
Pairings | Sicilian red
The best wine pairings with meatballs
Meatballs are essentially comfort food so you don’t want to drink anything too fancy with them but you do need something equally delicious - usually red in my book
Spaghetti and meatballs
This much loved Italian-American classic needs no more than a simple carafe of rosso - Sicilian I suggest. I had a similar combination at the Francis Ford Coppola winery a few years ago and they have exactly the right idea. A young gulpable Chianti would also hit the spot as would a Rosso di Montepulciano or Rosso Conero.
Baked meatballs with cheese
A similar type of recipe to the above just slightly richer so it might need a gutsier red - the sort you’d serve with a lasagne. Try a zinfandel, a southern Italian red like a primitivo or nero d’avola or a barbera.
Middle-eastern meatballs
Here you have spice (usually cumin and coriander), garlic, loads of herbs (coriander, mint and parsley) and yoghurt to contend with. I’d pick a medium-bodied red wine from Greece, the Lebanon or even the Languedoc (see this match the other day) but a dry rosé would also be delicious. Or even a crisp white . . .
Swedish (or other Scandi) meatballs
More savoury than the other three and generally served with a creamy gravy. Take the cue from the lingonberry jam by which they’re often accompanied. A bright fruity red like a pinot noir would work or - and you may be surprised by this - an inexpensive red Bordeaux or Bergerac.
Image © Joshua Resnick at shutterstock.com
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