with their overall light body and refreshing acidity shared the lightness of the pasta with fresh vegetables and herbs. The fresh mozzarella was the perfect complement to the acidity in the wine. Summer produce from the farmers’ market makes for a classic summer pairing with rosé.
Farmers' Market Pasta
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. uncooked pasta; casarecce, fusilli or penne
- 8 oz. fresh haricot verts or small green beans, halved and trimmed
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups eggplant, cut into one inch size cubes
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic clove, minced
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 pinch Piment d' Espelette (optional to add a little spice)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella ball, torn into bite size pieces
- 2 cups fresh mint leaves (or combination of mint and basil), torn
- 3 scallions, thinnly slices
- flaky sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large stockpot bring the water to a boil, add two good pinches of sea salt and then add pasta. Cook for 2 minutes short of suggested time. Add the green beans the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and green beans.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a 12 inch sauté pan over medium high heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the eggplant and sauté, stirring until tender about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add 2 cups of the tomatoes and sauté for about 3 minutes. (Sprinkle with Piment d' Espelette of using) Add the wine and cook, stirring until the wine is almost entirely evaporated.
- Add the pasta, green beans, and remaining tomatoes. Stir. Add the butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, stir to combine, Add some of the pasta water if mixture is too dry.
- To serve; put pasta in a large flat pasta bowl and garnish with mozzarella pieces, and top with mint/basil and scallions. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt flakes and black pepper.
Join me and my fellow Italian Food, Wine, & Travel bloggers on Twitter Saturday, July 7th at 11:00 am ET using hashtag #ItalianFWT to follow the conversation. Check out their Chiaretto di Bardolino adventures below ~
- Jennifer at Vino Travels shared “Lake Garda says Hooray for Rosé with Chiaretto“
- Mike at Life At Table shared “Rosé Fatigue? Try Chiaretto”
- Li at The Wining Hour shared “Chiaretto Classico and Grilled Shrimp“
- Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Cam shared “Chiaretto Poured with Local Catches“
- Gwen at Wine Predator shared “The Key to Italian Rose? Chiaretto!”
- Lynn at Savor the Harvest shared “An Italian Surprise You must get to Know #ItalianFWT”
- Wendy Klik at A Day in the Life on a Farm shared “A Rosé By Any Other Name”
- Jill at L’Occasion shared “Chiaretto Goes With Everything: Italy’s Versatile Rosé Wine“
- Katarina at Grapevine Adventures shared “A Chiaretto is always a Chiaretto … a Valtenési not Bardolino #ItalianFWT“
- Lisa at The Wine Chef shared “Easy Quinoa Salad Paired With Chiaretto, A Delightfully Dry Italian Rosé”
- David at Cooking Chat shared “Discovering Chiaretto Rosé Wine and Food Pairings“
- Jane at Always Ravenous shared “Farmers’ Market Pasta with Chiaretto di Bardolino“
Jane, that looks delicious…and so, so perfect for summer. I’m heading to the farmers’ market after our #ItalianFWT chat. I might just make this for lunch. Cin cin.
I visited my farmers’ market before the chat. They open early since it gets so hot here. Let me know how you like the pasta if you make it. Of course, you can change the vegetables depending on your market. Cin cin!
It’s true that rose wine has taken the US by storm. It is everywhere you look. There is nothing better than coming home from the Farmers Market and turning the bounty you found into a lovely meal.
The selection of rosé is amazing, I love trying new regions and styles. I enjoyed the two Chiaretto di Bardolino rosés and am curious to compare the Valtenesi region producing Chiaretto on the other side of Lake Garda.
My weekend meals are the best with just purchased produce from the farmers’ market.
Your pasta dish looks amazing. I’ll have to seek out more Chiaretto to have with it!! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! Yes, more Chiaretto is on my list too!
Sounds like a nice summery salad that paired well with a fresh, fruity, and mineral Chiaretto.
Yes, it was a scrumptious summertime pairing, Italian rosé meets American farmers’ market. Interesting on the chat that pizza and pasta with tomato sauce would also make a good pairing, as long as they are both prepared in a more Italian style versus American style! That made me smile, but oh so true!
Yeah, the pizza indeed works very well as a pairing. Though it is true it needs to be an Italian way of pizza with good raw materials…a Scandinavian pizza and I guess an American would neither work as well. Food can be so different from country to country even though made in the same way, it is all about terroir also there.
Now that is what I call a Salad! Mmm. I love the way your article is organized Jane. Great post and pairing for Chiaretto.
Thanks Li. Thank you for hosting and introducing me to a new rosé, I look forward to tracking down some more bottles of Chiaretto to taste.
Nothing I love more than a fresh bowl of Italian inspired food! Been hooked on mint lately putting it in everything. I’ll bet it elevates this pasta dish. Nice combo Jane, cheers to Chiaretto!
Who doesn’t love Italian food…and wine! I am a herb fan, it is the only thing in my garden that the wild life doesn’t eat. I love adding fresh herbs when I cook. Cheers to Chiaretto!
Chiaretto is so perfect for summer seasonal foods. So versatile and affordable too — what a delight!
Well done.