A Master Sommelier's Hidden Pasta & Wine Spots In NYC | The Wine Show

So where do you want to start? Do you want to go Capoletti first or Ravioli first? First I want to take a picture of it because it's so pretty. Here at Munchies, the camera eats first. Welcome to The Wine Show. I'm Master Sommelier Jonathan Eichholz, and we're here to explore the world of wine, one grape at a time. Today we're headed on a Sangiovese-fueled pasta crawl around New York City. I'm going to be joining Farideh as we stop by Roscioli, Missy Pasta, and Misara. Looking forward to having you all along for the journey, and cheers. Hi, good to see you. Good to see you as well. Are you ready for some pasta and wine? I'm ready. I'm starving and I'm thirsty. Oh my gosh, it's so cool down here. I love it. Definitely plenty of wine, I drank to say the least. This is awesome. So here we're starting where it all began, in Rome. We're going to be enjoying the super classic Roman pastas, and pasta was first made here by the Etruscans around the year 400 BCE. So with that, some old-school wine. I love it. So with that Sangiovese, you typically find it hiding around in Tuscany, just kind of a little north of Rome. So kind of wines and pastas that have grown up together over the past, you know, thousand years or so. So it's really fun about the list here. They feature Sangiovese from all the kind of classic areas. Fancy. So the cool place we're really going to check out at this stop is over here in Chianti Classico. What's super cool about this region is it was one of the first delineated winemaking regions in the world. Back in 1716, there was a duke who decided that he loved Chianti Classico, and was going to write it into a document that this is Chianti Classico and it's only these villages. So excited to check out something from here? Yeah, yes. What are your thoughts on stemless wine glasses? I mean, as long as you're having fun with wine, that's what matters. But the reason we have a stem is to keep the temperature of the wine consistent. So the second your hand's on that glass, it's warming it up. So here we're going to keep it relaxing at room temperature. Cheers. Tell me what you smell. Lots of things. I feel like this is one of those wines that you keep on going to the glass and something brand new pops out. But for me, I get like this kind of cranberry thing that's just bright and pretty and zesty, but like what really welcomes me into this wine is almost like a morrow-like, you know, orange peel, like fennel element to it, like black tea. I think it's also like really popping out to me here. What are you going to pair with this? Yeah, so what we're going to have today is three of the classic Roman pastas. We're going to start off with cacio e pepe, you know, good old cheese and pepper. Then after that, we're going to head over into gricia, where we add a little bit of guanciale into that blend, and then finish up with amatriciana, which adds tomato. You're speaking my language. Butter, cheese, fat, all that stuff. Fat equals flavor, right? Am I good at swirling? Am I swirling it well? So swirling 101 with amatriciana in front of us. So we can do different levels of swirling. So we'll start level one, easy mode. We'll swirl in circles on the table. Centrifugal force, you go as hard as you want, nothing's going to happen. Then we're going to take that kind of same movement and see we're not moving our wrist, it's more on like our elbow. And then we'll kind of take that up. And then we'll go to level three, which is then you add the wrist and do that similar motion. And then we can, you know, do the trick swirls and cool things along the way. But, you know, different levels of swirling. So wait, do you think I should be, should I be swirling every sub? You don't have to swirl every time. I think what's fun, swirling just feels cool at the end of the day. I mean, it looks really cool, that's why I'm watching. I'm like, I should be swirling more. But I think what's really funny swirls, what you're doing is you're pushing the aromatics up and out of the glass. So you can kind of like smell a bit more as you eat. And as someone who was in science before I was in wine, one of the really cool things is flavor is something you perceive kind of back here and not on your tongue. So for me, it's like getting all the aromatic kind of volatile things out, getting it into kind of my retronasal cavity and having it with the food just enhances all of the stuff. Like seeing Sangiovese as a thin-skinned grape variety. Yeah. You see how it doesn't really like stain the tiers? Like say you're doing Cabernet or something, it has to be like purple when you move it around the glass. Yeah. That's just because there really isn't that much color for this grape to even give off in the first place. So this is a nice one too, because it's not going to give me like red wine lips, I feel like. Definitely not. So especially after the couple of bottles we enjoyed today, you're going to be, you know, shiny clean. Like you said, I think that it does kind of like cut nicely through like the fat, the fattiness of like the richness. Not even the fattiness, it's like the richness of it. It's well balanced with this. It kind of like, they kind of pair harmoniously together in a really nice way. I think what was so cool is just seeing how multifaceted this wine is. Kind of how it paired with the tomato sauce and the Amatriciana. But here like that leathery, charcuterie, gaminess of the wine kind of really plays well with how much the guanciale shines here. And the pepperiness too. It has a nice pepperiness, obviously, to the pasta. And I think that this wine goes well with that too. So now we've done a little triumvirate of Roman pasta here. Grecia, Amatriciana, and Cacio e Pepe. Which of the three kind of stood out to you? Oh, the chef watching me and listening to me. I think that the tomato, I think, pairs really, oh, it's so tough. I think maybe the tomato pairs better. Not better. I liked the pairing more. But after we finish these kind of three very traditional, very classic, and perfectly executed pastas, we're going to hop over the East River and have a more modern take at pasta over at Missy Pasta. Sangiovese has a very deep history on the peninsula, starting back in Roman times. Sangiovese earned its name as the blood of Jupiter, thanks to its very savory, irony, and almost prosciutto-like palate. But with that, we find this great variety holding roots all the way from the mountainous north down to the Mediterranean south. In the glass, we're welcomed by this fresh, bright, and slightly dried red fruit that works its way towards these dried spices of fennel, basil, a little bit of tarragon as well. But at the end of the day, this grape is all about its savory edge, which makes it an outstanding food pairing with pasta. We're going Sangiovese again, right? Yep, we're continuing our little Tuscan journey today. But what's super cool about this list is super tight, really curated, kind of all these fun, newer producers. And I think that's one of the really exciting things about drinking Italian wine right now, is we're seeing the second or third wave of super talented producers. You know, in my very humble opinion, modern Italian wine didn't start until really after World War II. And here we have kind of like third, fourth, fifth generation kids who are starting all their own projects. So one of the things I love is when I go out and I look at a wine list and I don't know a single producer on it, because it means I get to, one, drink something fun, and two, learn. Anything catching our eye? Yes, everything. I'd never heard of this producer, Bacchanalic. Can you tell us a little bit about it? Yes, absolutely. They are super special. It's a couple of friends who studied for many years in Montalcino and just moved right across the valley onto Mount Amiata, which is sort of a huge dormant volcano. And it's actually higher elevation than Montalcino. So you get these really like fresh, bright, high elevation wines. They are making a really light and kind of vervey style of Sangiovese. So it's not your big rustic Tuscan style. It's a little bit more linear. It's a little bit more zippy and fresh and mineral driven. Oh, that sounds good. That sounds fun. It's delicious. Yeah, it twists my arm. Zippy. Zippy is the word. I'm into it. We have the 2022 Bacchanale Rosso Sangiovese for you. Perfect. That front label looks like a Bacchanal to say the least. Yes, that is actually the whole inspiration for the name. It is an ancient term for a privately funded party that kind of centered around fine wine, fine food, fine entertainment. So they are capturing that with this wine. Exactly. You're really improving the swirling today. Every stop we go. That is very nice. I feel like I'm about to have a party. Yeah, but I think the really cool thing about like when you get a bottle of wine and you get it poured in front of you, it's kind of what they're doing is making sure the bottle isn't flawed versus like, do you like this wine? Yeah. So I think here kind of making sure the wine's clean, clear and pretty and great to enjoy versus like, I don't really like the bottle of wine I ordered. Like you kind of have this really great and open conversation with a sommelier beforehand. So you kind of weed that out. But also if like you really don't like the wine, I think people are very happy to, you know, make it disappear. But with that, cheers. Yeah, Sicily. It's very fruity. It's a lot in line. I feel like the last one, you know, now I'm looking like you're like, you should see through it. Blah, blah, blah. This one is definitely, it's not as light as the other one, but I like it. It's like a good little progression to it. What's super cool about this is a winemaking technique they're doing. Here they were doing something called whole cluster or using a technique called carbonic. You're basically going to let the berries sit before you press. And when you let those berries sit, they're going to start kind of something called intracellular fermentation, which would create kind of all these really bombastic loud aromas of like this banana, laffy taffy, kind of strawberry roll-up thing we're getting here to make the wine like so fun and approachable and young. That's so good. That plays so well together too. And I feel like you have that toothy bite of the cappelletti and then kind of that chestnut that's with it as well. Just kind of plays super well into kind of the earthier elements of the wine here. And that just bright, juicy red fruit just envelops the whole thing. And it's almost like feels more deserty than savory. And there's like that nutmeg in it as well. It like hits right away, that bite. Wow, that was really good. And the texture of the pasta is really nice with this zippy. I love it. Is there any pairing that you're like, no, you just don't do that? Like in terms of like, yeah, like any like food and wine pairing that you're like, you would never, you should, you would never and you should never do that. Yeah, I think the only wine pairing you should never do in your life is like wine you don't like drinking with food you love eating. One of the classic things here is like in fine dining, people are always like, you can't have caviar and red wine. And there's some guests that just want to drink big, bold, over the top red wine that is typically quite expensive at a restaurant. And like, as a sommelier, you should always like lead with your guests happiness and you know, joy and intention. And like, you don't go out to eat and spend money on wine to be like, yeah, what you ordered kind of sucks. So I think like, there are a lot of pairing no's. But as long as the guest is happy drinking cool wine and eating great food, like that's what matters the most. Like, I do love a good pairing. And we always joke in restaurants that pairings pay the bills. But at the end of the day, like, guests being happy and eating something cool and drinking something cool is what matters the most. Okay, now I'm going to take you back in Manhattan. We're going to go to Masara, which is owned by Stefano Cecchi, who also has Resdora. He does amazing pasta, he does pizza and wine. What's super cool about this is we started the day in kind of the old school area of Chianti Classico, kind of jumped all the way into the 21st century with some cool kid high elevation, kind of IGT level wine. But now we're going to bring it back and play the hits over in Brunello. Hell yeah. What's so fun about Brunello, it's, though it's considered one of the greatest winemaking regions in all of Italy, it only really appeared in the late 1800s thanks to a family known as the Biondi Sampis. They basically thought they had this very special clone of Sangiovese called Sangiovese Grosso or Sangiovese with big berries. So they decided to make this wine that they called Brunello, presented it at a couple of world expos in the late 1800s and started winning award after award after award. Other really cool thing is the legal requirements here are insanely stringent. So the wine we're going to enjoy tonight is required to be aged a minimum five years before release and that would be kind of Brunello Normale and then at the reservo level that's up to six years. So definitely a wine that takes a lot of time to develop and become what it is before it makes its way out into the world. I know the food here more than I know the wine so I'm excited to hear about the wine. A few that I'm really jazzed about. I love Caprili. They're super old school, really elegant. They go with almost anything. They have the lift and brightness to pair with fish but they have that classic like bloody savoriness of Sangiovese as well. A lot of our food here is cooked on the open fire grill and so I feel like that little bit of smokiness in the wine is perfect for the food here. No, that sounds absolutely amazing. You gotta love the Italians. Never listen to their own rules but tonight we're gonna play by them. Although the wine rules are like the most intense rules in Italy. They don't follow traffic rules but the DOCGs don't mess with them. Perfect, yeah. So I guess we'll hang out in the DOCG world today. We'd love to. Check out the Caprili. All right, I'll grab that for you. Thanks so much. Absolutely. Thank you. First thoughts when you look at this. What are you drawn to? Yeah, I feel like considering that we're going with Brunello Montalcino which would be quite a savory and dense style of wine. I think something more weighty and powerful so the Brunello can kind of act as the high note to go for the pairing there. That Candele sounds absolutely amazing. It does sound good. But the Pasta Mista sounds like a lot of fun. Who doesn't love a little mixed pasta shape along the way? I mean, I agree. Oh. Yeah. It's a winner. Thank you so much. That is spot on. It's a good reaction. Yeah. Oh, I just know it's going to be insanely delicious from the nose. Like you get this really bright tea that jumps out of the glass kind of like lapsang souchet and like the smoky earthy kind of red element to it. But the fun thing with Brunello, right, because it's aged for such a significant period of time, the fruit almost dries out a little bit. So kind of where this is in Brunello is it's in kind of the southwestern corner of the area called Tavernella. And this is known for very sunshine-driven wines. And then when you take all that ripe, rich and fleshy fruit and age it in barrel for a while, it like calms down but also dries up around the edges, which I think makes it aromatically just insane. So I'm excited to take a sip now. Yeah. I've had a couple of sips and it's pretty good. What do you think? Oh, I think this is an absolute crush with all of our pasta. It lives up to that. It very much lives up to the hype. And I think what's cool with Brunello, right, like as I'm talking, my tongue's like... Yeah. Like here is the most structured, most well put together and like serious examples of Sangiovese that exist. And my tongue going like this is the elevated acid in the wine interacting with my salivary glands, just getting me ready to eat more pasta and have more butter and salt and cheese. And I am so ready for it. So chef, I do have a question for you. I've never seen a mixed pasta like this with all the different shapes. What's the story of this brand? So Campania has always been very poor, right? So in Graniano, that's the area of Campania where they like, where they actually dry the pasta over 48 hours by spec, right? And back in the day, the pasta maker was always very poor. And so whatever they had leftover pasta, they used to put it in a bag and then bring it home. Well, to even make it go even farther, they used to put potatoes inside. So you have pasta mise with scamorza and potatoes and pomodoro. And I'm telling you, it's a classic from Napoli, but so delicious. Wow. We have a lot to go through right now. It's a lot. So do you want to work our way inside out, outside in? How are you feeling here? I'm going to go right for this. All right, you called it. Raviolini first. I'm just going to bite on into it. That's pretty good. It's like one of the classic tasting notes of Sangiovese is like tomato leaf, tomato water, like tomatoes. And like, I feel like the freshness of kind of the style of wine with the tomatoes just match pitch so hard. Like all that bloody, savory irony element really just added more character to the bite. I like this. It's also very simple. Yeah. Which I like. That's really good though. I feel like for me, the winner is like this. Chef was talking about this is a pasta inspired by, you know, the Southern Italian struggle. We're like, this is a wine that's brought about by Central Italian nobility. And it's kind of really cool that we get to have both of these things on the same table, which is something that never could have happened before the 21st century. So I do have one more spicy question before we end the day. The aliens land tomorrow and they're like Faraday. We heard about this earthling thing called Sangiovese. What are the three words you're going to use to describe the grape? Zippy, leather, Sicilian. What are yours? I feel like the three I'm going to go with here, like that fresh and bright red fruit that has like that little dried edge to it. I think second is that zippy structure here and how bright the wine is that cuts through a lot of the fat of all the pastas we enjoy. And then last thing is like that leathery, irony, meaty, bloodiness that almost makes this just like a very thoughtful wine that hits every point of what makes wine delicious, right? It has really fun, bright fruit. It has this really savory undertone and structure that is just refreshing and makes you want to eat and drink more. Honestly, zippy is my new favorite word. So yeah, I'm in. I'm in. I heard you're changing your Finstagram to Zippy Longstocking, so here we are. It is. Follow me there. You know what they say in Italy, one isn't drunk, they just haven't eaten enough.