White wine with spaghetti & meatballs ?

WINE TALK
1

Beef/pork/veal meatballs, basil tomato sauce.
Any thoughts?

2

Foradori manzoni bianco. Or a skin contact Ribolla Gialla.

3

Try something from Alto Adige with a little acidity. Terlan Pinot Grigio 2020 is widely available and affordable.

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4

Patricia Green dry Muscat, or Luis Rodriguez ‘A Teixa’, or Agatha Bursin Sylvaner.

5

pinot grigio renata which is light skin contact maceration (few hours) not quite an orange wine, but fairly “bold” for a pinot grigio. I’d say firmly medium bodied. I’m not sure why you couldn’t enjoy it with a sparkling wine. Sparkling wine pairs with everything.

6

+1

I was thinking a BdN or Rose Champagne.

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7

+1
 The pinot(s) in Champagne will give the depth and richness of flavor that the red sauce needs.

8

I like sauvignon blanc or friulano from Borgo del Tiglio

9

Tomato and basil sauces can work well with many whites that have both body and some acid.

This is a case where I think a sparkling wine would not be that great. I don’t see that it would add anything to the food or vice versa. It seems to me they’d been playing on different fields.

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10

Maybe it’s just me but I think of acid as your enemy with tomato sauce in the way I do with reds (I like zin blends or other ripe low acid reds with tomato based dishes, I never got the barbera thing). Maybe it’s perceived acid that matters perhaps. I love Champagne but it’s not what would come to mind for this dish.

11

I, too, love zin with many tomato dishes. Also Grenache. But I think it’s the fruit that strikes a chord with the tomato, not the low acidity.

I agree that Barbera can be an odd duck. It can be just too high in acid. But a Sangiovese or Tempranillo or Nebbiolo — all of which have good acidity — can all be tomato companions. In those cases, I think the acidity is essential to the match. (Qualification: I wouldn’t serve a nebbiolo with tomato and basil.)

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12

Carricante.

Love the A Teixa suggestion, too.

13

I think some of this depends on how you define ‘spaghetti & meatballs’. Some people make high acid types of sauces at home, US commercial jarred sauces tend to be very sugary on the other hand.

My version of the sauce tends to be high fat, lots of fennel, and almost creamy with lots of umami. But everyone makes it their own way, so wine choices might not be catholic.

14

Massican Gemina

15

N.V. Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée Rubis

16

Fiano works, also Verdicchio. Carricante was a good suggestion.
For a splurge, Vintage Tunina or Clivi Galea.

I happen to like whites with tomato sauces.

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17

Riesling goes with everything. I can’t think of a food I won’t drink white wine with.

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18

I usually add a splash or two, or three, of Marsala to my tomato sauce. It mellows the acid attack out somewhat and adds some depth.

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19

I like the Misco Verdicchio and think it would work here. I expect Grecco di Tufo and Gavi would also play well. The Vietti Roero Arneis would probably be fun. None of my suggestions would be very expensive, so you could open a few and go with what fits best to your tastes.

Cheers,
fred

20

I’d probably quickly eat two large helpings of the spaghetti and meatballs, clear the table, then open a white wine. I wouldn’t try to pair them.

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