Seven industry insiders, including sommeliers, winery owners and writers, have shared favourite Italian food and wine pairings for the Italy supplement accompanying Decanter magazine’s October 2025 issue.
Read about their memorable matches, and why these combinations worked so well.
Our insiders’ favourite Italian food and wine pairings
Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga | Owner, Tenuta San Leonardo, Trentino
‘One of my most treasured food and wine pairing memories involves a bottle of San Leonardo, Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2011 (£40.70/37.5cl Honest Grapes), shared during a simple evening with close friends.
‘We had prepared a classic homemade parmigiana di melanzane, rich with layers of fried aubergine, tomato sauce, Trentin Grana – our local substitute for Parmesan – and fresh basil: simple, soulful, deeply satisfying.
‘The 2011 vintage was in a beautiful stage of evolution, showing remarkable finesse and balance. With notes of ripe red fruit, Mediterranean herbs, sweet tobacco and a gentle balsamic nuance, it offered silky tannins and vibrant freshness that paired perfectly with the richness of the dish.
‘The wine wrapped around the flavours of the parmigiana with elegance, enhancing it without overpowering it. It was a simple meal, but the harmony between the wine and food, and the joy shared around the table, made it unforgettable!’
Top left: Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga, owner of Tenuta San Leonardo. Right: Antonio Rallo, CEO of Donnafugata. Bottom left: Freddie Johnson, head sommelier at The Ledbury.
Antonio Rallo | CEO, Donnafugata Sicily
‘From the Donnafugata range, I’d choose the Sul Vulcano white and red, because they’re vibrant expressions of Etna’s volcanic soul and both versatile enough to pair with global cuisines.
As a frequent traveller, I love reconnecting with Sicily through a glass of wine. Among the best pairings I can call to mind, with its crisp acidity and minerality, Sul Vulcano Bianco (2022, £31-£35 Shelved Wine, The Fine Wine Co, Valvona & Crolla) pairs beautifully with scallop ceviche or vegetable tempura.
Elegant and spicy Sul Vulcano Rosso (2021, £32.20-£36.50 Hattersley Wines, Shelved Wine, Valvona & Crolla) complements bolder dishes such as carnitas tacos, Korean bibimbap or gochujang wings.’
Freddie Johnson | Head sommelier, The Ledbury, London (Notting Hill)
‘Mine is quite simple and classical in many ways, but I think the match is perfect. I love Carlo Ferrini’s wines, and I think his Podere Giodo project in Brunello has been underrated for years.
‘A match we’ve had great success with recently is the Carricante white from his Etna project Alberelli di Giodo (2022, in bond £32.50- £36.17 Cru, Farr Vintners) in Sicily. The wine shows incredible verticality, drive, concentration and tension. I love pairing these salty, smoky volcanic whites with crab, matching that marine sweetness.
‘There’s an almost almond cream complexity and weight on the palate that helps the wine with fatty elements, too. Earlier this year, as our first course at The Ledbury, we paired it successfully with white crab, sea herbs and a roasted crab cream with smoked pike roe and sakemarinated trout roe.’
Left: Maria Boumpa, head sommelier at Da Terra. Right: Marc Millon, author.
Maria Boumpa | Head sommelier, Da Terra, east London
‘One of my most memorable Italian pairings was during a recent visit to Bolgheri: the Gaja, Ca’ Marcanda Promis 2016 (US$50-$54 Blanchards, Total Wine & More), a Toscana blend of Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese, paired with paccheri with octopus ragù.
‘The wine’s freshness and savoury depth echoed the Mediterranean character of the dish, while its supple tannins and notes of plum, herbs and spice embraced the sweet richness of the octopus. The wine was slightly chilled to complement the summer warmth and the pasta was cooked al dente to match the wine’s structure.
‘It was an elegant yet comforting combination, definitely an unexpected one for me, that perfectly captured the spirit of Tuscany’s coast – and what a great memory to have shared it with Gaia Gaja herself [fifth-generation co-owner and manager of Gaia winery].’
Marc Millon | Author
‘It’s May on the Adriatic coast, before the huge crowds descend for the summer. I’m at Portonovo, a small bay near Ancona’s “elbow”, the spit that forms a natural protected harbour. Nestled by the sea with mighty Monte Conero – a 572m limestone promontory marking the highest point along the coast – rising behind, Portonovo is where the people of Le Marche’s capital gather on fine days.
‘One reason to come here is to visit Ristorante Emilia to enjoy the famous moscioli of Portonovo – wild mussels picked by scuba divers, steamed in wine, chopped and added to a light tomato sauce served over perfectly al dente spaghetti.
‘Like the best Italian regional dishes, spaghetti coi moscioli is supremely simple, supremely exquisite, paired always with wine from the local hills, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.
I like Umani Ronchi’s Villa Bianchi Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico (2024, £12.50-£15.99 Hard to Find Wines, JN Wine, Strictly Wine): medium-bodied, vibrant, with enough taste and texture to stand up to the robust flavour of the wild mussels.’
Marc Millon is author of the awarded Italy in a Wine Glass: The Taste of History, published by Hurst & Co in the UK (£20, April 2024) and Melville House in the US ($30, May 2024).
Left: Luma Monteiro, head of marketing at Davy’s Wine Merchants. Right: Nelson Pari, Italian wine buyer for merchant Swig, co-founder of Verticale magazine.
Luma Monteiro | Head of marketing, Davy’s Wine Merchants
‘There is something very special about the Italian way of matching wine and food. I enjoy trying new things, but the classics are usually unbeatable. I recently returned to Florence, and there’s nothing quite like eating pasta with ragù with a glass of Chianti Classico.
‘If you can find a Gran Selezione, even better, but honestly, just order a carafe of Chianti Classico in a good Italian restaurant and you’ll be fine – they know what they’re doing.
‘The high acidity of Sangiovese with the natural sweetness of tomato sauce is like a hug in food form. I do love the Marchesi Antinori, Chianti Classico Riserva (2022, £42-£48 Fareham Wine Cellar, Laithwaites, Salusbury Winestore, Valvona & Crolla).
Known to some as “baby Tignanello”, thanks to the grapes being sourced from the same estate, it’s a great price yet also a lovely, juicy, serious Chianti Classico.’
Nelson Pari | Italian wine buyer at merchant Swig & Co-founder, Verticale magazine
‘In 2017, I went to my first Michelin-star dinner at Magnolia in Cesenatico*. Chef Alberto Faccani’s signature dish, Cappetelli, is a unique mix of two local pastas. It’s essentially a cappelletto – a Romagna spin on tortellini – filled with passatelli, a pasta usually eaten in broth on Sundays after church.
‘Andrea Fiorini, one of Italy’s most skilled sommeliers, paired it with an Albana di Romagna – a local white by Paolo Francesconi called Arcaica, made with 60 days of skin maceration.
‘What I found fascinating about the pairing, beyond its technical perfection, was how a modern dish from our region could so well respect a wine that had undergone the same level of research and experimentation. As our palates and trends evolve, it’s amazing how closely the worlds of wine and food move together.’
[*In 2022, Magnolia was relocated to the 18-century Relais Villa Margherita in Longiano, 20km inland from coastal Cesenatico]
