Italian food and wine pairing: the rules and the dishes

Pairing food and wine does not require a diploma. It takes a few rules, the ones sommeliers use, and a little courage to move beyond red wine with meat. Here are the principles first, then the most searched Italian dishes, one by one.

The rules that matter

• Weight with weight. A light dish wants a light wine, a rich dish a structured one. If one covers the other, the pairing fails.
• Fat wants acidity or bubbles. Cheese, fried food, rich sauces: acidity and carbon dioxide clean the palate.
• Juiciness wants tannin. Red meat and braises go with tannic reds, which dry the sense of juice.
• Tomato is acidic. It needs an equally fresh wine, white or red, or the wine tastes flat.
• Dessert wants a wine at least as sweet. A dry wine with dessert turns bitter.
• Spice hates alcohol and tannin. Choose an aromatic, lower-alcohol white, ideally with a touch of sweetness.
• When in doubt, go regional. Dishes and wines from the same place grew up together.

Wine body, briefly

• Light: young, fresh whites such as Pinot Grigio or Prosecco; reds such as Bardolino, Valpolicella Classico, Tai Rosso.
• Medium: whites such as Sauvignon, unoaked Chardonnay, Roero Arneis; reds such as Valpolicella Ripasso, Merlot, young Sangiovese.
• Full: whites aged on the lees or in wood; reds such as Amarone, Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Raboso del Piave.

Dish by dish

Pizza margherita

An unoaked Chardonnay: it does not cover the mozzarella, and its citrus notes suit the tomato and basil.

Pasta with tomato sauce

Harder than it looks, because of the tomato's acidity. A Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, fresh and assertive.

Carbonara

A white with good acidity and some body, such as Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi or Frascati: they cut through the fat of the guanciale and the egg.

Lasagne alla bolognese

A red with good acidity to balance the fat of the ragù and béchamel: a Lagrein from Alto Adige, fragrant and never heavy, or a Sangiovese di Romagna.

Gnocchi with ragù

A Nebbiolo: acidity, tannin and alcohol to stand up to the richness of the gnocchi.

Pasta alla norma

Fried aubergine, tomato, salted ricotta: a young Sicilian red, such as Frappato or Cerasuolo di Vittoria.

Caponata

Sweet and sour puts many wines in trouble. A chilled Frappato or a Sicilian rosé keeps up without weighing it down.

Pizzoccheri

Butter, cheese, cabbage, buckwheat: the answer is in Valtellina, with a Rosso di Valtellina or a Valtellina Superiore made from Nebbiolo.

Polenta concia

Melted butter and cheese need acidity and gentle tannin: a Torrette from Valle d'Aosta or a Nebbiolo from Alto Piemonte.

Arrosticini

Grilled mutton skewers from Abruzzo: a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, or a Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo on a hot day.

Goulash

Stewed meat and paprika: a soft but spicy red, such as Lagrein or Teroldego.

Cacciucco

Tuscan fish stew with tomato and chilli: a young Sangiovese, such as Morellino di Scansano, served slightly cool.

Baccalà alla vicentina

Slow-cooked salt cod with milk and oil: in Veneto it goes with Tai Rosso, a light red that does not cover the fish.

Vitello tonnato

A medium-bodied white, such as Roero Arneis or Sauvignon.

Porcini risotto

A fragrant, medium-bodied red: Pinot Nero or a young Nebbiolo.

Braised beef

Slow-cooked dishes for structured reds: Amarone, Barolo, Brunello.

Bruschetta with ricotta, honey and walnuts

A sparkling Fior d'Arancio from the Euganean Hills: gentle sweetness, orange-blossom perfume.

Tiramisù

Coffee and mascarpone flatten bubbles. Better a sweet Marsala, fortified and spicy.

The rule in one line

Look at the dish first: weight, fat, acidity, sweetness. Then choose the wine that balances it, and when unsure, choose the one made nearby.