Saltimbocca alla Romana

Saltimbocca alla Romana

Saltimbocca sets tender veal under salty prosciutto and a leaf of sage, finished in a white-wine pan sauce, so the wine must handle the cured-ham salt, chime with the sage and still respect the delicacy of the veal. Lightness with acidity is the key. Avoid heavy tannin and oak.

Pairs Perfectly

A Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy. Light, high in acid and gently herbal, it meets the prosciutto's salt and the sage without ever overpowering the meat.

Pairs Well

A Spätburgunder from the Ahr, Germany. Germany's lean, high-acid Pinot Noir brings red fruit and a dried-herb lift that flatters the sage.

A Frascati Superiore, Lazio, Italy. The local white is fresh and faintly nutty, a clean, inexpensive foil to the salt.

Avoid

Tannic, oaked reds and heavy oaked whites, which bury the veal and the herb.

Failing That

A Bardolino, Italy.

If All Else Fails

Beaujolais, France.

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