Velvet Hammer
10 Downing's Christian Hammer touts Prosecco and its perfect companions
You'd expect Christian Hammer, the former wine director of Balthazar and Pastis, to be a Champagne devotee--especially now, in his role as head wine guy at 10 Downing Food & Wine, where the restaurant's three owners all hail from French backgrounds. Yet ever since Hammer (pictured) started George Wines Importers, which specializes in small-batch Italian wines, he's got the pulse of Prosecco.
Though Prosecco is produced throughout Italy's Veneto region, the only bottles worthy of DOC classification are made from grapes grown in the hills between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. It's this "Prosecco Valdobbiadene" that has Hammer hooked.
The taste of Valdobbiadene is pure terroir. It smells like mountain flowers and tastes like summer and fall fruits, with a crisp, chalky mineral quality. These vibrant fruity notes and clean, palate-cleansing finish work well with cheese, Hammer says. Here, he serves up his favorite bottles with their ideal cheese counterparts:
Malibran Prosecco Valdobbiadene "Ruio" Brut ($20) A beautiful, pale-yellow sparkling wine with soft effervescence and notes of lemon peel, pears and rose petals (winetherapynyc.com).
Pair with: Brillat-Savarin ($17.50 for 6 ounces) This bloomy-rind cow's-milk triple cream from France has big buttery flavors and a velvety texture (artisanalcheese.com).
Bortolotti Prosecco Valdobbiadene Brut ($16) Straw yellow with pear and melon flavors and a persistent, foamy texture (beaconwines.com).
Pair with: Blu di Bufala ($27 per pound) This creamy, slightly chalky blue from Italy's Piedmont region is made exclusively from raw buffalo milk (murrayscheese.com).
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