When the weather gets cold, there’s nothing like a big bowl of pasta and a glass of wine to warm up. Iggy’s, a new Nashville restaurant from hospitality veterans/brothers, Chef Ryan and Matthew Poli, focuses on inventive Italian cuisine, including handmade pasta, with a concise and diverse wine program as well as classic cocktails and spritzes.
Matthew Poli, who serves as Iggy’s beverage director, shares some suggestions for pairing wine with pasta dishes on Iggy’s menu, as well as tips for matching wine and pasta in general. “When pairing wines with pasta, my number-one tip is to match the intensity of the flavors and richness in both the dish and the wine,” he says. Here are a few of Poli’s wine pairings for some of Iggy’s specialties.
Otella Trebbiano di Lugana is an expressive white wine from the Lake Garda of northern Italy, Poli says. “Intense minerality that plays well with the seaweed and scallop bottarga in the pasta. The tartness of the fruit in this wine cuts right through the butter.”
Bruno Rocca chardonnay is from Langhe, Piedmont, Italy, Poli notes. “This wine has electric acidity that cuts right through the rich, creaminess of the sea urchin butter. The wine has a roundness and weight that holds up to the richness of this dish and plays nicely with the delicate flavors of the crab.”
Villa Saletta Chiave di Saletta Tuscan Red Blend is predominantly Sangiovese, with cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. “Very classic Italian ‘Super Tuscan’ blend that goes incredibly well with red sauce like Bolognese,” Poli explains. “It’s a big wine with lots of dark fruit notes and oak that has enough intensity to stand up to the bold flavors of this dish.”
“An old adage in the wine world is ‘what grows together, goes together.’ A lighter minerally driven Sicilian red with spicy red sauce and seafood make a lot of sense and pair well together.”
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