By Bruce Neyers

Saturday 19th October, 2024

Enjoying Zinfandel with Lulu – Over a memorable meal in Venice

I was introduced to Venice in the spring of 1994 when Barbara and I traveled there to attend a friend’s birthday party. It wasn’t really extravagant, as we had already planned to meet in Paris after my business trip to France, so we just postponed our return home by a few days. We arrived at Venice Airport, then took what someone once described as the world’s most expensive taxi — a speedboat — to our modest hotel off the Grand Canal. At the birthday dinner that night, we were delighted to meet up with Lulu Peyraud, the larger than life personality behind Domaine Tempier in Bandol. As we were leaving, one of the guests invited us to join a small group for lunch the following day at the justly famous Harry’s Bar. Lulu was included, so she joined us for our midday walk to the restaurant. Along the way, she was tightly clutching a cloth bag containing a few bottles of wine. Our host had reserved a private area in the upstairs dining room. Soon after we were seated, glasses of Bellinis appeared, while our server went over the day’s specials. Our host knew the restaurant well and mentioned one dish we should try — Pasta with Baby Artichokes. Lulu, Barbara and I were seated together, and our plates of steaming pasta soon appeared. It was drop-dead delicious. It deserved a glass of red wine, so I asked for the list. Lulu, though, had already begun to act. In her cloth bag was an assortment of California Zinfandel, recent gifts from a visiting acquaintance. Lulu remarked that California Zinfandel was ideal with artichokes and opened the bottles while our server stood by and watched. I don’t know if he was confused, or merely dazed, but he wasn’t about to argue. We drank the Zinfandel with the pasta dish, and I’ve never thought of artichokes the same way since. After our return home, Barbara worked on a recipe for pasta with baby artichokes, and we now enjoy her version frequently. I invariably open a bottle of Zinfandel when she makes it.

We had a bottle of Neyers 2021 Zinfandel ‘Vista Notre’ last week and reminisced about that memorable lunch with Lulu. Joe Swan once remarked to me that if the first responsibility of any wine was to be red, its second was to be Zinfandel. Our 2021 Zinfandel ‘Vista Notre’ is a low alcohol wine made from grapes grown on a windy outcropping of rocky loam at the base of the Sierra Foothills, just north and east of Lodi. The small clusters ripen evenly and slowly. It’s a complex wine, bright and fresh, loaded with exotic berry flavors. It’s easy to drink, and will make your favorite pasta dish even better.

Pasta with Sautéed Baby Artichokes and Pancetta

Ingredients

• • Orecchiette pasta or pasta of your choice
  • 2 ½ pounds baby artichokes
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • ½ onion thinly sliced
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 slices of pancetta ¼ inch thick, cut into lardoons, then pan sautéed
  • ¼ cup toasted breadcrumbs
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation

1. Snap off the outer leaves of artichokes, leaving only white leaves.
2. Trim stems and cut off thorny tops. As you trim the artichokes, place in bowl of cold water and lemon juice.
3. Cut artichokes in half or quarters depending on their size.
4. Cook pasta according to instructions on the package.
5. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the onion in olive oil until clear in color.
6. Add the artichokes and continue to sauté over medium heat until tender to a fork’s touch — approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Toss the artichoke, onion, and pancetta with the pasta, and top with toasted breadcrumbs.