A Wine-Pairing Recipe: Rigatoni

The history of classic food and wine pairings is also classic chicken-and-egg. Which came first, for instance, the wine Muscadet or the oyster? No matter, really; suffice it to see that they grew up together. This pasta dish is like so many that we call Italian, with its combination of pasta, aromatics, oil, tomatoes, cheese, and vegetation. What wines would an Italian suggest to temper the tomatoes’ acidity? To balance the salt from the cheese? Well, an Italian wine, of course, light red or white, with its typical combination of zippy acidity and dolce demeanor. 

Rigatoni and spinach
Cook 1 pound of rigatoni in a stockpot of well-salted boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 medium onion, chopped, and 2 cloves garlic, minced; cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, 2 baby eggplants, chopped, 1/2 cup red wine, 1 teaspoon fennel seed, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper; cook until vegetables soften, about 12 minutes. Drain pasta; return to pot. Toss with 1 bag (6-8 ounces) of spinach and the vegetable mixture until the spinach has wilted. Serve, garnished with shredded basil and grated Parmesan. Makes: 6 servings

Wines
From up and down the Italian peninsula come a raft of wines—red, white, pink, and sparkling—with taut acidity, medium body, and moderate alcohol to pair with this dish. From the north, find Piedmont’s arneis and barbera, Trentino’s muller-thurgau and lagrein, and Lombardy’s Franciacorta sparklers. The center gives us many versions of sangiovese and trebbiano both. From the south, try more sangiovese, Campania’s falanghina, and Sicily’s nerello mascalese.

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