Affordable Wines that Pair Harmoniously with Italian Fare

Last updated 11 months ago

Traditionally speaking, the thinking behind food and wine pairings for Italian cuisine is that you should eat food with wines that are made in the same region of Italy where the recipe for your dinner originated. When in Tuscany, eat and drink like a Tuscan, and so on. However, most Italian restaurants in the United States are Italian-American restaurants, meaning that they draw on multiple regional traditions as a reflection of their owners’ multiple regional heritages. It is best to pair food with wine based upon what the main ingredients of the dish are, not where it’s from.

Veal, Tomato Sauces, Chicken and other Meat Sauces

If you’re eating a meal with a classic marinara sauce or tender veal, then there are a number of different wines that go very well with such dishes. Perhaps the most famous of these wines are Chianti and Merlot, both of which can be found in relatively inexpensive varieties. In any case, you’re looking for a red wine—but not a rich, deep one. Gallo, which is available in most grocery stores, makes a great Chianti.

Cream Sauce and Seafood

As you may imagine, you’ll need a lighter wine to cut through the fat associated with cream. For this reason, white wines are popularly paired with dishes containing either seafood or a cream sauce (or both). Shop your local grocery store for a great Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio; California Chardonnays in particular tend to be very competitively priced but still excellent.

Dessert

It’s best to either pair sweet with sweet or sweet with sparkling. Many people suggest wines such as Vin Santo and Moscato d'Asti to go with dessert.

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