Summertime: Rosato and Light Red Wines with Bruschetta
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Tomatoes are ubiquitous in the Italian cuisine, so much so that there is a popular saying for someone who shows up in any sitution: "Sei come il podoro, salti fuori dappertutto" ("You are like the tomato, which shows up in any recipe"). In fact, Italians enjoy this produce in simple salads, slicing them up when they are not completely ripe, still partly green, yet are so flavorful, and of course, in sauces of any kind. But there's another simple, summery preparation that's an everybody's favorite: bruschetta.
Fresh tomatoes and basil, chopped and spread on slices of toasted homemade-style bread rubbed with garlic. Add just a pinch of salt and pepper, drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil, possibly Italian, and what some foreigners have been heard calling "summer pizza" is ready to go. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and it's delicious, as mid afternoon snack or hors d'oeuvres.
To wash it down the best are fresh Rosato (Rosé wine) and light reds. Such wines echo the tang of the tomatoes and have a refreshing, summer feeling.
If you happen to be in Italy, drink local wines of this kind: Rosato del Salento if you are in Apulia, Monica di Sardegna if you are in the beautiful Mediterranean island of Sardinia, light house Chianti in Tuscany, Bardolino or Valpolicella in Veneto, young Barbera in Piedmont or frothy Lambrusco in Emilia.
Serve the bruschetta fresh, as soon as you prepare it, with the wines cool or slightly chilled. Your family and friends will think that you have become a gourmet chef overnight, while they were asleep.
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