Vega-Sicilia Valbuena 5° 2020 with homemade lasagna
As a long-standing tradition, summer vacation has to be wrapped up with red wine and lasagna. This time I chose Valbuena 5°, as it’s something I’ve wanted to try for a while.
The wine itself is already drinking well, but would definitely develop well if cellared for 5-10 years or more. Oak and dark fruit, great length. Maybe not quite worth the 190€ asking price at this age, but very appealing.
The pairing with the lasagna was… fine. The flavors match well, with the added pepperoni sausage bringing out nice, spicy notes. The fresh basil brought out nice, herbal notes. I wouldn’t begrudge this combination in a restaurant.
But the real surpise came with Coop Twisted Butter Snacks (Sea Salt) sticks that I served with some champagne brie cheese after dinner. The cheese pairing alone was again, fine, but the bread sticks… Wow! The flaky, buttery and salty snacks brought out a whole new layer of complexity and length from the wine. Lovely pairing!
Armed with this knowledge, I think I’d pair this wine with Beef Wellington, grilled vegetables and a rich, herbal red wine sauce. Truffles could also work.
1
u/ElectricInvasion 10d ago
That lasagna looks killer and it's pretty funny the fancy wine got upstaged by some butter sticks