What’s for dinner tonight? For some, the question is never really about what you eat, but rather what are you going to drink with your meal? Answering this question is no simple matter. It varies according to the dish. But tonight, it is settled, we are having pasta! For a heightened culinary experience, what could be better than a good glass of wine to accompany this highly popular dish? Since many roads lead to Rome (and to Toujours Mikes), here is an overview of the best wine and pasta pairings. To your corkscrews!

When wine and tomato pasta go hand in hand

Let’s start with the most popular and common pasta dish: pasta with tomato sauce. Tomato-based sauces are generally potent, rather acidic and often mixed with rich red meats. The combination of Italian tomatoes with basil, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese and garlic is the perfect companion for aromatic and tasty red wines or dry whites. As you add richness, you can choose a wine that has more body. For example, spaghetti and rigatoni with Bolognese sauce are perfect with a Ruffino with it’s bright acidity, smooth tannins, and notes of cherry and spice that perfectly complement tomato-based dishes. Any wine produced with the Italian Sangiovese (Chianti) grape variety will also be perfect.

Long live the marriage between seafood pasta and wine

Let’s move off the land and head to the seaside with a nice bowl of seafood pasta. Many of these recipes are served with anchovies, clams or other seafood. For a stunning wine and pasta pairing, white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are perfectly suitable. And if you want to accompany your smoked, cooked or roasted salmon pasta, a pairing with pinot noir will be delightful. For shrimp linguine, like the one we serve in our restaurant, a dry white wine that is relatively young, like a Chablis, will be more suitable.

Wine to serve with rich and creamy sauces

Finding a wine that doesn’t match a cheese pasta dish is difficult. For dishes served with rich and creamy sauces such as Mikes Carbonara Linguines, a Chardonnay or a rich and creamy Burgundy will enhance the cheese. Lighter, floral red wines make excellent pairings for pasta served with firm cheese, especially if the sauce contains mushrooms or root vegetables. As for lasagna, which combines a soft texture, rich sauce and cheese, a rustic and tasty red wine such as a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo will enhance this all-time favourite classic dish.

Make sure your wine and pasta pairing is a success

The subject of the best wine and pasta pairings is in a sense very delicate, because even if some basic rules apply, you must always keep in mind the foodie’s individual preferences. Finding the right wine for your meal is about sharing what you love and testing your palate and taste buds. So when ordering your meal in the dining room, don’t hesitate to ask our staff which wine best matches the pasta dish you want. Bon appetit!