Gnocchi & Wine Pairing

Gnocchi in tomato sauce calls for crisp and light white wines like Pinot Grigio, Fiano, and Pecorino.  Acidic red wines such as Chianti, Nero d’Avola, or Barbera are also excellent with Gnocchi in a Tomato sauce or a meat ragù.   Meanwhile, Gnocchi in a cream sauce or a brown butter sauce calls for richer white wines, such as an oaked Chardonnay or Soave.

Gnocchi itself an Italian version of a dumpling, as it’s made from potatoes, flour, eggs and cheese.  On its own, Gnocchi is quite plain, and as such, you’ll often see Gnocchi served with a wide variety of sauces.  With the sauce being the dominant flavour, your food and wine pairing will be dependent on the sauce.  Below, we’ve listed a variety of our favourite pairings.

What Wine Does Gnocchi Go With?

Gnocchi Pomodorini e Basilico & Pinot Grigio Pairing

For Gnocchi in a fresh cherry tomato and basil sauce like Pomodorini e Basilico, a dry Italian Pinot Grigio makes for a wonderful pairing.  Italian Pinot Grigio is not a bold white wine, however, it does offer plenty of refreshing pear, pear and lemon flavours against the saltiness of the Gnocchi. You’ll also find hints of smoke that integrate nicely with the tomato sauce and give it a pleasant fire-roasted quality.

Pinot Grigio also has plenty of acidity to match the tartness of the cherry tomatoes in your sauce.  Acidity in wine is essential when pairing with tomatoes, as tomato sauce can make non-acidic wines taste flat and metallic.

Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce & Chianti Pairing

Chianti Classico is an Italian Red Wine that has fruity notes of cherries, plum and strawberries which complement the natural sweetness of the tomato sauce.    The fruity notes of Chianti Classico also come across as refreshing against the saltiness and dense pasta flavours found in your Gnocchi.  You’ll also find rustic notes of earth, herbs, smoke and spice that blend in perfectly with the Gnocchi sauce.

Chianti Classico is also high in tannin, thus, if your Gnocchi and works amazing with Gnocchi that might be stuffed with meat or cheese.  Proteins soften the tannin in wine, allowing more of the flavour to come out, meanwhile, the tannin in the wine breaks down protein, making the meat or cheese taste even more delicious.

Gnocchi in a cream sauce with Soave Pairing

Soave is a light Italian white wine that is primarily the Garganega grape blended with Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc or Trebbiano.  Soave is bursting with rich notes of green apple, lemon, pear, herbs, almonds, spice and honey.  While light in body, the rich notes of Soave still shine through when paired up with the cream sauce goodness your Gnocchi is resting in.

The nuttiness of Soave meshes perfectly with any Italian cheese in your cream sauce such as Parmesan, as often aged cheeses showcase nutty flavours as well.

Gnocchi with Brown Butter & Sage with Chardonnay Pairing

Chardonnay is a natural pairing with any butter sauce as it often has buttery notes when oaked. You’ll have to exercise some caution when buying Chardonnay as cheaper brands sometimes overdo the buttery flavours, and the wines can come across as tasting like rancid popcorn.  That’s why I suggest you should always buy higher quality Chardonnay that is matured in oak barrels versus budget Chardonnay that’s made in a laboratory with toasted wood chips and artificial flavourings.

Chardonnay isn’t all about the buttery notes but can also taste toasty and vanilla-like, along with fruity notes of pineapple, tangerine, peach, citrus, and pear.  The acidity of Chardonnay adds extra vibrancy to the sauce, as well as the simple flavours of your Gnocchi.  Meanwhile, the fruit of Chardonnay brings about plenty of refreshment.

Gnocchi with Brown Butter & Sage with Italian Barbera Pairing

Italian Barbera is an inexpensive red wine that is light, fruity and herbal.  The herbal notes naturally complement the sage, while the high tannin cuts through the brown butter sauce, keeping the flavours alive.  Without acidity, your taste buds would quickly exhaust under the fattiness of the brown butter and the dense starches of Gnocchi.  This often leads to us over-eating as our mind wants to recapture those first initial bites.  Barbera is high in acidity, so this is never a problem as the tartness of the wine whisks the fats and carbohydrates that coat our taste buds away.

Baked Gnocchi with Meat Ragù & Nero d’Avola Pairing

Nero d’Avola is a full-bodied red wine from Sicily that is loved for its Known for its bold black cherry, blackberry, raspberry and plum flavours.  Nero d’Avola is high in acidity and medium-high in acidity, so it has the perfect balance to pair with the flavourful Ragù sauce, while holding its own against the acidic tomatoes in the sauce.

The high amounts of tannin will make the meat in the Ragù sauce taste even more delicious as tannin breaks down meat molecules, which brings out even more flavour.  Meat also softens tannin, and this will help your tongue discover the subtler flavours of Nero d’Avola, such as tar, tobacco, leather, cassis, black pepper and chocolate.