Paccheri with ragù

Paccheri with ragù

Assuming wide pasta tubes in a slow cooked Neapolitan ragù of beef and pork in tomato, finished with parmesan.

A Neapolitan ragù is deep, meaty and tomato rich, cooked for hours until the sauce is sweet and savoury at once. It wants a red with firm tannin for the meat and fresh acidity for the tomato. Soft, jammy reds taste flat beside it, and light whites disappear.

Pairs Perfectly. Aglianico, Campania, Italy. Dark cherry, plum and a smoky, volcanic edge on firm tannin and high acidity, from the same region as the dish. Its acidity matches the tomato and its grip meets the slow cooked meat.

Pairs Well. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Italy. Plum, black cherry and soft tannin with fresh acidity, and an everyday bottle made for meat sauces.

Pairs Well. Mencía, Bierzo, Spain, in the fresh, unoaked style. Dark fruit, violet and a peppery lift with bright acidity, which cuts the fat in the ragù.

Worth Seeking Out

Sagrantino from Montefalco, Umbria, Italy. Dense and powerfully tannic, with blackberry and spice, for a ragù at its richest.

Avoid

Soft, jammy reds and light whites. Low acidity tastes flat against tomato, and a light wine is lost under the meat.

Failing That

A modern Rioja, Spain.

If All Else Fails

Côtes du Rhône, France.

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