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Italian Food and Wine Pairing Guide, Page 9
Pairings at a Glance
Showing 81–90 of 109 dishes
Vitello Tonnato
Vitello Tonnato is the Piedmontese cold summer veal, sliced thin and covered with an emulsion of tuna, capers, anchovy and egg yolk. The dish is 19th-century Piedmontese bourgeois cooking, served at room temperature on hot days. Roero Arneis DOCG or a Gavi di Gavi DOCG from Cortese bring the crispness the tuna-emulsion demands; a Barbera d'Alba served slightly cool handles the heavier winter version.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Risotto alla Milanese
Risotto alla Milanese is the yellow risotto of Lombardy, bone-marrow and saffron cooked into Carnaroli. The legend has a glass-stainer drop saffron into a wedding risotto in 1574; the dish has never let go. Franciacorta DOCG is the Milanese classic; a Lugana DOC from Turbiana works as a still-white alternative, with light Oltrepo Pavese Pinot Nero for reds.
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Arancini
Arancini are Sicily's riceball street food, palm-sized fried spheres of saffron risotto wrapped around a core of ragù or mozzarella. Catania serves them arancini (pointed, orange-shaped); Palermo serves arancine (round). Frappato from Vittoria keeps it light; Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG, the Frappato and Nero d'Avola blend, picks up the heavier ragù-filled versions.
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Porcini mushroom risotto
Porcini Mushrooms Risotto (or Risotto ai Funghi Porcini) is a celebrated Italian dish that draws its rich, earthy flavor from the porcini mushrooms. It pairs ideally with a medium-bodied Italian Nebbiolo. The Nebbiolo's nuanced profile, marked by its effusive fragrance, pale color, and complex flavor, complements the risotto's earthy tones. The wine's high acidity and low tannin content match well with the creamy, savory nature of the risotto. For a white wine pairing, Chardonnay stands out. Its fuller body and acidity level provide a satisfying contrast to the dish, while its flavor profile can elevate the earthy and umami elements of the porcini mushrooms.
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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.
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Truffle risotto
Truffle Risotto is a Piedmont rice dish, buttered and finished with shaved truffle so the perfume stays above the grain rather than inside a heavy sauce. The style belongs naturally to the Langhe and Monferrato table, where rice and truffle meet without unnecessary garnish. A restrained Nebbiolo or a fine metodo classico has the lift and savoury tension to keep the earthiness precise.
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