La Monacesca Verdicchio di Matelica: Sarah's Queen of the Oscars

The Academy Awards are my personal Super Bowl. I’m always incredibly delighted when they fall on a Sunday that does not interfere with the actual Super Bowl (thank you, TV Gods!) because I park myself in front of the TV and watch 3 hours of red carpet interviews and fashion commentary leading up to the actual awards show. Nobody else can get anywhere near the TV, period. We go all out—popcorn and Champagne during the red carpet, fancy printed ballots, and a gold paper crown and chocolates for the guest with the most correct predictions at the end of the night. It’s a fab party Chez Moi!

This year, for the 2020 Oscars, we decided on an Italian themed party, inspired by one of my favorite Italian white wines: the 2017 La Monacesca Verdicchio di Matelica. The 2017 La Monacesca Verdicchio di Matelica shows lovely citrus and stone fruit aromatics that continue onto the palate, juicy and delicious, followed by a lively minerality and mouth-watering acidity that makes me keep refilling my glass. It’s the perfect wine for a fresh spring day, when the temperatures are starting to warm up, and sunny skies dare you to sit on the patio in the early afternoon with a glass of wine. Or in my case, in front of the TV ooh-ing and ahh-ing over my favorite movie stars. (Brad Pitt, I’ll be your date next year!)

As I am a huge fan of Ina Garten, I turned to the Barefoot Contessa Cooking for Jeffrey cookbook for her fabulous Butternut Squash & Ricotta Bruschettas to serve to our guests. The roasted butternut squash and caramelized onion mixture gets a healthy splash of maple syrup and apple cider vinegar before going on top of the creamy ricotta. The La Monacesca Verdicchio di Matelica’s citrus and minerality work perfectly with the creaminess of the ricotta and the sweet richness of the butternut squash, while the caramelized onion keeps it from feeling cloying. Both the bruschetta and the La Monacesca went down very quickly for everyone—molto delizioso!

Next year, I’m sure that I will turn again to the Barefoot Contessa for another inspirational recipe to pair with another fabulous wine. I wonder if the Academy will ever have a category for Best Wine & Food Pairings? Maybe I should write them a letter….

Until next year—Happy Pairing!

- Sarah Covey