Everyone needs that quintessential neighborhood sushi joint- preferably within stumbling walking distance of their home. I have found such perfect qualities in Three Monkies Japanese Kitchen, in Huntington Beach CA. Corkage is reasonable and the Chef, Yoshi-San, likes a glass of Italian wine…
I’ve tried many Japanese-food-and-wine pairings before, generally leaning to well-structured sparklers… but this simple Ciro Rosato from Azienda Agricola Scala was truly perfect. There is a salinity to Calabrian wines paired with a real stony minerality and earthiness that I just love with the sweet-salty tones of Japanese flavors. Scala’s version is bright and packed with fresh-fruit aromas and an acidity that just begs for crunchy salty foods. 100% Gaglioppo grapes… 100% Calabria!
Braised, marinated sea snails- sweet soy and salty seawater.
Gaglioppo Rosato refreshes after smoky dashi broth and clams.
Simply-seasoned, tempura-battered crab legs beg for Galgioppo’s acidity.
Gaglioppo is really the perfect grape for a Rosato-style wine. It retains all the structure of a red wine, but lifts the flavors into something lighters, more flirty and full of crushed strawberries and sunshine. As Shelley Lindgren (of A16 and SPQR) has said, “Gaglioppo is the secret grape for Rosato”.
Yoshi-San and I totally agree.
