Complementary Foods

• As a wine, Brunello works well alongside foods that have strong flavors. These include cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago, spicy offerings like Italian sausages, meaty casseroles like lasagna or a thick steak. When using Brunello as a sauce, it works well with meats like steak, roast beef or pork tenderloin. You can also make a Brunello sauce for a simple pasta dish like gnocchi.

Flavoring the Sauce

• If you are making the sauce to go with red meat or pork, take the time to sear the meat on the stovetop, then create the sauce in that pan after you remove the meat. Add olive oil, onion, carrot, celery and garlic, then deglaze the pan with the Brunello wine and use a spatula to scrape up any brown bits left behind when you seared the meat. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, until it is the desired consistency.

Smoothing It Out

• The vegetables add a depth of flavor to the Brunello sauce, but when you serve it alongside your main dish, you want it to be smooth. When the sauce has reached the taste and consistency you want, strain out all the vegetables so just the sauce remains. Use a fine mesh strainer, if possible, so even the smallest pieces of vegetable are strained out. Strain it more than once if it isn't the consistency you want after the first try.

The Finishing Touch

• For the final seasoning of the sauce, heat the strained sauce, adding small knobs of butter and swirling them in as you go. This will mellow out the flavor of the sauce and give it an attractive sheen that will add to the presentation. Add 4 or 5 pats of butter in this manner, then finish with salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve the Brunello sauce with your beef or pork, drizzled over the top of the sliced meat.