9 Stellar Wines to Pair With Your Favorite Pastas, From Carbonara to Spicy Rigatoni
We usually follow the adage “if it grows together, it goes together,” but there are too many wonderful wines in the world to just focus on Italy when pairing pasta dishes. Every now and then we like to think outside of the box and pair Italian foods with wines made in the country we’re based. When we’re in Spain, we like to pair Italian food with Spanish wine, but since we’re currently in New York City we decided to pair Italian recipes with American wine. That’s why we looked to California for inspiration, so here are nine pasta dishes paired with seven Californian wines and two Italians for the traditionalists among us.
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Cacio e Pepe: Grands Joueurs Vignerons 2022 Mon Trajet Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills Santa Barbara County
Vintner John Schwartz is well known for his Amuse Bouche wines and this delightful Mon Trajet Chardonnay is his latest project. Translated from French as “my journey,” and a verbal play on the famed Burgundy appellation, it represents the culmination of his search for region with the appropriate climate and soil conditions to produce quality Chardonnay grapes. His team found ideal soils with limestone deposits and cooling Pacific breezes in the Bentrock Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills owned by the Screaming Eagle partners. This tasty wine is made from Chardonnay clones 765 and 95 and has aromas of almond paste, Cavaillon melon, and a whiff of wet river rock. It has well-structured minerality with flavors of Honey Crisp apple, lemon zest, cantaloupe and a touch of orange-scented whipped cream in the finish. The creamy note pairs so well with the creaminess of the cheese in cacio e pepe and the pronounced minerality stands up to the spiciness of freshly ground black pepper.
Spicy Rigatoni: Fe Wines 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District Napa Valley
Named for the atomic symbol for iron, Fe Wines pay homage to the high iron content in its red soils. The winemaking team crafts exquisite wines from Bordeaux varietals; this vintage is composed of 82 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 7 percent Cabernet Franc, 6 percent Petit Verdot, and 5 percent Malbec. Aged for 19 months in 85 percent new French oak barrels it has aromas of crushed violet petal, tobacco leaf, black plum, and cherry with rounded but pleasantly grippy tannins and a sturdy backbone of minerality. It opens on the palate with flavors of cedar, dried herbs, espresso, and black currant. It pairs perfectly with spicy rigatoni because the pronounced minerality acts as a foil for the plentiful chili flakes and high level of acid in the tomato.
Tortellini en Brodo: Clarice 2023 Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands
Adam Lee and Diana Novy started Siduri Wines in 1994 and in 2015 they sold their company to Jackson Family Wines, which is the current steward of that project. Adam went on to launch his own brand, Clarice Wine Company, and his wines are achieving critical acclaim from many of our colleagues. We happen to be huge fans of his 2023 Rosella’s vineyard Pinot Noir, which has aromas of bright cherry, red raspberry, and brown baking spices that transition seamlessly to the palate with flavors of ripe red fruits and a touch of dried herbs in the finish. As the weather turns a little bit cooler, we paired it with tortellini en brodo, a warming comfort food served in the winter months. Paired with this amazing Pinot Noir, it’s a match made in heaven.
Spaghetti Pomodoro: Castello di Monsanto 2018 Fabrizio Bianchi Sangioveto Tuscany
Castello di Monsanto was founded by Fabrizio Bianchi in 1962 just after the property was gifted to him by his parents as a wedding present. He planted Sangiovese vines in 1968, harvested his first grapes in 1974, and today he and his daughter Laura run the winery. The winery sits on top of a 1,000-foot-long barrel cellar that was hand dug by Giotto Cicionesi, Mario Secci, and Romolo Bartalesi in mere six-year period in the 1740s. It currently houses more than 1,300 barrels, some of which held this delicious garnet colored wine that has aromas of raspberry, cherry, and saddle leather. It has silky tannins and flavors of red cherry, underbrush, and dried Mediterranean herbs that accent the fresh basil and Italian parsley used in a steaming bowl of spaghetti pomodoro.
Carbonara: Gagnon Kennedy Vineyards 2022 Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard Napa Valley
Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper is one of the most fabled vineyards in Napa Valley and in addition it has one of the longest names. Located on the line that separates Oakville and Yountville it was originally owned by Charles Hopper who passed it on to his daughter Missouri Hopper in 1877. It was purchased by Bruce Kelham in 1960 and in 1996 Andy Beckstoffer took over ownership. Winemakers clamor to buy fruit if it’s available and Gagnon Kennedy was lucky enough to acquire Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2022 harvest. The wine was aged for about one and a half years in 75 percent new French oak before bottling in May 2024. It has aromas of pencil lead, crushed violet petals, and red currant that lead to flavors of black raspberry, red plum, and cassis. The tannins are rounded and smooth and are a perfect foil for the salty guanciale and creamy egg yolk in carbonara.
Tagliatelle Bolognese: Cortonesi 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Il Poggiarelli Tuscany
The Cortonesi family founded their winery in the 1970s with over 130 acres of land but grapes for this stunning Brunello di Montalcino were grown in a small, five-acre grand cru single vineyard located on the southeastern slope of Montalcino. The Il Poggiarelli vineyard receives early morning and midday sunlight for ideal ripening and concentration of fruit sugars and flavors. The family’s 2018 vintage has aromas of pine needles, eucalyptus, red plum, and black raspberry with soft tannins and flavors of red raspberry, cherry, and red currant. We paired Il Poggiarelli with a traditional tagliatelle pasta smothered in a hearty Bolognese sauce. The umami of the ground beef and acidity of the tomato in this dish fit together with this wine like a hand in a glove.
Pasta al Limone: Simon Family Estate 2021 Golden Ore Sauvignon Blanc Oakville Napa Valley
Sam Simon moved to the United States with his parents at the age of nine and by 19 he founded his first company, Atlas Oil. Today his businesses include Simon Group Holdings and the eponymous winery that he runs with his wife Nada and sons Peter and Michael, who are aided by consulting winemaker Maayan Koschitzky. They named this wine Golden Ore because of its pale gold color. It has aromas of lemon zest, freshly cut herbs, and tangerine blossom with flavors of honeydew melon, lemon lime, and orange zest. It pairs perfectly with pasta al limone because the added lemon in the pasta echoes the wine’s notes of lemon zest.
Linguine alle Vongole: Firetree Vineyards 2022 Fidem Chardonnay Los Carneros Napa Valley
Winemaker Julian Fayard sourced Chardonnay grapes from the oldest vines growing in the Firetree Vineyard in the Los Carneros AVA to make this excellent bottle. After fermentation he aged the wine for 18 months in a combination of concrete eggs and new French oak barrels so as not to impart too much oak flavor to the finished wine. It is golden straw colored in the glass and leads with aromas of brown baking spices, tropical fruits, and honeydew melon. It makes a perfect match with linguine alle vongole because its flavors of lemon zest, chamomile flower, and Granny Smith apple cleanse your palate between each and every delicious, briny forkful.
Lasagna: Per Us 2019 Alessio Proprietary Red Blend Napa Valley
Goldman Sachs alum Anmol Bhandari has assembled a dream team of experts at Per Us including head winemaker Russell Bevan and not just one but two master sommeliers, Ronan Sayburn MS and Willi Sherer MS. Their Alessio 2019 is a proprietary red blend consisting of 45 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 35 percent Merlot, and 20 Percent Cabernet Franc. It has aromas of graphite, cassis, and red raspberry with well-structured tannins and flavors of black raspberry, black plum, and red currant. We opened a bottle with homemade lasagna; its acidity held up to bold tomato sauce, while plush tannins were a perfect foil to abundant cheese. Normally, you have to join an allocation list to purchase Per Us, but the winery has set aside some bottles for our readers to buy as a one-off.
