Wine and Pasta

Winter is a time for comfort food and one of my favourite comfort foods is pasta. When it comes to pairing a wine with pasta, the deciding factor should be the accompanying sauce, not the pasta itself because after all, pasta by itself does not have a great deal of flavour.

Tomato-Based Pasta

Tomato-based sauces are high in acid and are often blended with beef or pork. Because of the acidity in tomatoes, a dry, medium-bodied red wine is recommended. Examples of red, medium-weight wines include:

• Chianti
• Grenache
• Nero d’Avola
• Primitivo
• Rhône Blends
• Sangiovese
• Zinfandel

Cheese Pasta

There are a wide range of red as well as white wines that will pair well with cheese sauces. You shouldn’t feel restricted to serving just white wine with white cheese pasta. An oaked white wine will have a buttery character that will compliment the creamy sauce. Examples include an oaked Trebbiano or Chardonnay. Here are a couple of white wine options to consider:

• Oaked Chardonnay
• Oaked Trebbiano

Also, lighter more floral red wines will also pair well with intense hard-cheese pasta, especially if there are mushrooms or root vegetables in the sauce.   Red wine options include:

• Chianti
• Nebbiolo
• Pinot Noir
• Sangiovese

Seafood Pasta

Light-bodied white wines are the preferred pairing choice for seafood pasta. These wines will be relatively acidic, thus a good balance for creamy white sauces and fatty seafood, such as scallops, shrimp, oysters or mussels. White wine options include:

• Chenin Blanc
• Grenache Blanc
• Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio
• Riesling
• Sauvignon Blanc

For seafood pasta that is cooked in a tomato-based sauce, light body red wines or Rosé are a good option. Red wine options include:

• Pinot Noir
• Malbec

Pesto Pasta

Whether you are serving the traditional pine nut and basil pesto or another type of pesto, the focus should be on matching the green, whether it be parsley, cilantro, mint, etc. which is the centerpiece of the dish. For the most part, herbaceous wines are said to be best suited when serving pesto pasta. Herbaceous wines are those wines that have aromas and flavours like herbs such as mint, vegetables such as asparagus, freshly cut grass or tomato leaves. Wines considered to be herbaceous include:

• Grüner Veltliner
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Cabernet Sauvignon

Primavera (Vegetable) Pasta

Spring onions, garlic ramps, artichoke hearts and broccolini are among the choices on which to base primavera. The objective is to highlight the springy freshness of the vegetables; thus, it is often best paired with a light-bodied white wine with lemony and floral notes. However, if the pasta has major vegetable intensity, it needs to be matched with an equally savory white wine. White sauce wine options include:

• Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio
• Riesling
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Vermentino

If tomatoes are a major component of the primavera, a light-bodied acidic red wine would be a better choice. Tomato sauce wine options include:

• Cabernet Franc
• Pinot Noir
• Rosé

No matter which type of pasta you fancy, one of the corresponding wine options will compliment your meal.

Sláinte mhaith