5 Ingredients or Fewer

Pesche al vino bianco

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August 21, 2011
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Pesche al vino bianco
  • Serves As many as you want
Author Notes

The peaches this summer have been spectacular!

The abundance and superior flavor of this season’s harvest means that we will be enjoying peaches in white wine, or pesche al vino bianco, as August comes to an end.

Peaches in wine is a quintessential summertime Italian dessert, a rite of summer in many households. As often is the case, there are variations on the theme of pesche al vino. Red wine is frequently used. Sometimes cloves or cinnamon is added. Some people sweeten the dessert with a little sugar, as Stefano’s mother did for his brother Marco, sister Debora and him when they were children (yes, children). Others add a dollop of whipping cream or serve the peaches and wine with a scoop of ice-cream.

We prefer to keep it simple: good peaches, and a nice, dry white wine.

White peaches are ideal for pesche al vino bianco. The flesh of the white peach absorbs more wine than its yellow-fleshed cousin, and releases more of its delicate sweetness back into the wine. Furthermore, the firm, smooth texture of the white peach maintains its consistency while marinating overnight in the wine. Look for peaches that are ripe, but not overly mature.

We bathed the peaches in Falanghina, a southern Italian wine made from ancient vines in the Campania region, and one of our favorite whites.

Go ahead and make your cobblers, tarts and pies. Pack peaches into your lunch boxes, and eat them any other way you can. Just don’t let August come to an end without enjoying the elegant, classic Italian dessert, pesche al vino. —DueSpaghetti

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • White peaches, 1 per person
  • Dry white wine
Directions
  1. Peel the peaches and slice them thinly into a bowl.
  2. Add just enough wine to cover the peaches.
  3. Let rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
  4. Cover refrigerate overnight.
  5. Serve chilled.
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    ibbeachnana
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3 Reviews

DueSpaghetti
DueSpaghetti August 22, 2011
@ibbeachnana: Yes, other peaches will work too, but white peaches are perfect. We serve the peaches and wine right in wine glasses, and then drink the peach-sweetened wine once the peaches are gone. It is heavenly!

@Sagegreen: I didn't know that Germans also end dinner with peaches in wine. It's so interesting how people from different cultures have developed variations on the theme of adding fruit to wine.
 
ibbeachnana
ibbeachnana August 22, 2011
Peaches in red wine has been my go to company dessert all summer long and I am anxious to try your version, thanks. I had one friend just slurping the juice to the point where we just poured it into glasses when the peaches were all gone.

I didn't know that white peaches absorbed more...
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen August 21, 2011
I love these. In Germany we often drank peach "bowle" during summer evenings.