By Carl Franco
There’s no doubt about it; we’re in the middle of an old-school New England winter. The snow, the ice, and those bitter days when you are so bundled up it feels like you just landed the part of Yuri in the NC Town Players production of Doctor Zhivago.
Sometimes I manage to escape to a warmer climate for a mid-winter break, but when I can’t, I partake in the one small comfort the cold brings us, the enjoyment of a delicious, hearty meal. So, I take a break from worrying about shoveling, frozen pipes, icy sidewalks, screaming at the squirrels attacking the birdfeeder and I get myself behind the stove. As I stood there this week, my winter comfort came in the form of a Braised Beef Short Rib Ragù.
Beef short ribs were never meant to be fancy. Back in the day, tender cuts of meat went to people with money while the tough, fatty cuts went to people with time and patience. But as it turns out, time and patience were the secret ingredients all along. You cooked them low and slow all day in an effort make them palatable, and in the process, they turned into something rich and comforting that could feed a family. Fast-forward a few decades, celebrity chefs “discover” them, put them on white plates, with an artistically placed spring of rosemary and suddenly your bargain cut of meat is $18/pound and influencers snapping mouthwatering pictures of an item your grandmother would turn out on a daily basis.
Leaving all that behind, let’s talk about the meal itself. To me, Braised Beef Short Rib Ragù is the perfect cold-weather meal, warm, deeply satisfying, and it quietly adds coziness to the kitchen as it simmers all afternoon. The house smells incredible, and suddenly winter doesn’t seem quite so cruel.
If you have never braised beef short ribs in tomato, you are missing out on a simple and delicious meal. After seasoning your short ribs with salt and pepper, you brown them, then sauté some onions. Once the ribs have browned, remove them, add some tomato paste and toast it up, then your canned tomato and a healthy dose of red wine. Once that all comes to a simmer, reintroduce your ribs back into the sauce with a bay leaf or two, some black pepper, pop on the top and let it slowly simmer for a couple of hours. Likewise, you could also throw it into a low temperature oven (250 degrees). After that the beef will tenderize, you shred it, add it back into the sauce, cook your pasta and dinner is ready.
Now we get to the good part, the wine. A comfortable day with a comfortable meal deserves a comfortable wine. Domenico Clerico is a prestigious estate based in Piemonte, Italy, founded in 1976 on a modest four-hectare farm that quickly became known for pioneering single-cru Barolos. Over time, the estate expanded to roughly 21 hectares of prime vineyard land across some of the region’s most important sites. I could go on and explain exactly why this winery is so incredible until your eyes glaze over, but while they’re famous for their high-end Barolos, what I actually want to talk about today is their Dolcetto. For those unfamiliar with Dolcetto, it’s another classic wine of Piedmont made from the Dolcetto grape. Many Barolo producers make Dolcetto as an everyday expression of the region. As the saying goes in northern Italy, Piedmontese drink Dolcetto while they wait for their Barolos to age, and one sip of the 2023 Domenico Clerico Langhe Dolcetto “Visadì” makes that feel less like a proverb and more like common sense. Sourced from estate vineyards in Monforte d’Alba, it’s exactly the wine you want with a dish like braised beef rib ragù as it is all at once comfortable, easy-drinking, and quietly impressive. It shows a vivid ruby color with fresh aromas of black cherry, raspberry, violet, and subtle herbal spice. On the palate it’s medium-bodied with soft tannins, and juicy red-fruit flavors that carry through to a clean, savory finish. Unfussy, food-friendly, and unmistakably Piedmontese, the Clerico Dolcetto delivers depth and polish without losing the easygoing charm that this very humble grape does best.
Dolcetto not your style? Here are some other wines that would also work well with this meal:
2011 Famiglia Anselma Barolo Lean yet powerful on the palate, this wine is layered with aromas of leather, orange zest, dried cherry, and spice, showing off bright acidity, firm tannins, and a long, earthy finish.
2019 Poggiotondo Brunello di Montalcino Focused, round, and ready to drink, with soft, velvety tannins that give it both length and grandeur. Full-bodied and textured, it finishes with a strong intensity.
2023 Jacopo Biondi Santi Castello di Montepò Sassoalloro A beautifully balanced and structured expression of Sangiovese Grosso, offering rich fruit, smooth tannins, and a refined, approachable style. Its depth and harmony make it complex yet enjoyable even in its youth.
Don’t be intimidated by the recipe, or by the grape. Both are as easygoing and comforting as Italian culture itself. What I hope this article shows is how simple the food-and-wine connection can be: once you start to familiarize yourself with grapes and their general style, matching wine to a menu becomes far less mysterious and a lot more intuitive. I’ll be the first to admit I’m terrible at giving out recipes, but this one is genuinely forgiving, and you’d have to work pretty hard to get it wrong. And that’s really the point as good food, good wine, and a little confidence always goes a long way.
Carl Franco is the proprietor of Francos Wine Merchants.
