Cannelloni

Cannelloni

Assuming pasta tubes filled with spinach and ricotta or with minced meat, baked under tomato sauce, béchamel and cheese.

Cannelloni layers sharp tomato over soft cheese and creamy béchamel, so the wine needs fresh acidity for the tomato and a gentle, fruity character that does not fight the cheese. Firm tannin turns metallic against ricotta and tomato, and oak weighs the dish down.

Pairs Perfectly. Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy. Cherry and plum with high acidity and very little tannin, a red that handles tomato and melted cheese at once. It is widely available and never expensive.

Pairs Well. Beaujolais-Villages, France. Gamay with red berry and a bright, juicy freshness and almost no tannin, easy with béchamel and tomato.

Pairs Well. Garnacha from the Sierra de Gredos, Spain. Light and perfumed, with raspberry, herbs and soft tannin, fresh enough for a baked pasta dish.

Worth Seeking Out

Ruché from Piedmont, Italy. A rare, fragrant red with rose, cherry and spice and gentle tannin, very good with cheese and tomato.

Avoid

Tannic, oaky reds and heavy whites. Tannin turns metallic against tomato and ricotta, and oak smothers the dish.

Failing That

A Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy.

If All Else Fails

Côtes du Rhône, France.

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