I am so predictable.  Working in a restaurant, I am fortunate enough to eat most of my meals here at Babbo.  Before service is Family Meal, where everybody sits down around 4:00 and eats together before the night begins, I always drink water.  Towards the end of service (usually around midnight) a few nights a week I sit down either at the bar or at a table, and eat what we call "Officer Meal", where I am able to have something off the menu.  This gives me a chance to try new dishes and find pairings.  Time and time again, I turn to my trusty friend,

sparkling wine.  Sure, there are plenty of dishes that require an earthy Nebbiolo like the Garganelli with 'Funghi Trifolati' (hand-rolled penne with various thinly sliced, sauteed mushrooms and butter) or a herbaceous, zesty Sauvignon for the Mint Love Letters (ravioli in the shape of an envelope with mint and peas inside, finished with spicy Merguez-sausage based tomato sauce), or even a Vin Santo with our Goose Liver Ravioli- this is our play on the classic French pairing of foie gras and Sauternes.  But some dishes, I have found, pair with nothing better than a sparkling wine or Champagne.

Why is that?  Acidity and body.  Sparkling wine/Champagne almost always has a remarkable amount of acidity, which is a crucial element in pairing food and wine.  Acidity makes your mouth water, essentially, which helps 'cut through the richness' of many, many dishes.  Also whether the wine is based with Chardonnay/Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier (like Champagne) or Chardonnay/Pinot Bianco (like Franciacorta) or even Prosecco or any other grape that is made into something sparkling, it retains the basic fruit notes of the grape, but presents it into a much more compact package.  When the wine is a sparkling Rose, it is like a red, but on a smaller scale.  The acidity is again there, which is something that lacks in many New World/modern style reds these days. I prefer to drink mine in a Bordeaux glass, where I am able to get more of the aromas, and treat it like the wine that it is; it does not bother me that I lose sight of some of the bead- those bubbles have been in that bottle for quite some time, and aren't going anywhere anytime soon (or for the time it takes me to consume it at least).

Last night I sat down to my gorgeous rabbit: the loin grilled, the back leg braised in Vin Santo, and the front leg confited, served with peas and carrots.  I had two glasses in front of me:  Morellino di Scansano by La Mozza, a Sangiovese-based red from Southwestern Tuscany, smooth and full of sexy red fruit and a Rosato from Fruili, made with Refosco by Bastianich.  Neither, unfortunately, worked.  The Morellino was too dense for the delicate meat of the rabbit, and the Rosato hit all the wrong notes, berries where there should have been more lemon.  So I got a third glass, this one a Franciacorta by Wertmuller, 100% Chardonnay sparkling from Lombardia.  Slam-dunk.  With so much acidity, the Wertmuller was able to cut through the rich yet delicate braised meat, while standing up to the strong pancetta, and still playing game with the sweet carrots and peas.

About a week or so ago, it was the same game, but this time Veal Loin with Preserved Lemons and Caper Berries.  What did I choose but a Brut Champagne by Andre Clouet, 100% Pinot Noir from Bouzy.

House-made Pappardelle with Morels and Thyme? Lallier 'Grande Reserve' Brut, NV. Predominately Pinot Noir (about 70%) with the rest Chardonnay, it had a powerful blast of zing on the palate to work with the butter and thyme. The fruit from the Chardonnay was great with the earthy mushrooms.

Warm Lamb's Tongue Vinaigrette with Morels, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Black Truffle and a Poached Egg? This one calls for a Rose, and I would find a friend in Delavenne Brut Rose NV. Rich berry notes and a creamy mouthfeel mirrored the texture of the egg, and had acidity to play nice with the yolk. 

So, while there are lots of still wines that would work well with all of these dishes, I find great joy in drinking nothing more than a nice Sparkling Wine or Champagne, because to me, they are the most food friendly wines one could hope to find.