Italian drinks guide
Wine Pairing 101: wine with Italian food
Last updated
You don't need a sommelier to pick a good bottle for dinner. Italian wine grew up next to Italian food, so most of it is built to be drunk with a meal. This guide gives you five simple rules, the best wine for each of Larry's favorite dishes, and every one of the 53 Italian wines on our list, grouped by style. Larry's version is shorter: pour something you like, and make sure there's bread.
Quick answer
Match the wine to the sauce, not the meat. Tomato sauces want high-acid reds like Sangiovese or Barbera; seafood and light pasta want crisp whites; rich braises want structured reds; desserts want a wine sweeter than the plate. When in doubt, drink a wine from the same region as the dish.
Five rules that work
1. Match acidity to tomato
Tomato sauce is acidic. A wine with less acidity than the sauce tastes flat, which is why Italy's high-acid reds are so food-friendly.
2. Pair the sauce, not the pasta
Pesto, cream, cheese, tomato and ragù each point to a different wine; the shape of the noodle doesn't.
3. Match weight with weight
Light dishes like light wines; slow braises and aged cheese can take big, tannic reds.
4. Cool the heat
Chili and hot sausage make tannin and alcohol feel harsher. Choose fruity, lower-tannin reds, rosato or aromatic whites.
5. What grows together goes together
Regional pairings are a reliable shortcut: Campanian whites with Neapolitan seafood, Tuscan reds with Tuscan beef, Roman whites with Roman pasta.
Best wine by dish
Best wine for sausage and peppers
Pick a juicy, medium-bodied Italian red with good acidity — Barbera, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Primitivo or Nero d'Avola are reliable.
Best wine for Sunday gravy and meatballs
Match the sauce's acidity: Chianti Classico or another Sangiovese, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, or Barbera.
Best wine for pasta
Pair to the sauce: crisp whites (Gavi, Frascati, Verdicchio) for pesto, cheese and seafood sauces; medium-bodied, high-acid reds (Sangiovese, Barbera) for tomato and ragù..
Best wine for pizza
Choose a fruity, low-tannin red (Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Barbera, Primitivo) or a dry, fizzy Lambrusco.
Best wine for Italian seafood
Go for a crisp, mineral Italian white — Falanghina, Greco di Tufo, Verdicchio, Vermentino or Etna Bianco.
Best wine for antipasti
Start with something bubbly or crisp — Prosecco, Franciacorta, Friulano or Gavi — or a light red served cool.
Best wine for Italian cheese
Match intensity: crisp whites for fresh mozzarella or ricotta, structured reds (Nebbiolo, Sagrantino, Aglianico) for aged Parmigiano or pecorino, and a sweet passito with Gorgonzola..
Best wine for braised meats and osso buco
Reach for a structured red: Barolo or Barbaresco (Nebbiolo), Amarone, Sagrantino or Aglianico.
Best wine for Italian soups
Keep it light: a crisp white like Verdicchio or Vernaccia for fish and bean soups, or a light Sangiovese with ribollita and minestrone..
Best wine for Italian desserts
Choose a wine sweeter than the dessert: Moscato d'Asti or Brachetto for fruit and light desserts, Marsala or Vin Santo for tiramisu and biscotti, a passito for richer pastries..
All 53 wines by style
Sparkling
Whites
- FalanghinaCampania · with seafood pasta, fried calamari and pizza marinara
- Fiano di AvellinoCampania (Irpinia) · with roast chicken, mushroom pasta and mild sausage
- Greco di TufoCampania (Irpinia) · with shellfish pasta, grilled fish and antipasti
- Verdicchio dei Castelli di JesiMarche · with fried seafood, vegetable antipasti and fish soups
- GaviPiedmont · with pesto pasta, light antipasti and fish
- Roero ArneisPiedmont (Roero) · with vegetable risotto, antipasti and soft cheeses
- FrascatiLazio · with cacio e pepe, Roman antipasti and fried artichokes
- Orvieto ClassicoUmbria · with light pasta, chicken and summer vegetables
- Vernaccia di San GimignanoTuscany · with fish, white bean soup and pecorino
- LuganaLombardy and Veneto (Lake Garda) · with lake fish, risotto and grilled vegetables
- Ribolla GiallaFriuli Venezia Giulia · with prosciutto, seafood crudo and cured meats
- FriulanoFriuli Venezia Giulia · with prosciutto, frico and antipasti
- Alto Adige GewürztraminerAlto Adige · with spicy sausage, smoked meats and strong cheese
- Pecorino (wine)Abruzzo and Marche · with pecorino cheese, seafood and vegetable pasta
- Trebbiano d'AbruzzoAbruzzo · with fish, pasta with vegetables and antipasti
- GrilloSicily · with swordfish, caponata and seafood pasta
- Etna BiancoSicily (Mount Etna) · with raw fish, grilled seafood and citrus salads
- Vermentino di GalluraSardinia · with fish stew, clams and herby pasta
Rosati (rosé)
Reds
- Langhe NebbioloPiedmont · with mushroom pasta, sausage and roast meats
- Roero RossoPiedmont (Roero) · with veal, risotto and pasta
- GattinaraNorthern Piedmont · with braised beef, osso buco and aged cheese
- GhemmeNorthern Piedmont · with braises, game and hard cheese
- GrignolinoPiedmont (Asti and Monferrato) · with salumi, vitello tonnato and light pasta
- FreisaPiedmont · with sausage, salumi and pizza
- Ruchè di Castagnole MonferratoPiedmont · with spiced sausage, roast pork and aged cheese
- Valpolicella ClassicoVeneto · with pizza, pasta with tomato and salumi
- BardolinoVeneto (Lake Garda) · with pizza, light pasta and grilled fish
- Teroldego RotalianoTrentino · with sausage, polenta and hearty pasta
- LagreinAlto Adige · with speck, grilled sausage and stews
- SchiavaAlto Adige · with speck, cold cuts and light pasta
- Morellino di ScansanoTuscany (Maremma) · with sausage and peppers, meatballs and pizza
- Rosso di MontalcinoTuscany · with Sunday gravy, meatballs and grilled meat
- Rosso di MontepulcianoTuscany · with tomato pasta, pizza and sausage
- CarmignanoTuscany · with roast meats, braises and aged pecorino
- Bolgheri RossoTuscany (coast) · with grilled steak, sausage and burgers
- Sagrantino di MontefalcoUmbria · with braised beef, lamb and hard cheese
- Cesanese del PiglioLazio · with amatriciana, lamb and sausage
- Lacryma Christi del VesuvioCampania (Vesuvius) · with pizza, meatballs and tomato pasta
- NegroamaroPuglia (Salento) · with grilled sausage, meatballs and eggplant
- Salice SalentinoPuglia · with Sunday gravy, sausage and peppers and lasagna
- Cannonau di SardegnaSardinia · with roast pork, sausage and lamb
- FrappatoSicily (Vittoria) · with tuna, pizza and light pasta
- Cerasuolo di VittoriaSicily · with sausage and peppers, caponata and meatballs
Sweet
Fortified
Questions people ask
What is the easiest rule for pairing wine with Italian food?
Match the wine to the sauce. Tomato sauces want high-acid reds, light and seafood sauces want crisp whites.
What red wine goes with Italian food?
Sangiovese (including Chianti), Barbera and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo are versatile, high-acid reds that suit most red-sauce dishes.
What white wine goes with Italian food?
Crisp whites such as Falanghina, Verdicchio, Gavi or Vermentino suit seafood, pesto and light pasta.
Should Italian red wine be served at room temperature?
Slightly below most modern room temperatures — around 60–65°F (16–18°C). A short time in the fridge helps.
Do I need expensive wine for Italian food?
No. Many everyday Italian wines are made to go with food; balance and acidity matter more than price.
More: Italian wine guide · Sausage and peppers · Italian beer pairings · All drinks