The Ultimate Wine Pairing To Enjoy With Lasagna

When it comes to comfort foods, lasagna alla bolognese ranks high on our list. Those layers of soft, starchy lasagne filled with a creamy bechamel sauce and a fragrant ragù are seriously what dreams are made of. It's the kind of meal you prepare for loved ones when they need it the most, and the dish you bring to a wintertime potluck when all everybody wants is a warm, hearty meal. But lasagna is more than just a security blanket; pair it with a nice bottle of wine and you've got yourself a totally romantic pairing guaranteed to win over that special someone. Amy Racine, beverage director and partner at New York-based JF Restaurants, recommends pairing your lasagna with Nero d'Avola, a classic Sicilian red that complements each layer of the dish.

"Nero d'Avola is a bold and flavorful red wine grape variety that hails from Sicily," Racine said. Traditionally, it's grown in the Sicilian province of Siracusa, but it has expanded across the island and is now one of the most renowned varieties. "It is an excellent wine pairing for red sauce lasagna due to its bold fruit flavors, high acidity, and well-integrated tannins," Racine continued. 

Tannins, which come from grape skins, play a crucial role in red wine. They're what makes a wine dry, and when a dry wine is paired with fatty food, like lasagna, its richness will be minimized and the wine will taste a little smoother too. Tannins also help balance out the fat and protein in food, making for unforgettable pairings that pop.

High acidity can also help the lasagna feel a little less heavy since it assists in breaking down fats. "The wine's acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese and helps bring out the acidity in the tomato," Amy Racine said. One of the most important rules for pairing food and wine is choosing a wine that has the same amount of acidity as the food, if not more; you don't want the food to be more acidic than the wine, or else it will taste flat and its flavor will be minimized. Since lasagna's main source of acidity comes from tomatoes, Nero d'Avola helps bring it out and simultaneously creates an equilibrium between the two flavors.

In addition to creating a nice, general balance, the wine's flavor notes complement those of the tomato sauce as well. "The wine's notes of black cherry, soy, and plum complement the tomato sauce. That fresh tomato is now deeply concentrated and has more umami layers and darker flavors, plus spices in the lasagna," Racine said. Both our lasagna recipe and our tomato sauce recipe feature herbs like basil, garlic, Italian seasoning, and bay leaves. These herbs bring an intense aroma to the lasagna, allowing those flavor pairings between the pasta and the wine to mingle and truly stand out. Once you give Nero d'Avola a try with your homemade classic lasagna, you'll never settle for another wine.