Pesto Pasta Wine Pairing

When I studied abroad in Rome, I fell in love with all things Italian – from the wine and the food to the language and the beauty. Although I learned to appreciate Italian delicacies, I certainly didn’t pick up any special cooking skills while there like making homemade pasta or anything. I was more preoccupied with traveling and drinking birras with my friends (remember, I was in college).

There is a meal that stands out as one of the best I had while in Italy, though, and still make to this day. So when I won the wine versus beer pairing challenge from The Wandering Gourmand for my wine pairing for enchiladas, I knew I wanted to choose something meaningful for the next challenge. My choice? Pesto Pasta! The best pesto pasta I’ve had, maybe ever, was in the Italian coastal region of Cinque Terre, which just so happens to be the birthplace of pesto. {Side note – if you haven’t been to Cinque Terre, put it on your bucket list because it’s AMAZING!} I’m pretty sure I can still smell and taste the freshness of the pesto with the perfectly cooked pasta – it was that memorable, even this many years later. Delizioso!

The above grainy photo was taken while studying abroad (with an awesome disposable camera). Reeeally dating myself here. :)

When I was tasked with coming up with this month’s food selection for the challenge, I have to admit that pesto pasta didn’t come to mind at first. July is the epitome of summer (and my fav month), so why not go for something absolutely positively summery? BBQ chicken, hamburgers, grilled corn on the cob, watermelon salad…. the list could go on and on. Well, fresh basil is of course summery, and who doesn’t love a good bowl of pesto pasta on a night when you’re all BBQ’d out? It’s not only delicious, but it’s a dish that takes me back to a place I adore.

Of course, I can’t choose the food without actually making a guess on the perfect pairing myself! Pesto is a tough one to pair with because it’s rich but not creamy, with a lot of green notes from the basil, nuttiness from the pine nuts and sharpness from the garlic. Although I do think a crisp, herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc from NZ or Napa could do the trick, or a clean, acidic Italian Vermentino, I wanted to try out another Italian white: Verdicchio.

Verdicchio is one of the most widely planted white varietals in the central Italian region of Marches. The name is derived from “verde” meaning green, and the resulting wine has a light yellow/green hue. The wine is dry and crisp with nutty and citrusy/green characteristics and naturally high in acid.

My choice, the 2012 Fattoria Laila Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore ($11), had citrus and pear aromas with hints of almonds. It was dry and minerally, with bright acidity that left the palate feeling refreshed. It wasn’t overly complex but definitely a good wine for easy summer sipping. Turns out it was a great pairing for the pesto, too! This lively wine, paired with the fresh pesto I made, brought me right back to the Italian coast. If you like seafood, I bet this would be excellent with linguine with clams or scallops, too…

To see what other participants chose (wine or beer) or to vote in this month’s challenge, click here! If all this talk of pasta makes you hungry, read my post on Italian-style fresh pasta being made right here in Santa Barbara at The Pasta Shoppe. Cin Cin!