What wine with Cioppino?

WINE TALK
41

Understood, but there are many examples of cioppino that look like seafood in marinara sauce. IMNSFHO, it ought to be a broth that allows the seafood to show through, not a thick sauce. Tomato is certainly the dominant ingredient, but it shouldn’t be overpowering. If it were me I’d drink the grassiest, most cat-pee-filled sauvignon blanc I could find.

42

The 09 Chateau Suau was actually really good… but I barely drank any of it with the meal. To busy cracking crab… [wink.gif]

43

Broth? blech! That’s where the problem lies. Cioppino is cooked in sauce but the sauce is not to be served on the table. Only the seafood. Cioppino is meant to be eaten with your grubby paws. Roll up your sleeves and have at it. The sauce is just for enhancing the flavor of the dish. Anybody caught using utensils during my Cioppino feeds gets a thorough talking to. The utensils come off the table when I pick up the salad plates. [soap.gif]

44

Brian, I think you should device $225 crab cracking tool with vaporised titanium grips!

45

Brian Tuite likes this

46

For me an Italian “frizzante” red works best with a spicy Cioppino -

Served slightly chilled, a “fizzy” Bonarda, Ruche or a top drawer dry Lambrusco -

47

All the French, Spanish and Italian recommendations made my freaking head spin.

It’s a dish invented in and native to the Bay Area, an old school California wine is always best. Always. If you’ve only had Cioppino in a restaurant - you’ve never really had Cioppino. It’s made in someone house. Newspaper or butcher paper is the proper table covering, and as stated - silverware is frowned upon. I personally like to start with Chardonnay from the Santa Cruz Mountains as I work through the crab and sourdough. Then as I get to the bottom of the 2nd bowl the red wines start to come out.

48

Thank you Paul! Finally.

49

Thomas,
Good call, but I’ll see that and raise you one. I like Amarone with Cioppino!

50

assuming the history is correct, nicely done [cheers.gif]

51

“The roots of the dish and name are from Italy…”

52

“In researching the recipe, I found a wide range of dates–from Gold Rush Days to the 1930s. Most food historians and cookbook authors don’t even try to fix the recipe in time, although all point to San Francisco as the place of origin.”

“Cioppino. A fish stew cooked with tomatoes, wine, and spices, and associated at least since the 1930s with San Francisco, where it is still a specialty in many restaurants (1935). The word is Italian, from a Genoese dialect, ciuppin, for a fish stew, and the dish seems to have originated with the Italian immigrants of San Francisco, who often used the crabmeat available in the city’s markets.”

53

From your link:

“The only thing definate about cioppino is that no one knows for sure when it originated. In researching the recipe, I found a wide range of dates–from Gold Rush Days to the 1930s. Most food historians and cookbook authors don’t even try to fix the recipe in time, although all point to San Francisco as the place of origin.”

also

In my experience the dish varies between the North Bay and the South Bay. We have and had, more Portuguese influence in the South Bay and here it’s often served with the Crab not added to the broth. There’s also more garlic used in the South Bay. We always finish with beef - either roasted or grilled in our house. Not traditional, but a homage to my Spanish Conquistador roots and our contribution to the culinary history of the area.

54

There is no doubt that Cioppino is a classic San Francisco dish - and one of my favorites - but there is also no doubt that it is Italian influenced -

The argument is what to serve with it - I’m not a big fan of overwrought red wines with dishes like this, that’s why I like Italian Frizzante reds with it - although I do agree with big oily Chardonnays going with it as well -

55

Hey, I like that Amarone idea.

When the wife makes a certain pasta dish with shrimp which just reeks of lemon juice we find that Amarone really rocks with it. It would be interesting to see what happens with cioppino, particularly if the broth/sauce is acidic.

Cheers,
Doug

56

Grenache-based Rose. Or Garnacha-based Rosado. I’m pretty sure Rosato would work too.

57

Digging up an old thread that I used to choose my own wine with Cioppino last night. I chose 2011 Wagner-Stempel Siefersheimer Riesling Vom Porphyr Trocken, and it worked perfectly. I wanted to get something not mentioned here, but highly acidic, as I knew this place did have a good dose of tomato in the broth (Bob Wood would have been pissed), and stick with white.

Just another option!

58

We make Cioppinio a lot. This recipe from '98 "Bon Appetit " is our basis. Of the many different pairings tried so far, my favorite has been Inama’s Soave Classico “Vigneti Foscarino”. Depending on what you pay, you can use it in the recipe.

59

Todd,
Thanks for reviving this thread as I enjoyed reading it the first time through. We have thrown acidic pinots at the dish as the way we make it is a little heartier. Barbera would work too. I do remember drinking anchor steam at phils in moss landing and liking it

60

Barbera