Focus on wine pairing by Italian region

 

Moscato d'Asti (Piedmont)

An aromatic white wine (not to be confused with Asti Spumante). It is served with dry pastries, ice cream and fruit desserts, panna cotta, ricotta and candied fruit cakes. Some even marry it with cured meats or oysters.

Moscato di Cagliari (Sardinia)

Golden yellow, it goes well, especially in the liqueur version, with spoon desserts.

Moscato di Pantelleria (Sicily)

Sweet and golden in colour, it accompanies dry and spiced pastries. Excellent with mature or blue cheeses, especially when served with jams and honey.

Moscato Passito di Pantelleria (Sicily)

It is an ideal accompaniment to dry pastries and difficult desserts. Try it with Sicilian cassata. Some count it among the very few wines capable of withstanding the impact of chocolate desserts.

Nebbiolo d'Alba (Piedmont)

A red for white meats, stews, stews (also used to season pasta) and boiled meats.

Oltrepò Pavese Barbera (Lombardy)

An easy-drinking red, it goes well with boiled and mixed grilled meats, sausages and wOrstel.

Oltrepò Pavese Bonarda (Lombardy)

It is an ideal companion for cured meat snacks or for sausages cooked on the barbecue. Also good with simpler first courses, risottos and poultry.

Oltrepò Pavese Malvasia (Lombardy)

A drinkable white for light starters. Try it with culatello and local cured meats.

Oltrepò Pavese Pinot (Lombardy)

Pinot Noir-based sparkling wines from Oltrepò Pavese perfectly support an entire fish lunch, crustaceans and seafood.

Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Nero (Lombardy)

Those who love 'costoletta alla milanese' associate them with this red wine. Good with ravioliwith pasta and beans and with tasty risottos.

Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Nero in White (Lombardy)

An excellent companion for fish dishes (even lightly smoked) and shellfish. Also with hors d'oeuvres of cured meats and game terrines.

Oltrepò Pavese Sangue di Giuda (Lombardy)

The dry version is a red for stews and cotechino with lentils. The sweet version holds up to spicy cheeses.

Pagadebit di Romagna (Emilia Romagna)

An undemanding white, to be drunk young with piadina romagnola.

Piave Merlot (Veneto)

Mushroom-based first courses (pastas, risottos, soups), grilled white meats and medium-aged Asiago.

Piave Raboso (Veneto)

Red from first courses with meat sauce, meat ravioli, cannelloni, risotto with pork pasta, pasta and beans with pork rinds. And then braised meats, goulash, feathered game.

Pomino Bianco (Tuscany)

Goes well with light appetisers, first courses with vegetable sauces, fish dishes.

Pomino Rosso (Tuscany)

Good with cold cuts. The reserve goes well with game and roast meat.

Primitivo di Manduria (Apulia)

The dry version accompanies meat dishes (excellent with pork) and game. It likes to be paired with robust and spicy flavours. Very good with chilli pepper salami.

Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene (Veneto)

The 'quiet' version is served with hors d'oeuvres of cold meats and fish dishes. The sparkling wine accompanies fish lunches. It also goes well with non-elaborate white meats and with Venetian-style liver.

Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze (Veneto)

An elegant sparkling wine to drink throughout a meal in the dry version. The sweet or amabile type is enjoyed with dry pastries and fruit desserts (excellent with apple pie).

Recioto della Valpolicella (Veneto)

Those who want to enjoy the traditional Veronese Christmas pandoro must accompany it with a glass of red Recioto della Valpolicella. It is splendid with short pastries and desserts made with dried fruit and chestnuts.

Recioto di Gambellara (Veneto)

White raisin wine to accompany fruit tarts and ice cream, dry pastries, apple fritters.

Recioto di Soave (Veneto)

A great white passito. Very good with fruit tarts, Venetian zaletti, galàni (Lombardy's chiacchiere), Bavarian pastries. Excellent with panettone and pandoro. It goes splendidly with blue cheeses and foie gras.

Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato (Liguria)

White with tasty fish dishes (mullet, grouper). Also try it with traditional pansotti with walnuts or trenette al pesto.

Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino (Liguria)

This is the ideal white with classic Ligurian pasta with pesto. Good with fish dishes (also lightly fried) and with vitello tonnato.

Roero (Piedmont)

If it is young, this red goes well with agnolotti, tagliolini with hare sauce, baked lasagne, roast veal. the superior ones go well with game and braised meats.

Roero Arneis (Piedmont)

An excellent Piedmontese white, remarkable with tasty fish.

Rossese di Dolceacqua (Liguria)

Perfect with rabbit dishes (especially rabbit Ligurian style). It also holds its own with hare. Good with stews and meat stews (especially poultry).

Rosso Conero (Marche)

The younger bottles are for the whole meal: pasta and risotto flavours.

Rosso di Montalcino (Tuscany)

Nice wine for pasta dishes, ravioli, pici col ragù, grilled poultry.

Rosso Piceno (Marche)

Excellent with local cured meats and with grilled and roast white meats.

Salice Salentino Rosato (Apulia)

A rosé for tasty first courses with tomato, but also for roast rabbit, veal paillard or tasty fish dishes (e.g. stewed eel).

San Colombano (Lombardy)

Red to be drunk with cured meats, risotto alla Milanese or with frogs, baked or stewed poultry.

San Martino della Battaglia (Lombardy)

Light white from delicate fish. Good with veal with tuna sauce. The rare fortified version is excellent with dry pastries or blue cheeses.

San Severo Rosso (Apulia)

It goes well with first courses with meat sauces and grilled meats, both red and white.