While most people can agree that a plate full of authentic spaghetti and meatballs, creamy fettuccine alfredo or crispy chicken parm is to die for, there may be a bit of a quandary when it comes to pairing the meal with the perfect wine.

Unfortunately, there are some wines that can significantly detract from the deliciousness of Italian food, which is why you should use the information here to ensure your Italian dish meal and wine choice are a perfect pair.

Cocktails and Aperitifs

These types of drinks will pair best with appetizers and are drinks best served before a meal. A great way to start any meal is with a sparkling wine, such as Spumonti Brut or Prosecco.

Cream Based Sauces and Seafood Dishes

If your meal is from the sea (i.e. fish, shrimp, etc.) then a white wine is the best option. Some selections to consider include Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Pinot Bianco, Fiano di Avellino, Falerio or Chardonnay.

Chicken, Veal, and Pasta in Meat or Tomato Sauce

Light- or medium-bodied red wines are ideal with these dishes. The flavors will balance perfectly allowing you to taste the complex spices in the meal and cleanse the palate for each bite. Some options to consider include Rosso di Montalcino, Grignolino, Merlot, Chianti, or Barbera.

Aged Cheeses, Roasts, Red Meat and Game

Each of these dishes have stronger flavors, which means you can choose a full-bodied red wine without issue. Some considerations for these dishes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbaresco or Amarone.

Use a Traditional Approach

While using the guide above is a great way to choose a wine, a more generalized approach to Italian food and the right wine is to try and pair regional wines with provincial recipes. This concept is actually quite easy. For example, if you are planning to cook or order a meal from Tuscany, choose a wine from Tuscany. If you are choosing a Sicilian centered meal, then choose wines based out of the Sicilian region. While this may seem a bit basic, it offers you a general rule to follow when eating delicious Italian food with the perfect wine.   

Remember, if you are ever unsure about “what works,” you can ask your waiter the next time you visit us. They should be able to provide you with a bit more guidance for your wine pairing efforts.

To discover a little taste of Italy, visit L’Amore today.

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the United States, if not the most popular food period. It comes at every level of quality from video gaming children’s microwave fodder to five-star level refinement. It also comes with a huge range of toppings, ingredients, crust types, and styles.

Some pizzas are even meant to be eaten while walking around while others appear to be intended for dining in. But what types of pizza are real and what kinds are just food on an edible plate with some red sauce? That’s a tough question but certain types are certainly canonical, while others are apocryphal. We had a look around to see which is which.

Chicago Style Pizza

Pizza from the windy city tends to come with a singularly high edge around the perimeter. This is the deep dish variety. It tends to feature large amounts of cheese melted into the sauce with large chunky bits of tomato and rich, dark flavors. You need a towel for this, and you definitely won’t be doing much walking around during your meal, or after.

New York Style Pizza

The famous New York Style of pizza is all about having a slice on foot while walking around the city taking in the sights. This is a large, hand tossed pie with a thin, broad crust and toppings spread out thin over the surface. You don’t want to pile too many toppings on because you’re expected to fold your slice up, hold it in one hand and go about your business. Mozzarella cheese is the commonest cheese used. The three main New York styles are ‘extra toppings,’ ‘cheese only,’ and ‘cheese with pepperoni.’

Italian Pizza

It is generally accepted that Italy is the origin of pizza. But historians argue that Rome actually appropriated it from either Egypt or Greece. Whoever did invent it though, had edible plates in mind as the food was eaten first by the soldiery who were not encouraged to do much sitting down. There are generally three types of pizza from Italy; Neopolitan, Sicilian, and Roman pizzas. Neopolitan features big chinks of San Marzano tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

Asian Pizza

Pizza really went through some major transformations on its way to Asia. Asian pizzas, probably most popular in South Korea and Japan due to their friendly ties to the West, lend a distinctively Asian take on the genre with marinated meat or chicken, rich sauces, and variations with soy sauce, red curry, and other traditional Asian flavors.

To discover a little taste of Italy, visit L’Amore today.

Italy is often stereotyped as the home of delicious Italian recipes, famous opera singers and lengthy words ending in vowels. When you dig deeper into the true identity of Italy, you find all sorts of tasty tidbits worth extensive savoring. Here are some facts about Italy you probably did not know.

The Number of Pasta Varieties in Italy Will Blow Your Mind

At this point in time, more than 500 types of pasta are consumed in Italy. How many can you name?

Italy has the Tallest Mountain in all of Europe

This mountain is called Mont Blanc, meaning white mountain. It is a section of the famous Alps mountain range. The mountain is in Italian territory next to the French border.

Italy is More Populated Than Most Think

Italy is one of Europe’s five most populous countries. The nation has the fourth most people in all of Europe thanks to its low death rate and high birth rate. Though Italy has about the same amount of space as Arizona, it has 10 times as many people as the Grand Canyon state.

Italy’s Empire was Once Quite Expansive

When the Roman Empire reached its height around A.D. 117, the Romans had conquered land stretching from North Africa to Britain, Syria and Portugal. The Italians ruled over 2.3 million miles of space, equaling the amount of land in India. This equates to around one-third of all the land in the United States. The Roman Empire ruled over 120 million people across four centuries.

Tomato Sauce Wasn’t Added to Pasta until the 1600s

Italians did not eat pasta with tomato sauce right away. The two ingredients were combined in the 1600s. Prior to this time, Italians ate pasta with sugar and honey.

Italy Rests on a Fault Line

Italy’s positioning on a fault like has resulted in numerous earthquakes. Making matters worse is the eruption of three volcanoes in the past century: Vesuvius, Stromboli and Etna.

Every Musical Notation is in Italian

Think of the musical notations that come to the top of your head. Adagio, Allegro and so on are all Italian words that stand for music tempo. These words were created by an Italian man named by Guido d’Arezzo.

Italy Hasn’t Been Around That Long

The nation of Italy originated as the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. This means Italy is only a century and a half old.

Italy’s Name is a bit of a Mystery

No one is exactly sure how the country’s namesake came about. Though it is known Italy stems from the root word that means an area of young cattle, this does not explain how the territory received its name. Some historians believe the name “Italy” was selected as the earliest southern Italian tribes used the bull as their symbol. Others are adamant the name is derived from one of the region’s first kings named Italus.

To discover a little taste of Italy, visit L’Amore today.