Wine pairings for Fusilli Integrale con Lenticchie
Bianco: Querciabella Batàr, Fèlsina I Sistri Chardonnay
Rosso: Cantina Lonardo Taurasi, Cantina Lonardo Taurasi Vigne d’Alto
Lentils are hearty. When paired with pasta, lentils double down, create a supremely robust dish. Red is my wine of choice; I’d like some bright acidity and searing tannins to relieve my palate of this dish’s weight. However, full-bodied whites can work, too.
Chardonnay offers a broad range of styles, but in Italy, the expressions of Chardonnay are almost always crafted in an ample, palate-filling style. That suits this Sunday Pasta perfectly. A bit of oak isn’t too distracting here, so my Chardonnay recommendations lean toward the high end, kissed with some new barrels. These recommendations hail from Tuscany, and the warmth of the Tuscan sun comes right through in the ripe fruit of these wines. Fèlsina makes one white wine, its I Sistri Chardonnay. Querciabella’s Batàr is actually only 50% Chardonnay, but you’d be hard pressed to tell. Pinot Bianco fills in the other half, giving the wine a bit of lift. The mid-palate generosity of both wines matches this turbo-charged, starchy pasta.
For a red wine, muscular is the way to go, and Aglianico fits the profile. Just today I tasted some terrific Taurasi that I would be very pleased to serve with this dish. Cantina Lonardo makes old school Taurasi with vivacious acidity and somewhat chunky tannins that freshen the palate perfectly. The wines also show earthy undertones that work brilliantly with the lentils’ flavor. The basic Taurasi is delicious, but the top-of-the-line Vigne d’Alto shows more weight along with more juiciness on the mid-palate. Whether you splurge or not, you won’t be disappointed with these Campanian bottlings.
Cin cin!
Christy Canterbury, Master of Wine (MW)
Wine Editor
@canterburywine
p.s. Check out our recipe for Fusilli Integrale con Lenticchie.
