If wine is the sauce to all food, then Vinny No Neck is the best friend to everything from duck ragu to beef brisket. Here are three great recipes to try next time you have a bottle of our Sangiovese/Merlot blend open.

Garganelli with Duck Ragu
by Mario Batali via the Food Network

Sangiovese is a perfect wine for the acidic properties of tomatoes, which is why it's used along side so many traditional pasta dishes in its most famous region, Chianti. Here, Mario Batali creates a wonderful ragu with duck legs that adds a gourmet feel to the course. The sauce also calls for two cups of, you guessed it, Sangiovese. When you cook with a wine, drink that wine and it's a can't fail pairing. Also note that Mario makes his own pasta, which is a fun but labor intensive way to make dinner. We don't judge if you purchase some fresh pasta from any gourmet grocer.

• Check out the Garganelli with Duck Ragu recipe 

Beef Brisket
by Marczyk Fine Foods

Marczyk Fine Foods is one of our favorite gourmet grocers in Denver, and they offer a variety of recipes that can (and should) be made with ingredients at the quality level they offer. This beef brisket recipe is delicious and offers a variety of sweet, spicy and savory flavors that are playful and easy to consume. Just like Vinny, which can hold up to all of the above and enhance the body of the meat.

• Check out the Beef Brisket recipe

Grilled Pizza with Spicy Italian Sausage
by Bon Appetit

We love Vinny with a pizza loaded with goodies, and you really cannot go wrong with this pairing. Italian sausage has a special place with this wine though, the fruit flavors of the wine complementing the bold tastes of the sausage (the best spicy sausage in Denver is available just around the corner from us at Carbone's). Here, Bon Appetit suggests grilling your pizza, which is one of the best ways to cook a pie at home. Your BBQ can reach super high temps, which come close to mimicking the heat found at in the oven of your favorite pizza place.

• Check out the Grilled Pizza with Spicy Italian Sausage recipe 

More:

• Learn more about Colorado food and wine pairing

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