Cuisine
The Ideal Reds To Pair With Five Classic Pasta Dishes
Pairing food and wine should be a joyful activity—but it often feels fraught. That’s because, like winemaking itself, choosing which foods and wines go together requires both art and science. The practice of pairing food and wine has been perfected over centuries, and there is a deep history and many layers of cultural traditions attached to it. Because wine is so diverse—and the potential for insalubrious combinations so very real—the sweet process of pairing can quickly sour.
Creating perfect food and wine pairings is, thankfully, something our staff of 30+ sommeliers have spent decades perfecting at Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning restaurants across the country.
Before diving into our specific recommendations, there are certain tried-and-true guidelines to food and wine pairing that are easy to remember, and will come in handy for any future pairings you select in restaurants or at home. The wine you pick should be sweeter than the food; if the food is sweeter, the wine’s personality, structure, aromas and flavors will be muted. You should also ensure that the structure of the wine can stand up to the food: a steak and a Cabernet Sauvignon—and not a light-bodied Beaujolais Nouveau—became an iconic pairing for a reason.
To help usher in cooler temperatures, our team has created a selection of pasta and red wine pairings that will work for decadent family dinners, date nights, or special occasions. There are few better ways to celebrate life than with a critically acclaimed bottle of highly allocated red wine and a classic pasta. Buon appetito!
Full-Bodied Red + Pasta with a Meat-Based Sauce
If you’re firing up Sunday Gravy, or any classic meat based pasta sauce, you will want a full-bodied red like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah to stand up to the strong flavors and balance out the intense, rich mouthfeel.
Recipe to try: Lidia Bastianich makes a classic Italian-American gravy, perfect for a kingly feast.
Wine to try: Pepper Bridge Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2020: Trademark notes of blackberry and brambles welcome us back in this vintage. Raw vanilla, carob, and anise bring a richness to the nose. The palate is abundant with dark black fruit and spice. Thyme and sage make an appearance and lead to a muscular finish.
Ingredients
Two 35-ounce cans italian plum tomatoes (preferably san marzano)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced (about 2 cups)
6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
5 or 6 meaty pork neck bones (about 3/4 pound-ask your butcher to set them aside for you)
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup tomato paste
4 fresh or 5 dried bay leaves
1½ teaspoons dried oregano, preferably the sicilian or greek type dried on the branch, crumbled
3 to 4 cups hot water
Directions
1. Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill fitted with the fine blade. Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Make a little room in the center of the pot to dump in the garlic and cook until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the pork bones and cook, turning, until the bones are lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and pork and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the meat turns from pink to pale brown and the water it gives off is boiled away, about 10 minutes. Continue cooking until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves and oregano, then pour in the wine. Bring to a boil and cook, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the pot, until the wine is almost completely evaporated.
3. Pour the tomatoes into the pot, then stir in the tomato paste until is dissolved. Season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat to a lively simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until the sauce takes on a deep, brick-red color, 2 to 3 hours. Add the hot water, about ½ cup at a time, to maintain the level of liquid for the length of time the sauce cooks. Skim off any fat floating on top and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve over your favorite pasta.
Medium-Bodied Red + Pasta with a Tomato-Based Sauce
Tomato-based pasta sauces are high-acid and tart, ideal for pairing with a medium-bodied bright red. Options abound, from the classics (Sangiovese and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo) to red blends and international stars, like Merlot.
Wine to try: DANIEL Ancient Vines Grenache - Gibson Ranch 2019 The Gibson Ranch Grenache hails from the oldest known vines of the grape in North America. Each vine possesses roots that can reach down over 100 feet, drawing on layer upon layer of storied nuance—a level of minerality and complexity not possible in its younger counterparts, alongside notes of raspberry, cinnamon, and orange rind.
Recipe to try: Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe for marinara sauce tastes like it took all day to prepare, but in reality, requires about 10 minutes of effort.
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
Directions
In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)
Lighter-Bodied Red + Creamy, Cheese-Based Pasta Sauce
Cheese and wine are the all-time classic food and wine pairing many of us have come to love, so if you want to flex your creative muscles, this is a place to do it. Lighter, floral red wines pair beautifully with tart, hard-cheese pastas, with or without cream, bacon, and vegetables added to the mix.
Recipe to try: Jonathan Waxman’s Pasta Carbonara walks the line between elegance and indulgence.
Wine to try: Ricochet Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2021: Raspberry and peach notes on the nose with woody, sandalwood undertones. One the palate, tart cranberry and zippy citrus flavors combined with the racy acidity will quite literally make your mouth water.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more
4 oz. guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl), pancetta (Italian bacon), or bacon
2 oz. Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. spaghetti, bucatini, or rigatoni
Directions
1. Heat 6 qt. water in a large pot over high. When water starts to steam, add 3 Tbsp. salt and cover pot with a lid (this will bring water to a boil faster).
2. While you are waiting on the water, do a little prep. Remove 4 oz. guanciale from packaging and cut into about 1x¼" strips. Finely grate 2 oz. cheese and set aside one-quarter of cheese for later.
3. Whisk 4 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs in a medium bowl until no streaks remain, then stir in remaining grated cheese. Add several cranks of pepper and set aside.
4. Working next to pot, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp around the edges, 7–10 minutes.
5. Remove pot from heat. Using a wooden spoon, fish out guanciale and transfer to a small bowl. Pour fat into a heatproof measuring cup, then add back about 3 Tbsp. to pot. Discard any remaining fat.
6. Cook 1 lb. pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes shy of package instructions. Just before pasta is finished, scoop out 1¾ cups pasta cooking liquid with same heatproof measuring cup.
7. Add 1 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to Dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium-high. Drain pasta in a colander, then transfer to Dutch oven.
8. Cook pasta, stirring constantly and vigorously, until al dente and water is reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
9. Whisk ¼ cup reserved pasta water into egg mixture, then very slowly stream into Dutch oven, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and egg is thickened to form a glossy sauce. Season with salt, if needed. Thin sauce with remaining ½ cup pasta cooking liquid, adding a tablespoonful at a time, until it's the consistency of heavy cream (you most likely won’t use all of it).
10. Mix in guanciale and divide pasta among bowls. Top with pepper and reserved cheese.
Zesty, spiced pastas like arrabbiata and puttanesca need to be paired with care, so the wine doesn’t throw off the flavorful elements of the pasta, and the sauce doesn’t overwhelm the wine. Earthy wines like Chianti Classico, Beaujolais Cru, and Zinfandel are ideal.
Recipe to try: Jamie Oliver’s lusty, healthy Pasta Puttanesca is easy to make, but delivers layers of complex flavors and aroma.
Wine to try: Maxville Winery Oranos Old Vine Zinfandel 2021: On the nose, notes of fresh and juicy cranberries, clove, Herbes de Provence, potpourri, clay, blood orange juice, coconut shavings and a hint of fern. The palate is juicy and youthful with round tannins, lingering ripe fruity sweetness and notes of pomegranate.
Ingredients
1 pound (455 grams) dried spaghetti, the best you can get
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 handful capers, soaked in water and drained
2 handfuls big black olives, pitted
12 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
3 small dried red chiles, crumbled
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 (14 ounce/400gram) cans tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 good handful fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Cook the spaghetti in salted, boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile fry the garlic, capers, olives, anchovies, chiles, and oregano in a little olive oil for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and continue to cook for 4 or 5 minutes, until you have a lovely tomato sauce consistency. Remove from the heat, plunge the drained spaghetti into it, toss it over, and cover with the sauce. Rip all the basil over it, correct the seasoning, and drizzle with good extra-virgin olive oil.
Mouthwatering Sparkling Rosé of Pinot Noir + Seafood Pasta
Indulgent, crustacean-centric seafood spaghetti dishes are brimming with interesting textures and fresh, briny flavors. A full-bodied sparkling rosé will pair well in terms of flavor, and add a compelling textural component. This pairing calls for a special occasion.
Recipe to try: Saveur’s Spaghetti all’Astice is a classic, but simple Venetian recipe highlighting fresh lobster in all of its glory.
Wine to try: Brick & Mortar Block House Brut Rosé 2018: Made from 100% Pinot Noir, this Napa Valley wine has aromatic precision and rich flavors of red fruits framed by freshness. The addition of 4% still Pinot Noir adds elegance to this traditional method sparkling wine that is made into a rosé. On the palate this wine is both powerful and subtle, spiced orange, cherry compote and ginger lead to fresh raspberry and salted watermelon.
Ingredients
1 (1-1b.) live Maine lobster
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup tocai friulano or other dry Friuli whit wine
4 ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
Salt
12 oz. spaghetti
4 sprigs parsley, trimmed and chopped
- Directions
1. Plunge a sharp knife into top of lobster's head just behind its eyes (to kill it quickly); chop into 8–10 pieces.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lobster and any juices and garlic; cook, stirring and turning the lobster pieces, for 1 minute. Add wine and cook until alcohol has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking tomatoes down with the back of a wooden spoon, until sauce gets smoother and thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
3. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat until just tender, 11–13 minutes. Drain, add pasta to sauce, stirring well, and cook a few minutes more. Serve garnished with parsley.
Shop all of Sommsation’s reds and book a sommelier consultation to tailor a perfect wine + pasta night for you.