Best Wines to Cook Italian Food

Italian food tastes delightful and so it's been voted one of the best tasting cuisines in the world by food experts. Part of the reason why Italian food tastes so great is because of the many ways they incorporate wine into their meals. To ensure your Italian dinner is as good as it should be, make sure to use one of the best wines to cook Italian food.

Let's come across some of the best wines to cook flavoursome Italian food.

PINOT GRIGIO

If you're making scallops, mussels, or chicken with white wine, then Pinot Grigio should be your go-to choice. Along with being one of the best wines to cook Italian food with, a good glass of Grigio also tends to pair extraordinarily well with almost any light meat. Recipes such as Cioppino and Italian Mostarda taste exceptional with White wine. The key thing that makes Pinot Grigio such a workable wine is the fact that it's dry, crisp, and tart.

SAUVIGNON BLANC

Perhaps the only white wine to tie with Pinot Grigio in terms of Italian cooking is Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc has the perfect amount of alcohol content for reductions, has an excellent flavour profile for meats of all kinds, and generally tends to fare well with pasta sauces. The high acidity of a sturdy Sauvignon Blanc is particularly good with seafood.

MARSALA

Marsala wine is one of the most obvious choices, especially if you're making Veal Marsala or similar dishes. It's got a high amount of acidity, reduces very well, and is a known meat tenderizer. It can be used in main courses, appetizers and in traditional Italian desserts as well. This classic wine is so good for cooking — perhaps even better than it is for drinking.

Courtesy: celebritycruises

MERLOT

There aren't many red wines that would be considered the best wines to cook Italian Food with. Most red wines are loaded with tannins, which in turn can harm the texture of food. Merlot, on the other hand, is dry enough to complement food — but doesn't have too many tannins. The ultimate goal is for the wine to add a zing to the sauce, without having food that becomes too tough or too soft. Chefs claim it to be one of the best wines for Italian red sauces and cheeses.

CHIANTI

Chianti is considered to be a smoky-but-light wine and it works very well with spices, which is why it's one of the best wines to cook Italian food or Spanish food with. It's the low tannin but high earthiness of this wine that makes it a great choice. Best dishes for Chiantis include pasta sauce, bruschetta, and meats served with a red wine reduction. This wine also pairs well with steak dishes, making it a super versatile wine for any Italian dinner.

SPARKLING WINE

One can never say no to a bubbly glass of Sparkling wine. The bubbles in sparkling wine help even out the texture of buttery, creamy pasta sauces. Since it is a dry wine type, this also ranks surprisingly high as one of the best wines to cook Italian food with — particularly when it comes to white pasta sauces and seafood. Sparkling wine also pairs with Italian fare quite well, too.

---

Credit: Vocalmedia