Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma

Sicily's great pasta sets fried aubergine and tomato against salty ricotta salata and basil, so the wine needs acidity for the tomato and only soft tannin against the salt and the silky aubergine. A fresh, medium-bodied red is the mark. Avoid big, oaky tannin.

Pairs Perfectly

A Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily, Italy. Sicily's only DOCG red is bright and cherry-fresh with gentle tannin, threading neatly between the tomato and the cheese.

Pairs Well

A Garnacha, Spain. Juicy and lightly peppered, it brings warmth to the aubergine for very little outlay.

A Negroamaro, Puglia, Italy. Soft, dark-fruited and southern, the easy everyday red for the dish.

Avoid

Big, tannic and heavily oaked reds, which overrun the tomato and the delicate aubergine.

Failing That

A Chianti, Italy.

If All Else Fails

Cotes du Rhone, France.

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