Dry Red Wine With Bolognese

Bolognese sauce is a rich, meaty pasta sauce from Bologna, Italy. It’s made from stewing meat, typically beef or pork and sometimes rabbit or veal, with white or red wine, cream, tomatoes, herbs, and vegetables like carrots and celery.

Traditionally, Italian cooks prepare Bolognese sauce with thick pasta. The resulting dish is one of Northern Italy’s most famous culinary exports and has won the hearts of Italian food lovers throughout the world.

Why Is Dry Red Wine the Best for Bolognese Sauce

Red wine with plenty of tannin and acidity is best for a meaty and hearty sauce like Bolognese. This is why dry red wines work the best for Bolognese sauce.

The tannin and acidity of dry red wine will stand up to the rich flavors of the sauce. Bolognese will overpower a white wine.

When a Bolognese Sauce Recipe Calls for Dry Red Wine, What Should You Use?

The best dry red wines to pair with Bolognese sauce are wines with high acidity and tannin. These wines can be light to medium-bodied, depending on your preference.

Italian reds have been many people’s go-to wine for pasta with Bolognese sauce. This is because their rich tannin, high acidity, and fruit-forward aromas are made for food like Bolognese.

Examples of these wines include Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Barbera, and Corvina. Pinot Noir, especially from California, will also be the perfect match because of its higher tannins, crisp acidity, and fresh red fruit aromas.

Which Dry Red Wines Do You Need To Avoid For Bolognese Sauce?

Because Bolognese is a stew, its flavors are rich yet balanced. The meat and vegetables make a sauce that blends the sweetness and acidity from the tomatoes and carrots with the fats and proteins from the meat.

Depending on the meat and type of wine used in cooking the Bolognese, a powerful, fuller-bodied red may be too much. Examples of these wines include Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

Tips & Tricks For Cooking Bolognese Sauce With Dry Red Wine

The best wine to cook Bolognese sauce with is a medium-bodied Italian dry red, Merlot, or even a Pinot Noir. Chianti or even a Barbera are perfect examples of Italian reds that work very well.

For the perfect Bolognese sauce, add the red wine after the vegetables and meat have cooked, and the vegetables have become soft. The wine will absorb the incredible flavors caramelized on the pan’s bottom. This is the true secret to a perfect Bolognese sauce.

Which Dry Red Wine do Italians Use For Preparing Bolognese Sauce?

Italians traditionally use Chianti and Sangiovese to prepare Bolognese sauce. However, a lot of the fun of Bolognese is finding your particular style. This is what chefs do in Italy and the sauce’s home region of Bologna.

Final Thoughts on Dry Red Wine With Bolognese

Bolognese is a sauce from Bologna, Italy, that’s made with ground meat, tomatoes, vegetables, wine, and beef broth. Red wine with plenty of tannin and acidity is best for a meaty and hearty sauce like Bolognese.

These wines include Chianti, Montepulciano, Barbera, and pinot noir. The best wine to cook Bolognese sauce with is a medium-bodied Italian dry red, merlot, or a Californian pinot noir.