Food Pairings: Pesto

There are probably more articles about how to pair wine with Italian pasta dishes than there are actual pasta dishes. There are tomato-based plates that call for medium-bodied red wine, cheese or cream-based medleys that pair great with fuller-bodied whites, seafood dishes, meat-based pasta, and vegetable-infused plates. Of course, there can also be combinations like fettucine alfredo with shrimp, and homemade sauce with tomatoes, sausage, meatballs, and basil.

One of my favorite types of pasta is one that includes pesto sauce in it. Most pesto includes basil, olive oil, garlic, a little parmesan, and pine nuts. However there are other ways of making this sauce. Unlike other traditional sauces or creams, this one can be experimented with in several ways – throw some fresh mozzarella, wild shrimp, or grape tomatoes in the mix to change the taste, add less basil and more arugula to make it more herbaceous, or use more basil concentration to create a fuller taste. Additionally, the pasta you use also has influence over the taste and what wine you can pair it with. Sprouted wheat or spinach pasta give the dish a more plant-like taste, whereas ravioli adds a bit more of a savory, cheesier flare. Below are a few pesto plate and wine combinations that will definitely surprise you….

1. The sauce: 3/4 basil, 1/4 fresh mint, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, parmesan, pine nuts, olive oil- mixed in separately with red-wine soaked grape tomatoes. The pasta: Linguine or spaghetti. The wine: Cline Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara. This wine is between light and medium in body with plenty of red fruit and a subtle hint of mint that will pair well with the acidity in the grape tomatoes and herbs in the sauce. For an extra kick, chop the grape tomatoes and soak them in red wine overnight in the fridge!
2. The sauce: 1/2 basil, 1/2 arugula, garlic, sea salt, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil. The pasta: Hemp rigatoni or spiral pasta. The wine: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand. This wine has just the right balance of light body and grassiness. It will compliment the herbaceous, plant-like quality of the sauce and pasta.
3. The sauce: All basil, cream, garlic, sea salt, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil, touch of butter. Topped with slices of fresh mozzarella. The pasta: Piped orecchiette or bowtie pasta. The wine: Raeburn Chardonnay, Russian River Valley. The creamy, full-bodied texture of this California Chardonnay pairs excellently with the cheesier, creamier version of the pesto sauce.