Tuscany
4 wine routes
All 4 Tuscany drives
Page 2 of 11
Italian Food and Wine Pairing Guide, Page 2
Pairings at a Glance
Showing 11–20 of 109 dishes
Baci di Alassio
Baci di Alassio are the Ligurian riviera's hazelnut-chocolate cookies, twin domes of ground hazelnut sandwiched around dark chocolate. Pasquale Balzola invented them in Alassio in 1919. Moscato d'Asti DOCG or a chilled Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG bring the aromatic sweetness to mirror the cookie; both are Piedmontese cross-border choices.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Brachetto
Appellations to explore
AstiDOCG
Brachetto d'Acqui/AcquiDOCG
CanelliDOCG
Custoza/Bianco di CustozaDOC
Moscadello di MontalcinoDOC
Baci di Dama
Baci di Dama are the Piedmontese lady's kisses, small butter-almond domes pressed together around a dot of dark chocolate. Tortona is the canonical town; Alessandria disputes. Moscato d'Asti DOCG is the automatic pair; a darker Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG takes the chocolate if the proportions lean cocoa-forward.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Brachetto
Appellations to explore
AstiDOCG
Brachetto d'Acqui/AcquiDOCG
CanelliDOCG
Custoza/Bianco di CustozaDOC
Moscadello di MontalcinoDOC
Bollito dei Pastori
Bollito dei Pastori is a Basilicata shepherds' lamb boil, meat simmered with potatoes, onion and tomato until the broth turns rich and warming. It belongs to the Lucanian pastoral table, where the appeal is plain ingredients and the depth they build in the pot. A youthful Aglianico del Vulture with firm acidity, or a lighter Basilicata rosso, stands up to the lamb without making the dish feel heavier than it is.
Appellations to explore
Brasato al Barolo
Brasato al Barolo is the Piedmontese braise built for Sunday lunch, beef shoulder or eye of round cooked for hours in a bottle of Barolo with soffritto, herbs and juniper. The rule at Langhe tables is simple: cooked in Barolo, served with Barolo. A younger Nebbiolo d'Alba keeps the dish honest if the good bottles are elsewhere; Barbera d'Alba is the weekday substitute.
Appellations to explore
Brodetto alla giuliese
Brodetto alla Giuliese is Giulianova's fish stew, a seven-fish minimum simmered with tomato, garlic and saffron in a low terracotta pot. The Abruzzese rule is one pan, one hour, one spoon. Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC handles the tomato load; a Pecorino Offida DOCG brings more intensity for oilier fish; Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC is the rosato for celebration.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Trebbiano Abruzzese
Passerina
Appellations to explore
OffidaDOCG
Trebbiano d'AbruzzoDOC
Brodetto alla Termolese (Brodetto alla termolese)
Adriatic seafood stew from Termoli on the Molise coast: scorpionfish, cuttlefish, mussels, langoustines and red mullet braised with green peperoncino, garlic, white wine, tomato and parsley. Distinctive for its sharp pepper note and absence of vinegar (unlike the Abruzzese variant). Pairs with Falanghina or Pecorino di Italia.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Passerina
Appellations to explore
Falanghina del SannioDOC
Falerno del MassicoDOC
OffidaDOCG
Caciocavallo farcito
Caciocavallo farcito is a Southern Italian speciality where the pear-shaped cheese is stuffed, often with cured meats or vegetables, then baked until molten. The intense, slightly smoky flavour of the melted cheese demands wines with enough structure to cut through the richness.
Appellations to explore
BasilicataIGT
MateraDOC
Aglianico del TaburnoDOCG
Aglianico del VultureDOC
Aglianico del Vulture SuperioreDOCG
Canederli
Canederli are the Trentino-Alto Adige bread dumplings, stale bread, speck and herbs bound with milk and egg, served in broth or browned butter. The dish is Sudtirol by formation, Austrian by ancestry. Lagrein from Alto Adige DOC or a St. Magdalener Schiava brings the local red; Pinot Bianco covers the broth version.
Perfect grape varieties
Lagrein
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Carbonade
Carbonade is the Valdostano beef stew, chunks of chuck braised in red wine with onion, juniper and butter until the meat shreds. The recipe belongs to the Aosta Valley and borrows its name, not its technique, from the Flemish carbonnade. Torrette Petit Rouge or a Fumin from the Valle d'Aosta DOC match the altitude and the juniper; Cornalin is the quieter local alternative.
Perfect grape varieties
Petit Rouge
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
Cartellate
Cartellate are the Pugliese Christmas pastry, spiral ribbons of dough fried and soaked in vincotto (cooked grape must) or local honey. Bari and the Salento both make them; the filling marks the town. Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale DOC carries the vincotto version; Aleatico di Puglia DOC handles the fortified variant; Moscato d'Asti is the lighter option.
Perfect grape varieties
Aleatico
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
