Spaghetti is a quick yet affordable meal. Unfortunately, spaghetti is overshadowed by other dishes. Therefore, most people believe you cannot serve spaghetti with wine.
However, they are sadly mistaken. Spaghetti pairs perfectly with the right wine.
Contents
Tips for Pairing Spaghetti With Wine
Technically, you can experiment and pair wines with spaghetti until you find the perfect combination. However, these wine pairing tips will help you choose the perfect combination.
The sauce is the biggest factor when pairing wine and spaghetti. Even though your spaghetti may contain different proteins, the sauce is still the biggest determinant for wine pairings.
In most spaghetti dishes, the meat or vegetables and the sauce already enhance each other. Therefore, the wine will also enhance the protein.
Generally speaking, red wines pair with red sauces. In contrast, white wines pair best with cream-based or olive oil-based sauces.
Acidity is also another important factor for wine pairings. Wines with medium to high acidity levels pair well with tomato sauces. On the other hand, low-acidity wines work best for mildly flavored creamy sauces.
Lastly, consider the wine’s body when pairing wine with spaghetti. Light-bodied wines’ crisp, light and refreshing taste works best with tomato sauces.
In contrast, rich cream-based sauces contrast beautifully with full-bodied wines.
Does Red or White Wine Go With Spaghetti?
Red wines like Pinot Noir work best with homemade spaghetti. However, the pairing can depend on many factors, like the sauce. Nevertheless, white or red wines pair well with spaghetti.
What Wine Pairs With Spaghetti?
You can’t pair any wine with spaghetti. Unfortunately, wine parings are not that easy. Luckily, with this spaghetti wine pairing list, half of your work is already done.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Chianti was one of the classic pairings in restaurants that served spaghetti. Today Chianti is mainly produced from Sangiovese grapes. However, based on the classification of wine, Chianti can contain Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot grapes.
Chianti is very acidic, so it will not conflict with the tomato sauce. It livens up the spaghetti and meatballs by providing a refreshing, cleansing taste.
Chianti Classico also works well with spaghetti and meatballs. It has robust yet refreshing cherry flavors that enhance the sweet profile of the tomato sauce.
Chianti Classico also has hints of minerals, bay leaves, herbs, and tobacco. These subtle notes enhance the fresh or dried basil or oregano in the tomato sauce.
Since Chianti Classico is a rich, velvety, yet medium-bodied wine, it will not overpower the meatball’s flavor, whether they are lamb, veal, pork, chicken, or vegetable meatballs.
When pairing Chianti with spaghetti and meatballs, choose a traditional style. Modern Chianti wine may have an overly oaky flavor or may be overpowered by the flavor of the tomato sauce.
Typically, spaghetti and meatballs have a tomato-based sauce. Therefore, it needs an acidic wine that can stand up to the acidic and sweet tomato sauce. If the wine is not acidic enough, it will give the spaghetti and meatballs a metallic flavor.
Sangiovese is an acidic Tuscan wine with medium tannins. Sangiovese is another great wine that pairs with spaghetti and meatballs.
Tannins break down the protein bond in the meatballs, so it enhances the savory flavor of the meatballs. Overall, Sangiovese is a tannic wine that enhances the flavor of spaghetti and meatballs.
Spaghetti Primavera
Spaghetti primavera is a delicious vegetable-based dish. It’s made with yellow summer squash, bell peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, and many other vegetables.
Primavera sauce is made with light cream, salt, basil, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.
Since spaghetti primavera is a vegetable-based dish, Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect choice.
Sauvignon Blanc highlights the fresh vegetables. The wine will also cut through the rich cream and salty parmesan cheese in the primavera sauce.
You can pair Riesling or Pinot Grigio with spaghetti primavera.
Riesling has a naturally fruity flavor. It’s filled with pear, apple, apricot, and peach notes. The fruity flavors add a beautiful contrast to the rich cream sauce and fresh vegetables.
In contrast, Pinot Grigio has fruity flavors of lime, apples, white nectarines, lemons, and pears. However, depending on the style of Pinot Grigio, there may also be mild notes of honey and a slight minerality.
The fruity flavor of the Pinot Grigio will enhance the fresh vegetables and contrast beautifully with the salty parmesan cheese.
Baked Spaghetti
Baked spaghetti is a rich dish that needs the right wine to cut through the dense flavors. Lambrusco is the perfect wine.
Lambrusco is a tannic wine with a dark fruity flavor that cuts through the acidic tomato sauce, hearty cheese, and gooey cheese.
Furthermore, the delicate light carbonation cuts through the rich cheese leaving your palette refreshed and ready to indulge in more baked spaghetti.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti carbonara is a rich, heavy, and filling meal. Consisting of pancetta or bacon, cheese, and eggs, every bite is indulgent and filling.
However, because carbonara is such a rich dish, the wine pairing should not overpower the dress. Light-bodied wines like Pinot Noir are perfect for Spaghetti carbonara.
Pinot Noir’s vivid acidity and fruity profile balance out the creamy, dense carbonara sauce.
In contrast, if you want to enjoy carbonara with a glass of white wine, Chardonnay is an excellent choice. The acidic, fruity notes will cut through the rich carbonara sauce.
Spaghetti All’Arrabbiata
Spaghetti all’arrabbiata is a spicy Italian dish consisting of garlic, tomatoes, and dehydrated red chili peppers sauteed in olive oil.
The spicy spaghetti all’arrabbiata leaves a mild fiery sensation in your mouth. Therefore, you need the perfect wine to balance the spicy flavor and relieve your palette.
Zinfandel is the perfect wine for the job. The fruity, baking spice flavor will complement the spicy Spaghetti all’arrabbiata perfectly. It will balance out the spicy sauce and leave your palette refreshed.
Final Thoughts
There are many types of spaghetti, so you need to tailor the wine to the dish. Remember, red wines work best with red sauces, and white wines work well with cream sauces.
However, there are some exceptions to the wine pairing rules. So, feel free to experiment until you find the perfect spaghetti and wine pairing.