Gnocchi Wine Pairing

Gnocchi are a type of Italian dumpling typically made from potato, flour, and egg. These are traditionally served with a tomato or cream-based sauce.

Like with any pasta dish, choosing the best wine pairing will depend on which type of sauce the gnocchi is paired with rather than the gnocchi itself.

If you’re looking for the perfect wine to pair with your gnocchi dish, look no further! In this blog post, we’ll share our top tips for finding the perfect wine to complement your meal.

Wine Flavors To Pair With Gnocchi

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Dry
Acidity	High
Tannins	Low
Body	Full
Notes	Dark Berries; Cherry

Best Red Wine To Drink With Gnocchi

Wines with natural high acidity and low tannin pair well with tomato-based dishes. The acidity is typically reduced when tomatoes are cooked and its sweetness and deeper flavors are brought to the surface. This allows for a wider range of wines to choose from. Since gnocchi in itself can be bland, it will do well with a sauce that has a dominant flavor.

Chianti

Chianti is a red wine that has tasting notes of cherries, plum and strawberries, which pairs well with the natural sweetness of the tomato sauce. The bold and salty flavors of gnocchi in a tomato-based sauce is also complemented by the fruity notes of the wine.

Barbera

With its naturally high acidity and low tannin, Italian Barbera is one of the forerunners when it comes to ideal pairings with tomato-based dishes, not just gnocchi. While this type of wine isn’t meant to wow you with bold distinct flavors, that is actually where its strengths lie. The fruit flavors are meant to be refreshing without taking away from the flavor of the dish and instead complements it.

Nero d’Avola

The name translates to black of Avola, and refers to the dark colored grapes that grow in the town of Avola in the southeastern coast of Sicily. The wine itself has tasting notes of cherry and plum and licorice. The high acidity of this wine matches well with a rich and creamy tomato sauce.

Best White Wine To Drink With Gnocchi

Gnocchi is usually served with a tomato or cream sauce. White wine is a perfect pairing for gnocchi because it enhances the flavors of the dish. In this section, we will recommend the best white wines to drink with gnocchi.

Pinot Grigio

Pinot grigio is a versatile white wine that pairs well with a variety of dishes. One of our favorite springtime dinners is this flavorful dish of gnocchi in tomato-basil sauce with a light, refreshing pinot grigio. The acidity of the wine cuts through the rich sauce for the pasta.

Vermentino

Vermentino is a versatile grape that can be used in a variety of wines, from light and refreshing to rich and full-bodied. It’s bright and citrusy, with tasting notes of green apple, grapefruit and lime. Fresh herb sauces go well with this type of wine, so this would be perfect for gnocchi in pesto sauce.

Pecorino

One of the most popular Italian wines, pecorino is a white wine made from the pecorino grape. This wine has tasting notes of apricot, peach, pear and lemon. It is a dry wine with a high acidity, and it pairs well with medium bodied dishes with slightly acidic sauces, like gnocchi in tomato sauce.

Pairing Wine with Gnocchi Prepared Different Ways

When pairing wine with food, it is important to consider the different flavors and textures of the dish. For example, gnocchi is a type of pasta that can be prepared in many different ways. When pairing wine with gnocchi, it is important to consider how the dish will be prepared. Will it be fried, sauteed, or baked? Each preparation method will result in a different flavor profile, and each will pair well with different types of wine.

Pairing Wine With Tomato-Basil Sauce Gnocchi

This is perhaps the most common way a gnocchi dish is prepared. For a cooked tomato-basil sauce with a rich flavor profile, we would recommend a classic Barbera d’Asti with its fruity and sour notes that would complement this dish.

Pairing Wine With Pesto Gnocchi

For gnocchi in classic pesto sauce, you would want a wine to pair well with the flavors of basil, garlic and olive oil in the sauce. In this case, our recommendation would fall on a grassy Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino with its tasting notes of green apple, grapefruit and lime, which complements the fresh herb sauce for gnocchi.

Tomato-Basil Sauce Baked Gnocchi

Baked gnocchi is a delicious and easy alternative to the traditional boiled gnocchi. Like we mentioned above, gnocchi and wine pairings would depend on the sauce, or in this case, how the gnocchi is prepared. For baked gnocchi with meat ragu, we recommend Nero d’avola or Barbera as those would cut through this rich and flavorful dish.