Wine Advisor Stories: Perfectly Paired with Pasta

Perfectly Paired with Pasta

Our client James has always had a way of turning any casual conversation into a love letter to pasta. Over the years, whenever we’d talk wine, he’d inevitably detour into tales of trattorias hidden down Florentine alleys, or a dish of hand-rolled pici he once swore had changed his life. Pasta, for him, wasn’t just something to eat, it was part of his identity

So when he told us that his New Year’s resolution was to finally master the craft of making fresh pasta at home, we weren’t surprised.

He gave himself a bold deadline. By the time his birthday rolled around in June, he wanted to host an intimate dinner for friends and debut three pastas he had mastered, each one drawn from a different region of Italy that had captured his heart. And because a dish is never complete without the right wine, he asked us to help design pairings that would not only honor the flavors of his pastas, but elevate the entire experience.

Here’s what we did…

First Course
Agnolotti in Brodo

The evening opened with a nod to Piemonte’s most comforting dish: tiny agnolotti, folded by hand and served in a clear, fragrant homemade broth. The beauty of this pasta lies in its subtlety. It’s not about overwhelming flavors, but about savoring the warmth of the broth and the finesse of the folds. It was the perfect way to announce himself as a master pasta maker!

The Pairing:
2021 Derthona Timorasso “Montemarzino”

Known among insiders as the “Barolo of white wines,” Timorasso carries a weight and gravitas that few whites can match. Its stony minerality and layers of orchard fruit lifted the broth’s delicate flavors, while its structure mirrored the quiet strength of the agnolotti themselves.

—

Second Course
Tagliatelle ai Funghi Porcini

Next came handmade tagliatelle, tossed with porcini mushrooms sautéed in garlic. It was earthy, aromatic, and ethereal, and a natural bridge between delicacy and heartiness.

The Pairing:
2015 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello, Tuscany’s most regal expression of Sangiovese, brought a firm yet graceful structure that resonated with the mushrooms’ earthiness, while its lively acidity kept the dish from ever feeling heavy. A wine of noble elegance for a pasta rooted in the woods.

—

Third Course
Pappardelle ai Funghi Porcini

The crescendo of the evening: wide pappardelle ribbons tangled with wild boar ragù, simmered for hours until the sauce became deep, savory, and wild at heart. This was a dish of true richness, demanding a wine with both raw power and refined elegance.

The Pairing:
2014 Joaquin Della Societa Taurasi Riserva

From the volcanic soils of Campania, this Aglianico rose to meet the ragù’s intensity. With flavors of dark plum, leather, smoke, and spice, Taurasi’s muscular tannins embraced the wild boar, while its volcanic minerality kept every bite vivid and alive.

It was a joy to help James showcase both his passion and his skill through this thoughtful progression of courses and wines. Each pairing spoke to his care as a cook and his eye as a host.

Our only regret? That we couldn’t pull up a chair ourselves, because from the sound of it, the evening must have been absolutely delicious.