Schiava! My new friend from Alto Adige. This used to be most grown grape in the region, basically used to make table wine in bulk. Schiava actually means “slave” in Italian – a real workhorse grape for them back in the day. Now people have dialed back the yields and are pumping out some really nice wines. It’s whole purpose is to be a very light, easy drinking red that you can even serve with a little chill. There’s always a note of tarragon/herbal goodness too which makes it phenomenal with charcuterie, especially the regional fave speck. Ate my body weight in that last week, and washed it all down with Schiava!

Schiava + speck = the perfect pairing! PS have you ever tried white radishes with your charcuterie? Very good palate cleanser.

This was the full charcuterie platter in all its glory.

Clearly no one was happy I made them wait to dig into the speck while we took this pic.

Schiava is often blended with a small dose of Lagrein – a super heavy red that gives a dose of color and tannin. I actually like the 100% Schiava’s, but this one was quite good too with our spinach/brown butter ravioli. The reindeer liked it too.

We even went to a farmhouse up in the mountains one night where the guy cured his own speck! His speck cure recipe is a secret, but he said lots of salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and then some special ingredients. Truly a regional specialty.

The finished, fantastic product – bring on the Schiava!

Yesterday I gave you two of the best bottles I had, and it’s usually under 20 bucks. So get a slab of speck and a bottle and enjoy!