Now we can go many different directions with this versatile grain. We can mix it with red sauce, meat sauce, and white sauce; with chicken, sausage, or various vegetables and oils. Pasta is filling, and when you want to lay back, relax, and replenish your system with carbs, it presents some awesome wine pairing options.
Below are some familiar Italian dishes along with the perfectly paired wine pick. Let the summer breeze blow and the good wine flow.
Scene One (not pasta but a great way to get ready for some):
The dish: An appetizer of prosciutto and melon
Ingredients: unadulterated! Cured ham and ripe summer melon
The dish: An appetizer of prosciutto and melon
Ingredients: unadulterated! Cured ham and ripe summer melon
The wine: Here is a really fun and light appetizer that brings together sweet and salty, all wrapped into a delicious way to wet your palate. Like any good meal should start, some sort of bubbly will be in order. The Italian Brachetto d’acqui is one of my favorite ways to kick off a meal; awesomely delicious and a touch of sweetness. Good acidity and low alcohol here will go perfectly with the melon and most certainly will hold up to the procuitto. If you have any leftover after your first course (which is doubtful) it makes for a great after dinner drink too.
Scene Two
The dish: Traditional family sized portion of Spaghetti & Meatballs
Ingredients: In meatballs – beef, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, pepper, garlic and an egg. In the sauce – onion, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, pepper and any extra special things you want to add.
The dish: Traditional family sized portion of Spaghetti & Meatballs
Ingredients: In meatballs – beef, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, pepper, garlic and an egg. In the sauce – onion, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, pepper and any extra special things you want to add.
The wine: Here you can go a couple of different routes. Of course the traditional Chianti will always be a crowd pleaser. Saying that, let’s step it up a little bit and move up a weight class. Try a Chianti Classico Riserva. Made from the Sangiovese grape, a Riserva is aged longer in oak barrel and has more overall character. Spaghetti and meatballs is a fairly simple dish. The spices and sour cherry/raspberry flavors with a combination of a chocolate and licorice in these wines will be a hit. It is a slightly cliché pairing, but will truly make your meal more enjoyable.
Scene Three
The dish: Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli
Ingredients: Pasta, chicken breast, broccoli. Generally the sauce includes butter, shallot, heavy cream, parmesan, salt, pepper and garnishes.
The dish: Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli
Ingredients: Pasta, chicken breast, broccoli. Generally the sauce includes butter, shallot, heavy cream, parmesan, salt, pepper and garnishes.
The wine: A heavier dish, you’ll need a wine with some weight to match up to it. It isn’t the most fashionable wine in the world these days, but don’t be scared to reach back 10 years or so and drink some California Chardonnay. The key to look for is a wine with balance, that won’t over power the dish with oak-filled flavors. The richness and weighty texture of the wine will come across as more refreshing when combined with the huge richness of this highly creamy dish.
When the heat is on, you’ll want to maintain a sufficient level of carbs to keep you going strong. Pasta is the perfect resource, and presents a great opportunity to try these worthwhile wine pairings. As the Italian say, salute!
