Wine and Italian Cuisine

The boot-shaped country of Italy may be three-quarters smaller in size than California, but in spite of this, it is considered to be the world’s second largest wine producer after France. Thanks to its soil, the climate, and centuries of winemaking tradition, Italy boasts a number of truly spectacular wines. Winemaking has been part of the Italian lifestyle for 3,000 years now, and their wines stand out amongst competitors in flavor, fragrance, and taste.

The true appreciation of Italian wine comes from pairing it with authentic Italian food. While a lot of people automatically think red sauce equals red wine, the complexities of Italian cuisine and the regional specialties demand a more subtle approach. With wines ranging from fruity cabernets, sparkling whites, intense merlots, to refreshing sauvignon blancs, it’s no surprise that accentuating the flavors of an Italian menu can be quite complex. Regional food is often best paired with wines from the same area, since they are more or less developed in tandem.

When you think of classic Italian food, you think of freshly made pastas, rich tomato sauces, creamy risottos, crusty breads, fragrant olive oils, crisp pizzas and the freshest meats, vegetables, and seafood around. Experts on wine recommend pairing Italian appetizers and soups with dry, light wines, while anti-pasti like pancetta, prosciutto, and salami go best with full-bodied reds. Pizzas can be enjoyed with reds like Merlot, Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Cabernet Franc. A common way to pair Italian wine with Italian food is to match the wine to the sauce. Generally the lighter the sauce the lighter the wine. Keeping this in mind, a rich sauce would need a heavier, more complex wine to bring out the nuances of the dish. For most tomato-based or cheese sauces, a Chianti compliments the acid levels in the dish, and is often the quintessential choice for wine. Seafood pasta dishes are paired well with a Chardonnay, as are creamy favorites like fettuccini alfredo. A Pinot Noir would be your best bet with a light vegetarian lasagna, but a full-bodied meaty bolognaise would need a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Valpollicello to bring out the flavors of the various ingredients. Italy also produces an amazing range of dessert wines, the most famous among them being Tuscany’s Vin Santo. Distilled from grapes, dessert wines can be dry or sweet and are the perfect ending to a lavish Italian feast. For more detailed suggestions on which wine to have with what food, always ask your waiter or sommelier.

When the Urban Food Group opened their latest Italian restaurant - Vivace in Charlotte proprietors, Stacey and Kevin Jennings bring a little piece of Italy to the Queen city. Promising to be a stylish Italian trattoria offering authentic Italian cuisine, Vivace l boasts a traditional Tuscan menu with seasonal specialties, classic thin crust pizzas, an extensive house-cured meat and cheese selection and an extensive wine collection with the best the country has to offer. Urban Food Group has been awarded the Wine Spectator’s ‘Award of Excellence.’ In keeping with their dedication to their highly rated wine program, Vivace’s 500-bottle all-Italian wine collection will be displayed in an elegant temperature-controlled cellar in the dining room. Diners and drinkers alike can select from bottles typically ranging from $40 - $65 hand selected by Urban Food Group’s veteran Sommelier Scott Luetgenau. With two bars including an indoor/outdoor mezzanine bar with dramatic views of Uptown Charlotte, Italian food and wine has a new address.