Bresaola

Bresaola

Assuming thin slices of bresaola with rocket, lemon, olive oil and shaved parmesan.

Bresaola is lean, air dried beef, salty and faintly mineral. With so little fat, heavy tannin has nothing to soften it, and the lemon and bitter leaves ask for acidity. A light to medium red with bright acidity, or a pale, savoury pink, suits it best.

Pairs Perfectly. Nebbiolo from the Valtellina, Italy. Grown in the Alpine valley where bresaola is made, lighter than Barolo, with rose, red cherry and bright acidity. The salt of the meat softens its grip, and its acidity meets the lemon and rocket.

Pairs Well. Zweigelt, Austria. Sour cherry and pepper with almost no tannin, and inexpensive.

Pairs Well. Pale Sancerre rosé, Loire, France. Dry and delicate with red berry and a chalky finish, for bresaola with lemon and rocket.

Worth Seeking Out

Mondeuse from Savoie, France. An alpine red, peppery and fresh, from mountains that also cure their own beef.

Avoid

Heavy, tannic, oaky reds. With little fat to soften it, big tannin tastes harsh against lean beef, lemon and bitter leaves.

Failing That

A Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, northern Italy.

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