What to drink with tomato-based pasta Many pasta dishes contain tomato sauce, which is quite acidic. This makes it difficult to pair with wines, especially red wines. But don't worry -- there are Italian reds that can match the acidity in tomato sauce and elevate a simple Italian dinner to a new level. Think of Barbera, a red wine made from the grape of the same name grown in Piedmont in northwestern Italy. Barbera has high acidity and is one of the few Italian wines that can match the acidity in tomato sauce, complementing the Italian food without being overwhelmed. There are several different styles of Barbera and many different producers. Next time you're enjoying pasta with tomato sauce or pizza with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, choose a Barbera that has moderate alcohol (12-13 percent or so) and has not been aged in oak. Oak aging softens the acidity of Barbera and makes it less likely to pair well with tomato sauce. But oak-aged Barbera is perfect for meat sauce and meat dishes or on its own.

Its soft and velvety texture makes it approachable and appealing for many palates. Fresh tomatoes and Italian wine From Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella to bruschetta, tomatoes are the mainstay of many Italian appetizers. But tomatoes, like tomato sauce, have high acidity. They are also quite light, which makes white wines a better pairing for dishes with fresh tomatoes. So, when choosing a wine for a dish that contains fresh tomatoes, go for an Italian white with higher acidity. The best Italian whites also have tons of flavor and character. The region of Campania in the South makes whites that pair well with fresh tomatoes and other foods commonly served as appetizers: olives, fresh mozzarella or seafood. The best is Greco di Tufo, an Italian white wine made from the greco grape. Greco di Tufo is full of flavor and character, but also has enough acidity to match dishes with fresh tomatoes. Its minerality and the medium body make it a perfect match for mozzarella and pasta with seafood, from shrimp and scampi to clams and squid.

After all, this white comes from the same area as some of the best Italian tomatoes, the best mozzarella and the wonderful seafood of the coast. So next time you are cooking pasta or making fresh tomato salad, put the Chianti aside and save it for a meal that includes some red meat. Reach for Barbera and Greco di Tufo instead, and you're guaranteed a great dining experience. More wine and food pairings Tips for pairing chocolates and wineGreek food and wine pairingsWhich wine do I serve?If you’re going to drink like a billionaire, you have to drink Italian wine. No glass so ably matches the lusty flavors of Italian cuisine, be it the blissful combination of a piercing friulano with creamy burrata or a Barbaresco with a steaming plate of buttered pasta and shaved Alba truffles.We all know the likes of prosecco, pinot grigio and Chianti, any of which can be deeply gratifying when well made, but this is just the tip of the tiramisu that is Italian wine. With more than 300 grapes and a dizzying number of wine regions, it is the wine world’s crazy quilt of complexity.

The good news is that this prevents even most experts from becoming experts on Italian wine, which takes the pressure off—and makes it that much harder for snobs to show you up. If you learn just a few good types, you’ll be ahead of the game. Another advantage of Italian wine is that compared to its counterparts in France and California, the most coveted versions aren’t always the world’s most expensive. best wine with german foodJust as some vintage Alfa Romeo Spiders sell for only four figures, the Italians believe in delivering beauty at all price points. top rated red wine glassesAnd the value of learning to pronounce a few special Italian wines should not be underestimated. best bc white wine

Order an everyday-sounding merlot or malbec and your date will yawn, but purse your lips around the glamorous Etna Bianco or amarone—and you’ve already closed the deal.A good introduction to Italy’s best white wines is fiano, which hails mostly from southern Italy’s Campania region. Its lemony acidity and medium weight makes it versatile with most dishes, especially pasta creations with nuts or basil, both of which are also signature scents in the wine. what kind of wine goes best with turkeySniff mindfully and you may even detect a floral bouquet, so if you forget to bring flowers, there’s a good chance this wine will do it for you. pictures of wine basketsTry: Pietracupa Fiano di Avellino ($30).2. top 10 spanish white wines

Etna Bianco (ATE-nah bee-AHN-ko)If anyone tries to give you grief about drinking white wine, tell them yours was wrought by a fearsome volcano, which is exactly how the best wines from Sicily—and specifically around the east coast district of Mt. Etna—came to be. The grapes raised on Mt. Etna’s high-altitude, volcanic soils, including ancient indigenous varieties such as carricante, create wines that are refreshing but have a distinct minerality and intensity. top sweet red wines 2015Try: Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore Pietramarina ($40).best dc wine storesA powerful, swaggering capo, this is a heady red made from dehydrated grapes grown in the Valpolicella district of Italy’s Veneto region. dry red wine orderIts bold, high-octane taste, which sometimes has hints of chocolate or minerals, often requires 10 or more years to mellow.

Prestigious and powerful, it deserves to be drunk in a jewel-encrusted chalice. Try: Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico ($375).Let the pikers play with their pinot grigio while you favor friulano, a white that’s the pride of northeastern Italy but still relatively unknown outside of wine circles. Uncommonly refreshing, friulano is crisp and medium-bodied, with an often pleasantly bitter aftertaste of minerals or almonds. While some versions edge over $50, it often goes for about half that. Try: Livio Felluga Friulano Friuli Venezia- Colli Orientali ($30).5. Barolo and Barbaresco (Bah-ROH-low, Bar-bah-RAY-sko)Italy’s rich, regal expressions of the nebbiolo grape, Piedmont-based Barolo and Barbaresco can be astonishingly unique in nose and taste. Their signature scents are tar and roses, but leather and menthol often rise to the fore. Their ample acidity and tannins also make rich food a necessity, so unleash the osso buco. Try: Gaja Barbaresco ($200).Considered the top wine type of relatively humble southern Italy, aglianico delivers a savory black-fruited whoosh of sour cherry, leather, black olive or smoke.