Lasagna pairing?

yeah, but you can't deny me this time!

Well, it has become a typical Campanian dish over the centuries, whatever its origin. In any event, Campanian wines are the first choice for such a dish.

Some Barberas are indeed highly tannic.

Guess where Vilco is from... ;-)

Villi, time to get me some more of that 60 month old P. Reggiano from Gennari...

That could be said about many red wines. Some brands high, some low tannins whether it be Barbera, Syrah, Cab, Zin etc. Depends on the winemakers tastes and skills.

Si!

These are familiar to me. I have some Valtellina Inferno in my stock right now.

Speaking of P. Reggiano, my local italian deli has been getting me "red cow" that's just amazing. I was surprised to see it here but it's well worth the price at about $16 USD per pound. I enjoy munching on a piece with a glass of Amarone.

bastardization

Yeah, that sounds delightful!

That's a real woman , Dale ;)

LOL

Don't worry, I'll be there on my road to Mariella ;)

ricotta cheese and a tomato based sauce?

I seem to find Cab Franc added to many wines. Do you drink 100% Cab Franc? If so, can you tell me what brand it is? Interested, Dee Dee

Cab Franc is a commonly used blending wine, it is hard to find bottled pure. However, Husch has some really nice Cab Francs, and I recently had a Lang and Reed 2004 Cab Franc that was very good. Cab Franc, btw, is also a good match for barbacued turkey.

Jose

ricotta cheese and a tomato based sauce?

The best examples of Cab France are generally Loire Reds such as Touraine, Saumur Champigny, Bourgueill etc.

There are numerous California wineries who produce 100% or near 100% Cab Francs. I just came back from wine tasting in central California and saw quite a few. I'll have to dig up my notes on just which ones did. Mostly in the region between Buellton and Paso Robles.

ricotta cheese and a tomato based sauce?

I googled and found this information and read more information about northeast Italy:

"Cabernet Franc is also ingrained in the wine-producing regions of north-east Italy, to the extent that, as in the Loire, it is often bottle simply as 'Cabernet.' (Consumers expecting Sauvignon need know this or receive bottle shock!) Red wines from Friuli, Veneto and Trentino in particular maintain a solid, but internationally disregarded, reputation for the grape. Cab Franc is also the grape of choice among growers in Kosovo, should you find yourself in that nation's wine regions for any reason!"

I'm not sure what they mean by "need to know this or receive bottle shock!" Which would be more expensive? I assumed Cab Sauv would be, so I don't understand that sentence. Thanks. Dee Dee

If I bought a cabernet Sauvignon and the wine inside was Pinot Noir, I would probably get "bottle shock". Ditto the reverse.

Jose

Are you saying they mean that if you bought a bottle of Cab Sauv and inside it was Cab Franc instead, one would get bottle shock? I don't quite understand the Pinot Noir analogy. Thanks. Dee

What that comment means is that the character of the two grapes is quite distinct: Cab franc is not as big, as tannic or as fruity as most Cab Sauvignon. Instead, it often has (especially if it comes from the Loire) an herbal, leafy, vegetal character that some oddballs such as myself and a few others here find very attractive. Cab Franc is also leaner and more acidic than Cab Sauvignon.

HTH Mark Lipton