All connoisseurs and lovers of good food have asked themselves at least once: which is the best wine to pair with cured meats? Whether they are British cured meats or Italian, knowing which Italian wine to choose will take this taste experience to the next level. In Italy, there is a typical cured meat product for every region and local wines are also produced for a snack, an aperitif after work or an appetiser with local cured meats and wine.
How to choose a wine to go with cured meats
To choose the wine to pair with cured meats, some points have to be taken into consideration. First of all, it is not true that only red wine can be paired with charcuterie; in fact, there are plenty of white wines that go well with cold cuts.
The saltiness of cured meats is balanced by the acidity of wines, even sparkling ones, and by aromatic, smooth wines, especially if there are also cheeses on the board. To achieve the most successful pairing, the characteristics of the cured meat in question must be considered, such as its fattiness, savouriness and sweet or salty tendency.
Cured meats also differ in the manner of cooking: they can be raw, such as raw ham, speck and salami, or cooked, such as mortadella bolognese or cooked ham.
Long cooking or curing will cause the salt to be perceived more strongly, which is why smooth wines with aromatic intensity should be preferred; fatty cold meats will have a sweet tendency, so slightly more structured and perhaps sparkling wines are better, which can cleanse the mouth of grease.
Which white and rosé wines to pair with cured meats?
Especially during a hot summer, white wines may be the best accompaniment to cured meats. To make the right choice, it can help to assess the degree of seasoning and the level of fattiness of the cold cuts.
Whether raw and cured or cooked and spiced, the good news is that there is a preferred white wine for every cured meat. Parma or San Daniele uncooked ham, for example, from Emilia-Romagna and Friuli-Venezia Giulia respectively, go perfectly with a Friulano Colli Orientali Friuli DOC 2020 white wine, but also with a Sauvignon Colli Orientali DOC or a Pinot Grigio.
With smoked meats, the Falanghina Puglia IGT, with its freshness and savouriness, will pleasantly surprise the palate and is also perfect with fresh cheeses. For cooked ham on the other hand, such as sliced British cooked ham, which is characterised by being less salty and more fatty, one can also turn to sparkling wines, such as a Franciacorta Brut 'Essence' DOCG Millesimato 2016, a Trento DOC or a Ribolla Gialla.
Lovers of rosé wines should opt for the Letrari Trento DOC Brut Rosé or the 'Roös' Spumante Rosato Brut, perfect with cured meats and medium-mature cheeses. If you prefer a version of dry rosé, the 'Lenza di Munti 720 slm' Etna Rosato DOC 2021 will be the best choice.
Pairing cured meats and red wine
Cured meats go very well with various red wines and, as always, it is necessary to assess the characteristics of the cured meat and the wine. With the typical Tuscan cured meats, Finocchiona, a salami with fennel seeds, or with lightly matured raw hams, the most successful pairing is with a young Chianti or with a Pinot Noir – perfect wines for meat menus and for pork pâté Cooked, fatty cured meats, such as Bolognese mortadella or in general even salami, prefer a fresh and sparkling red such as the 'Assolo' Lambrusco Reggiano DOC, a Bonarda dell'Oltrepò Pavese or a fresh and fragrant Piemonte DOC Dolcetto 'Anselmo' 2020.
Wine and charcuterie pairings are infinite and offer an unprecedented explosion of flavour: choose your favourite wine from the labels selected for you by the experts at Svinando!