Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/928625
6 6 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t FLOUR + WATER, San Francisco photos by John Curley In San Francisco, Flour + Water Chef Thomas McNaughton says he draws from the flavors of Alto Adige to inspire feelings of nostalgia in his cuisine. "I staged in Germany for a time and was really excited to get to Italy afterwards, and when I got off the train in Alto Adige, I felt like I was still in Germany!" he recalls. "It's the entire culture, the architecture and dialect, and, of course, the food and wine. It's the best of Italy and Germany in one place." McNaughton and Wine Director Sam Bogue both love Kerner, a white hybrid of Riesling and Schiava created in the 1920s, and selected the 2016 Abbazia di Nova- cella Kerner Alto Adige Valle Isarco DOC for the first dish. "It has minerality, it has crisp acidity without being hard, and it has beautiful floral notes," says McNaughton. To him, the perfect pairing to preserve the Kerner's aroma and flavor balance was a classic dish from the region: carne salada. "It's a salt-cured beef that we slice thin like carpaccio and lay out on sauerkraut we've fermented for five weeks. A bit of fennel pollen aioli accents the herbal notes of the Kerner," he adds. "Does the wine season the food, or does the food season the wine? It's all about balancing acid, and either way, it works." For his second plate, McNaughton served a new take on the traditional dumpling canederli with the 2012 Nusserhof Elda Schiava. "The idea behind this dish was to play off of autumn forest flavors," he says. "The smoked speck, earthy mushrooms, and nettle bring out this wine's sanguine nature. The wine does not overpower this dish, but instead has a capacity to cleanse the palate while still holding structure and black pepper undertones." Flour + Water Chef Thomas McNaughton and Wine Director Sam Bogue (with McNaughton's dog). Carne salada with fennel pollen aioli and sauerkraut paired with the 2016 Abbazia di Novacella Kerner Alto Adige Valle Isarco DOC. Wild nettle canederli with mushrooms and speck broth paired with the 2012 Nusserhof Elda Schiava.