Wine pairings for Calamari con Calamari
Bianco: Marjan Simcic Sauvignon Opoka, Edi Simcic Sauvignon Blanc, DOLFO Sauvignon Blanc
Rosso: Scurek Merlot, Kabaj Merlot, Batic Merlot
This pasta is light and easy, so its wine pairings should feel the same. It’s not unusual to see herbal inflections in whites and reds from cool climates, and those tones would work well with this dish’s parsley. Light-bodied wines are ideal. However, medium bodied wines with crisp acidity, that make the wines feel lighter than they are, also work well.
Seafood and Sauvignon Blanc are a great pair. These days certain Sauvignon Blancs can have a feral, “cat’s pee” note to them that overtake the subtlety of many dishes and which are better suited to raw seafood or asparagus dishes. Wines from Slovenia, a tiny country that partially used to be in Italy, manage to show Sauvignon Blanc’s flavor without challenging its food pairings.
Merlot often has a leafy or cedary note to it when it hails from cooler climates. These are brilliant with this pasta. Merlots – especially those from Slovenia –have mild tannins that won’t add an unpleasant metallic note to the seafood. The reds from this region tend to be released later, too, which means the wines will be less about fruit and more about minerality. This means the seafood won’t be competing with the fruit or any new oak flavor influences.
Check out our recipe for Calamari con Calamari.
Cin cin!
Christy Canterbury, Master of Wine (MW)
Wine Editor
@canterburywine
