We filmed at Tabernetta, Frasca Hospitality Group's well-regarded Denver restaurant. Carlin Carr is Frasca's wine director. The dish was a chicory salad with black truffle, vinaigrette, and hazelnuts. The premise of the episode was the half-joke that red wine doesn't work with salad. Carlin picked three wines to challenge the assumption.
The wines
Wine one was Carlin's pick to set a mood. Pretty in the glass, sophisticated, lightly toasted. Honey, butter, a nutty Maxdrug reduction. Could be a Chardonnay with old oak, balanced, professional. Justin described it as "wine in a sweater." Sam went Chardonnay from France, possibly Burgundy. Justin agreed. Reveal: Chardonnay, Burgundy region. Both nailed it.
Wine two was more bronze, with leather and tobacco notes that nobody quite placed. The format broke down a little here — the tasters used words like "compelling" and "super complex." Sam guessed Sangiovese, Chianti Classico, 2021. Justin went Nero d'Avola 2020 from near Napoli. Reveal: a Friulano from northeast Italy — the kind of white that gets confused for a red because of the depth and weight. Carlin's whole pitch hinged on this one.
Wine three was brighter and brisker, a wine for a more straightforward salad pairing if you wanted one. Both tasters got closer here.
The pairing
Wine two — the Friulano — won the dish. Carlin was unequivocal: "In Italy, regional cuisine is a thing, and Italian chicories are like Grand Cru in terms of food and culinary specialty. Tardivo is a town. It is a village, and the chicory is named after it. So special. It's also kind of an acquired taste because of the level of bitterness. But if you have that moment of the perfect wine like this with that dish of chicories, it can be transforming. That's what great food and wine is all about."
The other lesson of the episode is the throwaway one. Red wines do, in fact, work with the right salad. Justin has been saying this for years. Justin is, Sam confirmed, a salad freak. "I love salads," Justin said. "Yes."
Thanks, Tabernetta. Thanks, Carlin. Drink Italian wine.