Italian wines have been produced for over 4,000 years, and with a diverse range of grapes grown, this invites a variety of flavours, from fruity to tangy. With the plethora of Italian white wines available, there are plenty for you to choose from as you venture in deciphering a pleasant wine and dish together. So, how should you enjoy a glass of white wine with your meal?
Pasta Dishes
Pasta, an all-time favourite dish, from Bolognese, pasta bakes and the classic carbonara, enjoying these dishes with a glass of white wine can create an elegant taste. As well as drinking your white wine alongside enjoying your favourite meal, you could also use white wine within the dishes themselves, giving a subtle enhanced flavour that works well with a dash of lemon to finish.
Creamy
Italian white wine complements highly with creamy sauces such as alfredo, creating an elegant and light taste to compete with the richness of the creamy cheese. So, if you’re having a celebratory evening with friends and family, display a white wine to correspond well with any creamy dishes shared.
Mushroom and Leek Pasta Bake
With the creaminess of the sauce and savoury flavour of the sauteed mushrooms, a white wine will help balance out these contrasts in flavours, leaving a pleasant taste on the palette.
Seafood
From lobster, to cod, there is a series of fish that sit well with a range of Italian wines. A crisp, dry wine sits well alongside any seafood dish, but what fish dishes should you pair these with to create an enhancement in flavour?
White Fish
Typically, white-fleshed fish in a butter-based sauce sit well with white wine. Try drinking with cod or tilapia, which allows the white wine to enhance these fish flavours, sitting well on your palette. If you’re enjoying a fish pie and looking for a white wine to complement, a Chardonnay will also leave a light flavour, to contrast the richness of the sauce in the dish.
Lobster
The classic Chardonnay sits delightful with a lobster dish, with its light flavour and creamy sauce that reduces the bitterness of the white wine. Serve with a butter sauce, green vegetables and a side of white rice for a completed dish for you to enjoy. So, for your next outing, experience the taste of Italian white wine alongside your lobster dish. You won’t regret it!