**For strawberries with red wine **
Pour the red wine and lemon juice over the strawberries, add a few strips of lemon peel and stir gently.
The success of the dish depends almost entirely on the quality of the strawberries: they must be ripe but firm, with the pulp still compact. Too soft strawberries flake off during maceration and make the syrup cloudy. Avoid soaking them: a quick rinse under running water preserves the aroma and prevents them from soaking in water.
The choice of wine is decisive. A young Barbera d 'Asti, with its lively acidity, enhances the freshness of the fruit without weighing it down. A Dolcetto, more tannic, gives a pleasant bitter note. Avoid wines with excessive tannic structure or very old: the complexity of the wine does not translate into a better result, on the contrary it tends to cover the fruit.
The sugar must be dosed carefully: the main function is to extract the juices by osmosis, not to sweeten them sharply. If strawberries are particularly sugary, reduce to 40 g. For the mise en place of the restaurant, prepare the dish at least 90 minutes in advance and serve at a temperature of about 8-10 degrees, not directly from the refrigerator.
Red wine strawberries are a traditional Piedmontese peasant dessert, born in May and June when the local markets are filled with strawberries grown in the countryside between Cuneo, Asti and Monferrato.
The preparation is disarmingly simple, yet the result brings with it an aromatic complexity that tells the story of the territory with precision: the herbaceous and acidulous aroma of the strawberry is intertwined with the soft tannins of a Barbera or a Dolcetto, softened by little sugar and, in the most widespread version, by a scratch of lemon or some fresh mint leaf.
It is not a restaurant dish, at least not in its origins. It is the Sunday end-of-meal dessert in the farmhouse, served in ceramic bowls at the table set under the porch. It is brought to the table after a long stop in the refrigerator, when the wine has rubbed the pulp of the strawberries and the juice has turned into a kind of light and fragrant syrup.
It goes well with dry biscuits, with sponge cake or simply on its own, as a fresh closure to a summer lunch.
The recipe admits consolidated variations in Piedmontese domestic use and in some more recent interpretations.
**With white wine or sparkling wine **: as an alternative to red, some Cuneo families prepare strawberries with Moscato d 'Asti or with a dry Prosecco, obtaining a more delicate and less colorful dessert, with floral aromas in the foreground. - **With balsamic vinegar **: in the most modern version, a few drops of traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena replace the lemon, adding a concentrated bittersweet note that lengthens the aromatic persistence.
**With black pepper **: a generous grind of black pepper on macerated strawberries is a rustic variant appreciated in some areas of Monferrato, which enhances the sweetness of the fruit by contrast.
With basil: some fresh basil leaves instead of mint is a popular choice in the late season, when mint is less fragrant and basil is at its peak.
Moscato d 'Asti DOCG: the combination par excellence in the territory of origin. The residual sweetness and notes of peach and white flowers of Moscato create an aromatic echo with the strawberry without overpowering it. - Brachetto d 'Acqui DOCG: slightly sparkling and with almost imperceptible tannins, it accompanies the dessert without weighing down the end of the meal.
**Sparkling water with lemon peel **: for those who prefer a non-alcoholic accompaniment, the citrus note of the flavoured water cleanses the palate between tablespoons.
** Wheat craft beer **: A delicate Weizen, with hints of banana and clove, offers an interesting contrast to the acidity of macerated strawberries.
per serving
In the Piedmontese countryside, wild strawberry grew spontaneously along the edges of vine rows even before its cultivation became systematic. Pairing with local red wine is almost a natural consequence of that landscape: both products mature in the same season, on the same clayey soils of Monferrato and the Langhe, and share an aromatic structure that makes them complementary.
The recipe, in its current form, was consolidated during the nineteenth century as a closing dessert in the farms, where there was neither the time nor the tools for elaborate preparations. Wine, cane or beet sugar and seasonal fruit were always available ingredients. No cooking needed, no special equipment needed.
In the second half of the twentieth century, with the spread of domestic refrigerators, prolonged cold maceration became an integral part of the recipe, improving the result and allowing the dish to be prepared in advance. Even today in the trattorias of Asti it appears as a summer dessert, in its simplest and most recognizable form.
