Wine pairings for Penne al Forno con le Polpettine
Bianco: Klaus Lentsch Eichberg Grüner Veltliner, Kuenhof Grüner Veltliner
Rosso: Zenato Valpolicella Ripasso Costalunga, Sant’Antonio Valpolicella Ripasso Monti Garbi
This pasta has plenty of personality. So it’s best to serve it with a younger, juicy-cored wine with a fruit-driven style and no new oak. In either color, it should be a mid-weight wine with medium alcohol and a lightly glossy, mouth-coating palate.
Since many white wines can be rather exuberant in their fresh fruit character when young, choosing a white with a more neutral fruit character works nicely here. A white with nice mid-palate flesh but with an earthy, savory and mineral-y note versus a peachy or apple-y tone melds best with the meatiness of this pasta while allowing a white wine to remain a possibility. Grüner Veltliner tends to have a mild fruit generosity but makes a big impact with peppery spiciness that works well with this dish.
In the red category, Valpolicella Ripasso is a terrific choice. It’s a wine that is always giving in fruit, yet the ripasso style gives the wine extra oomph in color, tannin and flavor. Do be aware that many Ripasso styles are prides of the producers, so they do often have a bit of oak. Just be sure to ask about what you are getting.
Check out our recipe for Penne al Forno con le Polpettine .
Cin cin!
Christy Canterbury, Master of Wine (MW)
Wine Editor
@canterburywine
