Wine and pasta: two synonyms for Italy in the world. Excellence of food and joy of the palate, they are to be found on any table in our beautiful country. Pasta is a ritual that embraces every single regional tradition: from Tuscan pici to Neapolitan paccheri; from Emilian fettuccine to Apulian orecchiette. There is no region of Italy that does not have its specific format, its centuries-old wisdom, its recognisable flavours in terms of pasta. In short: recommending pairings with the other great Italian identity at the table, wine, is almost natural. Here, then, are a few tips to brighten up your tables. 

Spaghetti with clams and Carpineto Vermentino Valcolomba

A summer dishes par excellence. A concentrate of pleasures and flavours through the use of very few ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, garlic, clams, parsley to garnish and add flavour, pepper to taste. This is all you need to enjoy one of the most internationally appreciated Italian recipes. Lastly, of course, the pasta! The choice can only fall on a satisfying and delicious spaghetti, which welcomes all the sauces of the clams in an embrace that totally envelops the palate. A compendium of the flavours of the sea that we recommend pairing with Carpineto Vermentino Valcolomba. An almost perfect pairing precisely because our Vermentino, produced in the enchanted lands of Gavorrano in the Maremma, balances the sweet tendency of spaghetti with clams with its fine flavour. A well-balanced wine, with beautiful acidity and a fruity, slightly citrus bouquet. It is the perfect summer goblet: an immersion in the fragrances of the Maremma, with its mineral and salty hints, which provide a lively and very pleasant drinking experience. 

Carbonara and Carpineto Dogajolo Bianco 

If we were to ask a foreign visitor to list a few dishes of Italian cuisine, it is quite likely that our friend would pronounce the name Carbonara. A recipe of Roman origin which, although relatively recent in origin, has enjoyed incredible popularity throughout Italy. In this case too, simplicity reigns supreme: egg, bacon and Roman pecorino cheese, plus the addition of a little pepper. This is enough to obtain a creamy and satisfying pasta, the secret of which lies in the way it is prepared, since the egg (wisely balanced between yolks and albumen) must be stirred into the pasta when the pan is turned off. In order to avoid the classic “omelette” effect of the egg. For the pairing? You need a fresh yet full-bodied wine that balances the succulence of such a rich dish and cleanses the palate perfectly. Our choice falls on Carpineto Dogajolo Bianco. One of the wines we are most proud of at Carpineto, capable of combining pleasantness and structure, tradition and innovation. A pale straw-yellow coloured wine, with floral and pleasantly fruity aromas. A bouquet of exotic fruit, hints of citrus, peach, white flowers, combined with a perfect balance of acidity and flavour. Carpineto Dogajolo Bianco, with its pronounced freshness and strong body, admirably accompanies our rich carbonara. 

Pappardelle al ragù toscano and Carpineto Chianti Classico Riserva

We conclude with a great classic of Tuscan cuisine: pappardelle al ragù toscano. A rich and tasty dish, it takes a long time to prepare but – at the same time – gives great pleasure. It is made with minced beef to which small pieces of pork and, if desired, chicken livers are added. The perfect sauce for a rough and porous pasta such as pappardelle, another great protagonist of traditional Tuscan cuisine. A great classic needs to be paired with a wine that is also a classic in name. We recommend the Carpineto Chianti Classico Riserva: a wine with great body, pronounced structure and great balance; which expresses itself through its hints of red fruit jam, aromatic spices, roasted aromas such as vanilla and coffee, and a slight balsamic hint that we can smell above all retronasally. Our Chianti Classico Riserva comes from the enchanted hills of Dudda, a hamlet of Greve in Chianti, in the heart of the appellation area. A wine with a rich and dry flavour, powerful and at the same time very pleasant, with perfectly integrated tannins, it expresses all the intensity and persistence of a wine that is by now synonymous with Tuscany throughout the world. To accompany, for the pleasure of our palate, the tasty and succulent pappardella.