Avignonesi Nobile di Montepulciano 2014, DOCG

Founded in 1974, Avignonesi is a renowned Tuscan winery noted for its exceptional Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. For their Avignonesi Nobile di Montepulciano 2014, DOCG vintage, they wanted to do something different to celebrate this luscious wine and worked with Brooklyn-based artist Amrita Marino to create a series of ten attractive, playful, colorful, and contemporary labels for the bottles. The artwork aptly captures the spirit of Avignonesi. Saluti!

Avignonesi Nobile di Montepulciano 2014, DOCG, Italy Information 

Technical Notes: Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes harvested between 18 September and the 10^th of October. Medium-body. Ten years old, this delicious wine is ready to drink now and can also age a bit longer. This wine was aged 18 months in wood and spent more than 8 years in bottles. Awards for the 2014 wine include: James Suckling – 92 points, Wine advocate 91 points, Wine Spectator 90 points, and many others.

Bottle Notes: Avignonesi, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). Illustration by Amrita Marino. “Listening is Nobile.”

Tasting Notes: Red berries, floral, and balsamic notes on the nose continue the palate. Medium bodied with velvety soft tannins deliver an elegant and lingering long delectable finish.

Pairing Suggestion:  Luxury Experience – Zucchini, Tomato, and Portobello Napoleons

Our recipe for savory Luxury Experience – Zucchini, Tomato, and Portobello Napoleons complements the luscious flavors of Avignonesi Nobile di Montepulciano 2014, DOCG, and can be served as an appetizer or as a main course. Dessert Napoleons are layers of flaky pastry with pastry cream between each layer. For our savory Napoleons, we layer our vegetables and bechamel sauce between layers of crispy golden phyllo dough. Mangia bene!

Luxury Experience – Wine pairing – Zucchini, Tomato, Portobello Napoleons

Luxury Experience – Zucchini, Tomato, and Portobello Napoleons
For 4 

Notes: The zucchini, tomatoes, and portobellos can be prepared in advance. Assemble just before ready to serve, and pop in the oven to heat through. For 4 Napoleons, you will need to cut 8 thin round slices of each of the vegetables, 2 of each vegetable slices per Napoleon. Try to buy zucchini, tomatoes, and portobellos that are the same size. This recipe uses store-bought Phyllo Dough.

Vegetable Ingredients:

Method for the Vegetables: Slice each of the vegetables into 8 thin rounds. Place the cut vegetables between sheets of paper towels on a cutting board, and place another cutting board or baking sheet on top of the paper towels to draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix the egg whites with water and a dash of salt and black pepper. Sprinkle parmesan onto a sheet of parchment paper. Dip the vegetables into the egg whites, then press them into the parmesan. Make sure that the parmesan sticks to the vegetables and covers them.

Lightly spray the parchment paper on the baking sheet with vegetable oil. This ensures that the vegetables will not stick. Lightly spray the parmesan coated vegetables with vegetable oil. Bake for about 5 minutes or until golden, then turn them over and bake until the top side is golden. Cool on wire racks until ready to use.

Phyllo Dough Ingredients:

Method for the Phyllo Dough: Thaw store-bought phyllo dough in the refrigerator. The package will contain two plastic wrapped rolls of phyllo. You will only need to open one of the rolls. Reserve the other in the freezer for another use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176.6 Celsius).

Unwrap the roll of phyllo onto a cutting board forming a rectangle. Cut the phyllo from the top of the dough to the bottom (on the short side) through the layers the width of the zucchini round. Continue to cut four strips of phyllo. Then cut through the layers in half widthwise.

Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Brush the parchment paper with melted butter, top with one layer of phyllo, brush with butter, add another layer of phyllo, and repeat process until you have 5 layers. Proceed to create another bundle. For each Napoleon you will need 4 bundles of phyllo for a total of 16 bundles.

Bake until lightly golden. Remove from the oven. Set aside.

Bechamel Sauce Ingredients:

Method for the Bechamel Sauce: Heat a small saucepan. Add butter, melt, and then add the flour and stir to combine. Cook until the flour starts coming together in a ball. Add the milk and whisk until the sauce is smooth and thickening. Add the rosemary and stir to combine.

Napoleon Assembly: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (176.6 Celsius).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a layer of baked phyllo on the parchment paper, carefully spoon a layer of bechamel sauce on the phyllo, top with 2 zucchini rounds and bechamel sauce. Top with a layer of baked phyllo, spoon a layer of bechamel sauce on the phyllo, top with 2 tomatoes, add bechamel sauce, then top with a layer of baked phyllo, a layer of bechamel sauce and 2 portobellos. Finish with bechamel sauce, and a top layer of baked phyllo.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes to heat the Napoleons.

Presentation: Remove from oven and place on a serving platter or individual plates. Drizzle the Napoleons with bechamel sauce and garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Saluti and Mangia Bene!

For more information on Avignonesi and their extensive product line, please visit their website: https://www.avignonesi.it/

Avignonesi
Via Colonica, 1, 53045
Montepulciano (Siena), Tuscany
Italy
Email: info@avignonesi.it
Telephone: (+39) 0578 724304
Website: https://www.avignonesi.it/desiderio-2/
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/avignonesi
Instagram: www.instagram.com/avignonesiofficial

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