Italian food and wine go together like milk and cookies. Most common Italian dishes go very well with red wine, but there are also specific Italian dishes that go perfectly together with white wine. And an added bonus, Italian desserts and sweet dessert wines pair well together too!
Pairing Italian food and wine correctly will help enhance the flavors, textures and experience dramatically if done right. Acidity, sweetness and tannins in the wine are important things to consider, as well as the ingredients of the food you are about to eat.
There are several Italian dishes that are actually made with red or white wine as an ingredient of the dish!
Traditional Italian Food Ingredients
The list of Italian ingredients is pretty well-known, but it helps to know the ingredients before choosing which wine to drink with the dish. Specific herbs, spices and base ingredients will impact selecting one wine variety over another.
Herbs & Spices – garlic, oregano, capers, basil
Liquids – olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine, white wine
Starches – pasta, rice
Other ingredients – porcini mushrooms, tomatoes, truffles
Italian cheeses – Parmigiano-reggiano, pecorino and mozzarella
Common Wines From Italy
You can often select a great wine to go with a dish by selecting a wine that is from the same origin as the dish traditionally comes from. Pairing an Italian wine with an Italian dish is an easy way to pair the two together and likely have a positive outcome. Truffles and Barbaresco are an amazing Italian dish and wine pairing. Another famous Italian food and wine pair is Tuscan roast of veal (also known as Ossobuco) and a nice Chianti Classico. Keep reading below for more detailed & delicious Italian pairings.
Here are some of the most popular wines from Italy that you can experiment pairing with Italian wines on your own based on your preferences.
Barolo
Chianti Classico
Amarone della Valpolicella
Brunello di Montalcino
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Montefalco Sagrantino
Valpolicella
Arneis (Roero Arneis)
Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva
Fiano di Avellino
Gavi
Greco di Tufo
Pinot Grigio
Lambrusco
Moscato d’Asti
Prosecco
Pairing Wine With Traditional Italian Recipes
When considering the common ingredients used in each of the following dishes, and the flavor profile of those dishes, we’ve tried to list a few choices for each traditional Italian meal. The hope is to enhance both the food and the wine by selecting the proper pairing to get the best experience possible. Here are some other fantastic Italian pairings:
Tomato or red wine based sauces tossed over pasta are often seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano. The best wine for pasta with red sauce is typically a medium bodied red wine. A few excellent wines to drink with pasta and red sauce are montepulciano d’Abruzzo, sangiovese, chianti, grenache or a Rhone blend.
Bolognese sauce is a meat based red sauce that is topped over tagliatelle al ragù and to prepare lasagne alla bolognese. A bolognese based disn pairs best with a highly acidic wine like a Barolo.
When pairing a wine with a cream based pasta sauce, like fettuccine alfredo, you can’t go wrong with a buttery chardonnay. That is a classic pairing that you won’t regret!
If you have a white clam sauce, such as Linguine alle Vongole in Rosso and Spaghetti con le Vongole, choose a wine that matches the brininess and minerality of the sauce like a pinot grigio, Sauvignon blanc or a sparkling white like a verdicchio.
Ravioli can be tricky to pair wine with, because the filling in the ravioli can change what you should drink with it. The sauce over the ravioli can also impact what to drink with it. Typically a medium red wine or a bold white wine will go best with ravioli, but it is best to choose based on the type of ravioli.
Mushroom Ravioli – Pair with an earthy Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.
Lobster Ravioli – Pair with a bold white wine like a Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, or Grüner Veltliner.
Meat Ravioli – Pair with most any red wine, but a nice merlot will be delicious with meat ravioli.
Cheese Ravioli – You can pair a white or red wine with cheese ravioli. Pick a chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or a malbec to drink with 4 cheese ravioli.
Some classic Italian pizzas like neapolitan pizza and margherita pizza pair excellent with a garnacha or dry rosé. It goes excellent with the fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella. Try to stick to lighter reds if possible when eating pizza. You can also experiment with a pinot noir or chardonnay with a white cream based pizza.
Lasagna can often be a very complex dish with strong flavors and depth from the layers of ingredients. The cheese, meat, noodles and vegetables will need a red wine that can cut through those flavors. A Chianti, Barbera or Zinfandel will hold up nicely and complement a lasagna perfectly.
Not necessarily a red or white sauce, Spaghetti Alla Carbonara is a classic Italian dish made out of olive oil, eggs & Parmesan. You can drink a white or red with this dish. For red wines, choose a fruit forward wine with a little acidity with it, like a pinot noir, barbera or montepulciano. For white wines, choose something to complement the buttery and cheese flavors like a pinot grigio, chardonnay or riesling.
Gnocchi is a dumpling style lump of dough, made into a pasta-style dish. Often accompanied with a pesto, olive oil or other Italian style sauces, this popular dish goes best with a light bodied red or white wine. Choose a white wine like pinot grigio or pecorino. For reds that go well with gnocchi, a chianti or barbera are perfect.
Eggplant parmigiana is a baked dish with a tomato sauce base and melted parmesan cheese on top, often with bread crumbs and deep fried before baking as well. You will need a wine with a high acidity to match the tomato sauce. Pair a barbera or sangiovese to complement this dish perfectly.
Pairing Wine With Italian Desserts
For Italian desserts like tiramisu, pair it with the traditional Tuscany style dessert wine called Vin Santo “Holy Wine”). What is better than a nice Italian dessert with a unique Italian dessert wine to end your meal?
Hopefully this list was helpful and thanks for visiting our website!
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