{Roasted Rubbed Halibut with Che Storia Barbaresco}

Wine: 1998 "Che Storia" Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy. $14.99
Major flavor components of the dishes: Sugar and paprika in the halibut rub; tomatoes, red wine, tarragon and garlic in the pureed sauce; tomatoes, pancetta, parmesan and poached egg in the roasted tomatoes.
Result: We raise a glass to this match!

Can you find good Barbaresco for $15? I think you can. I think I did.

I was sure there was a mistake in pricing. I found this 1998 Barbaresco at Trader Joe’s on Queen Anne in Seattle. We decanted it and let it stretch its legs and collect itself for about 40 minutes while we made dinner. The air was a good thing for it.

Tonight’s dinner might have been difficult to match. We rubbed the halibut with a sugar, paprika, sea salt, and pepper rub and then pan-fried before oven-roasting it. The sauce was made of pureed tomatoes, red wine, tarragon, and garlic. If someone dared me to pair a wine with this, I’d’ve probably thrown up my hands and guessed riesling.

But we were in a red mood. And Chanson was tempted by the extreme reasonableness of this particular bottle of Barbaresco.

We served the fish with a side of roasted farmer’s market tomatoes. Another potential challenge. The tomatoes were stuffed with a romaine pesto, then eggs were cracked on top and poached. To serve, we set the tomatoes on top of sauteed, chopped pancetta and the ribs of the romaine leaves.

Let’s face it, we got lucky with this wine. The wine was a fine match for the acid in the tomatoes, and the sugar in the rub. The somewhat smoky flavor of the pancetta and the rub once roasted went well with the slightly woodsiness of the wine. There was also a nice currant flavor and a wonderful bricky color to this 8-year-old wine. I don’t think we could have lucked into a better match. And that’s really what it was: bold, dumb luck.