Italian Wine and Menu Pairing Help!

[Finsmom]

Hello! I am hosting my first "grown up" :) dinner party next weekend. The party is for 8 people. Each couple is assigned a dish (salad, app, dessert), with me preparing the main course. Each couple, and me, must also bring wine that pairs well with their dish. Both dish and wine must be Italian.

I was thinking of making a chicken breast stuffed with pesto and wrapped in proscuitto, with some kind of pasta side, as well as marinated bocconchini and cherry tomatoes on rosemary skewers. I would also serve home made foccacia bread with it.

Any ideas on how I could tweek this menu??? Any ideas on Italian wines to pair with it??? Any help would be really great!

[vvvindaloo]

Hi Finsmom,
I am not sure how far you are willing to tweak this menu, but I notice that a pasta dish, or primo, is missing. A grain dish such as rice or pasta would normally be served between the antipasto and the secondo (meat or fish). While pasta is not served a side dish in Italian cuisine, rice, polenta and fregola (Sardinian couscous) can be.
If you do make the chicken dish you described above, I agree with Maria Lorraine and others who recommend a white wine for the dish you have planned, and a side of rice cooked with olive oil a fresh peas, or perhaps some sauteed cremini mushrooms) would be nice. I would serve something light and refreshing with this dish, such as a Sicilian Grillo or a northern Italian Sauvignon Blanc.
On the other hand, if you were planning on serving a red wine, I'd suggest switching to a beef or veal dish (or possibly pork, depending on the preparation).

[ChefJune]

Amen to Maria Lorraine's comment. But it is okay to have an "all white wine" dinner, as long as your diners are okay with that! I like the concept of your disn, and think it would taste great, However, I would serve a Vernaccia di San Gimignano or Fiano di Avellino with that dish, not anything as acidic as Tokai.

[maria lorraine]

Just a thought that after an app and salad (if serving salad before, not after, your main course), then make your entree one that pairs well with red wine. Your chicken dish -- though nice -- doesn't work well with red wine.

[Megiac]

My first thought was a Tocai Friulliano. It is great with prosciutto, and should stand up well to the pesto as long as you don't go crazy with the garlic.

[Chicago Mike]

Hi Fins...

Does it have to be an italian wine? No worries.... the first wine I think of when looking at "chicken breast and pesto" is sauvignon blanc. You might see if your wine vendor(s) stock any Italian sauvignons from Collio for example....

My next choice in Italians would be a Chardonnay (or chardonnay blend), or a high-garganega Soave....

As for tweaks, if you're serving a sauvignon blanc and can incorporate plain goat cheese (a chevre) into the receipe somehow (either crumbled or in a sauce) you'll be way ahead.... very delicious. If it has to be italian, then use provolone val padana incorporated in some manner, also great with sauvignon blanc.