What wine goes with pasta?
Match the wine to the sauce, not the pasta: an Italian red like Chianti or Montepulciano for tomato sauces, and a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio for cream, butter and seafood.
Pasta is just the delivery system. The sauce is what decides the wine. Red sauces are acidic, so they need a wine that is just as sharp, which is why Italian reds win. Creamy and buttery sauces want a richer white. Pesto and seafood want something crisp and green.
4 bottles that actually work with pasta
1. Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
about $12Montepulciano · grocery and wine shops
Juicy dark cherry, soft grip and the kind of acidity that tomato sauce needs. This is what spaghetti night in Italy actually tastes like, at twelve dollars.
2. Bread & Butter Chardonnay
about $17Chardonnay · most grocery stores
The name tells you the style. Rich and buttery, which is exactly what you want next to fettuccine Alfredo or mac and cheese.
3. Matua Sauvignon Blanc
about $11Sauvignon Blanc · grocery stores
Zippy, herby and citrusy. Basil pesto and anything with lemon and garlic love it.
4. Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio
about $11Pinot Grigio · nearly everywhere
Light, clean and crisp. The easy pour for shrimp scampi, linguine with clams or a simple olive oil and garlic pasta.
Depends how you are cooking it
- Spaghetti with marinara or meatballs
- Italian red. Montepulciano or Chianti.
- Alfredo or creamy sauce
- A buttery Chardonnay matches the richness.
- Pesto
- Sauvignon Blanc or a crisp Italian white. Skip the red.
- Carbonara or bolognese
- Both are rich and meaty. A medium red like Chianti, or a Barbera if you can find one.
What to skip
- Oaky Chardonnay with red sauce
- Tomato acidity makes the buttery, vanilla flavor taste sour and strange.
- Big Cabernet with seafood pasta
- Tannin plus fish gives you a metallic taste. Stick to white.
Also worth a look
Last checked 2026-10-04.