Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Carbonara is built on rich egg yolk and salty, fatty guanciale, finished with a storm of black pepper, so the wine has to cut the fat, stand up to the salt and meet that pepper. A crisp, high-acid white is the spine of it. Avoid oak and tannin.

Pairs Perfectly

A Verdicchio, Marche, Italy. Its bright acidity and faint almond bite slice through the egg-and-pork richness while keeping the dish light on its feet.

Pairs Well

An Austrian Gruner Veltliner. The grape's own white-pepper lift mirrors the black pepper, and its racing acid handles the fat.

A Frascati Superiore, Lazio, Italy. The Roman regional answer is fresh, gently nutty and easy to find, the everyday pour for a midweek bowl.

Avoid

Oaked, heavy whites and tannic reds, which clash with the pepper and the egg.

Failing That

A Picpoul de Pinet, France.

If All Else Fails

Pinot Grigio, Friuli, Italy.

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