Tuscany
4 wine routes
All 4 Tuscany drives
Page 10 of 11
Italian Food and Wine Pairing Guide, Page 10
Pairings at a Glance
Showing 91–100 of 109 dishes
Zuppa alla Valdostana
Zuppa alla Valdostana stacks stale bread, Savoy cabbage and Fontina in beef broth, baked until the cheese pulls into threads. The dish belongs to the Aosta Valley: Alpine cold-weather food designed to use dairy from the summer pasture. Torrette Petit Rouge or a lighter Fumin from the Valle d'Aosta DOC brings enough fruit and mineral lift to cut the Fontina, keeping the soup on the savoury side of rich.
Perfect grape varieties
Petit Rouge
Also worth trying
Fumin
Gamay
Agnello Cacio e Ova (Agnello cacio e ova)
Molise's flagship Easter lamb, slow-braised in white wine with garlic and parsley, then finished off the heat by stirring through a beaten mixture of eggs and grated pecorino cacio. The residual heat sets the egg and cheese into a glossy golden coating around each piece, never breaking into scramble. Tintilia del Molise DOC is the regional answer: a peppery, medium-bodied red whose savoury dark fruit and Apennine herbal lift carry the richness of the egg-cheese sauce without overshadowing delicate spring lamb. For a fuller pour, Aglianico del Vulture from neighbouring Basilicata adds tannic backbone, while a chilled Falanghina del Sannio works well for guests who prefer white.
Perfect grape varieties
Tintilia
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Falerno del MassicoDOC
Aglianico del TaburnoDOCG
Aglianico del VultureDOC
Aglianico del Vulture SuperioreDOCG
BasilicataIGT
Peperoni Cruschi (Peperoni Cruschi)
Peperoni cruschi are sun-dried Senise peppers, an IGP cultivar from the Sinni and Agri valleys of Basilicata, eaten brittle and shatter-thin once flashed in olive oil. The Lucanian kitchen treats them as the table salt, crumbling them over baccalà , cacioricotta, and lampascioni; on an antipasto board they hold the plate alone. Their smoky sweetness, oil-rich crunch, and bright salt ask for a wine with acidity to cut the fat and savoury weight to hold the smoke: Aglianico del Vulture DOCG, especially Elena Fucci's Titolo, threads sour-cherry acidity and graphite tannin under the dish without overpowering it. A glass of Falanghina del Sannio works as a lighter alternative when the cruschi sit alongside anchovies or fava purée.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Falerno del MassicoDOC
Aglianico del TaburnoDOCG
Aglianico del VultureDOC
Aglianico del Vulture SuperioreDOCG
BasilicataIGT
Pizza Margherita (Pizza Margherita)
Pizza Margherita is a Campanian tomato, mozzarella and basil pizza where the wine has to respect simplicity. The tomato wants acidity, the mozzarella wants freshness, and the basil punishes anything too oaky. Choose young Sangiovese or Barbera for red, Falanghina for white, or Prosecco Superiore when the crust is blistered and salty.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Pizza Marinara (Pizza Marinara)
Pizza Marinara is a Campanian tomato pizza with garlic, oregano and olive oil, so the pairing is all about tomato acidity and herbal lift. There is no cheese to soften a hard red. Falanghina is the cleanest match, but young Sangiovese or Barbera also works when the sauce is sweet and the garlic is not too loud.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Pizza Diavola (Pizza alla Diavola)
Pizza Diavola is a Campanian-style spicy salami pizza, built on tomato, mozzarella and chilli heat rather than heavy toppings. The salt and fat need acidity first, then enough red fruit to keep the spice generous. Sangiovese, Barbera, Lambrusco and a bright Montepulciano d'Abruzzo all work, while Falanghina is the white option when the chilli is sharper than the salami.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Pizza Romana (Pizza Romana)
Pizza Romana is a Lazio pizza style where a thinner, crisper base gives the topping more bite. Tomato, anchovy, oregano and mozzarella need wines that can refresh salt and acid at once. Sangiovese and Montepulciano bring the right red-fruit snap, while Falanghina or Prosecco keeps the finish lighter.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Pinsa Romana (Pinsa Romana)
Pinsa Romana is a Lazio oval flatbread with a light, airy bite and enough olive oil to make freshness essential. It can carry tomato and cheese, but the dough itself is the point. Falanghina, Vermentino or dry Prosecco Superiore suit simple pinsa, while Sangiovese works when cured meat or tomato becomes the lead flavour.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Calzone (Calzone)
Calzone is a Campanian folded pizza, usually richer than an open pie because cheese, tomato and cured pork are sealed inside the dough. The wine needs to cut through melted filling without fighting the crust. Barbera, Sangiovese and Lambrusco keep the centre bright, while a crisp rosato is useful when ricotta is the dominant note.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Panzerotti (Panzerotti)
Panzerotti are Apulian fried half-moons, commonly filled with tomato and mozzarella so the first impression is hot dough and molten cheese. They need wines with lift rather than weight. Negroamaro rosato, lighter Primitivo, Falanghina or a dry sparkling Glera cut the frying oil and keep the tomato lively.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
