Saturday, November 6, 2010

Choosing Wine for an Italian Dinner

Author: Emily Contadino

The restaurant is nice, the tables are set perfectly, the menu is laid out in front of you. You know exactly what you want for dinner, spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread and cannoli for dessert. Perfect. Then the waiter asks what if you would like wine with that, you think to yourself ‘wine does sound good…but what kind?’. For many diners, Italian cuisine and wine go hand in hand, but how do you pick the right kind for your meal?

If an appetizer is on your dinner menu, a nice white wine such as Soave is a good choice. This particular type of wine is very light with an almond hint to it. It tends to be flowery with a somewhat bitter finish to it. This white wine not only goes well with the appetizer portion of the meal, but also with lighter meals such as rice or simple pasta dishes.

Most Italian food is known for its robust texture and flavor and it needs a wine that can stand up to that. The most well known wine from Italy is Chianti, this is the wine that is shown in old movies being presented in the straw baskets. It is traditionally a fruity wine with a strong, bold taste; this not only helps to compliment the meal, but also makes it a good choice for novice wine drinkers.

For dessert, there is yet another wine that is a must try, even for the new wine drinker at the table. Asti Spumanit is the most commonly produced wine in Italy and is also produced in places such as California. It is known as a dessert wine that is sweet to semi-sweet and is preferred by some over French champagne. This wine goes will with sweet desserts such as pie and fresh fruit.

The nice thing about Italian food is that there are so many wine options, these are just a few of the more popular. While these wines are a good starting point for the new wine drinker, a visit to a local wine store will surely uncover many other wines for the more discerning pallet.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/choosing-wine-for-an-italian-dinner-1102172.html

About the Author
Emily Contadino is passionately in love with Italian food and cooking. If you're looking for Italian catering, Salina Kansas has a great option. It's worth checking out whether you need Italian food delivery or catering.

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