Last Updated on September 14, 2024 by Shari Mason
Knowing a lot about cooking, I see how a **perfectly paired wine** can really boost a delicious dish. When it comes to classic Bolognese sauce, picking a top-notch, **dry white wine** is essential.
Its nuanced flavors must harmonize with the rich tomato base, tender meat, and aromatic herbs, adding a subtle depth and tantalizing the taste buds.
Fortunately, my team has discovered the best dry white wine for bolognese that you can try to ensure a thick, creamy, and savory sauce for your pasta. Check out our list below.
Top 15 Dry White Wines Perfect For Bolognese
1. Sauvignon Blanc
Average Price: around $15-80
Alcohol Content: usually 12-14%
Why We Love It: Sauvignon Blanc is one of the driest and crispiest white wines suitable to add to your bolognese. It has the flavors of grapefruit, lemons, and limes with nutty hints and a herbaceous finish.
Its refreshing and distinct acidity enhances the tomatoes’ tartness, breaking down the pork’s oily finish.
2. Pinot Grigio
Average Price: around $5-30
Alcohol Content: usually 12-14% ABV
Why We Love It: The Italian-style Pinot Grigio is typically crisp, light-bodied, and dry [1]. Although it has other varieties, this is our choice when making bolognese or other Italian cuisines.
The wine’s acidity slices through the dish’s richness and balances other sauce flavors.
3. Albariño
Average Price: around $10-50
Alcohol Content: usually 11-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Albarino is a highly acidic wine from grapes usually grown in Spain, Portugal, and California.
It has refreshing citrus notes, subtle saltiness, and a dry taste that pairs well with delicious seafood cuisines like shrimp, ceviche, fish tacos, and seafood pasta.
“Elevating Bolognese’s essence, dry white wine, a culinary crescendo.”
– Eat Pallet Restaurant & Food Advice
Some Albarino has notes of bitterness, but its fruity flavors and acidic level complements bolognese so well.
4. Trebbiano
Average Price: around $10-60
Alcohol Content: usually 11-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Trebbiano grapes are among the world’s most common white grapes. Its fresh and fruity profile makes it perfect for bolognese or other dishes like white pizza and seafood pasta.
However, Trebbiano may not be a familiar name because it goes by different names depending on where it was grown and produced.
Fun Fact: In France, it is called the Ugni Blanc, a grape variety popularly used for cognac and Armagnac production.
5. Riesling Wine
Average Price: around $5-40
Alcohol Content: usually 12-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Riesling wines are food-friendly, meaning they pair well and enhance the flavors of foods like many Asian and Italian meals. But most significantly, you can use it for your bolognese recipe.
It was first made in Germany, but many countries, like France, Austria, South Africa, and the US, are producing it nowadays.
Dry Riesling has a light body mainly associated with its high acidity level.
6. Muscadet
Average Price: around $10-40
Alcohol Content: usually 12-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Muscadet dry white wine has a light body and high acid level. It was produced using a relatively neutral grape, Melon de Bourgogne, grown in France’s Loire Valley.
The taste of tart apples, lime, lemon, and saline sea water made this white wine suitable for various food recipes.
7. Torrontes
Average Price: around $10-30
Alcohol Content: usually 11-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Torrontes Riojano is the most popular among the three varieties of Torrontes – a grape variety predominantly grown in Argentina’s Salta. It is so aromatic that many associate it with other white wines like Chardonnay and Muscadet.
It has a moderate-to-high acidity, balanced mouthfeel, and silky texture, making it an affordable and ideal addition to your bolognese.
8. Gruner Veltliner
Average Price: around $15-40
Alcohol Content: usually 11-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Grüner Veltliner is mostly produced in Austria – where the United States sources most of their Grüner Veltliner white wines.
It has bright lemon flavors, herbal hints, and strong acidity that fans of Sauvignon Blanc may find interesting. Its mouth-watering acidity enhances the flavors of bolognese.
9. Chardonnay
Average Price: around $15-80
Alcohol Content: usually 13-15% ABV
Why We Love It: It originated in France but has become the most widely produced white wine in the United States and is almost synonymous with white wine worldwide.
Chardonnay is easy to grow and resembles a blank canvas with no apparent distinctive flavors, unlike Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling [2].
The flavors of Chardonnay vary depending on where it was grown, but it usually has a high acidity that balances the other ingredients of bolognese.
10. Chenin Blanc
Average Price: around $10-40
Alcohol Content: usually 12-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Chenin Blanc has a crisp and fruity flavor produced mainly in South Africa. Although it originated in France, experts believe it was brought to South Africa in the 17th century by Jan Van Riebeeck.
It has the aromas of honey, green apple, pear, and melon. With its vibrant acidity and subtle sweetness, it cuts through the richness of tomatoes in bolognese, complementing a sweeter sauce.
11. Verdicchio
Average Price: around $10-40
Alcohol Content: usually 12-13% ABV
Why We Love It: Verdicchio is one of the longest-lived white wines in Italy. It comes from two zones in the Marche region of Italy – the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Verdicchio Di Matelica [3].
It has a great acidity and dry crispiness that enhances the rich tomato flavors of bolognese.
12. Garganega
Average Price: around $10-50
Alcohol Content: usually 12-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Garganega is a grape variety often used to make an Italian wine called Soave. This wine is dry and light-bodied, with a smooth oily richness that pairs well with various foods like fish, grilled poultry, and shellfish.
It resembles Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, making it another ideal white wine for bolognese.
13. Viognier
Average Price: around $15-60
Alcohol Content: usually 13-15% ABV
Why We Love It: Viognier grapes are not easy to grow but are aromatic with fruity and floral flavors [4].
“There is no such thing as an “authentic” ragu alla bolognese, but to stay true to the spirit of the dish, white wine, meat, and milk, rather than tomatoes or Chianti, should be the key flavors.”
– Felicity Cloake, Food and Drink Writer
It is acidic enough to pair well with various dishes, making it an excellent choice for roast turkey breast, chicken curry, and bolognese.
14. Vermentino
Average Price: around $15-80
Alcohol Content: usually 12-14% ABV
Why We Love It: Vermentino is a grape variety that is dry but not harsh, most commonly grown on the island of Sardinia, Italy. Its flavor profile closely resembles Rieslings, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blancs.
It has a distinct bitterness often associated with almonds but is harmonious and crisp enough for a bolognese recipe.
15. Dry Sherry
Average Price: around $10-70
Alcohol Content: usually 15-22% ABV
Why We Love It: Sherry is technically a white wine fortified with distilled alcohol. It was a delectable white wine from Spain that enriched many excellent meals, like soups, vegetables, livestock, and bolognese.
It has a dry and sharp finish, making it a suitable ingredient in any recipe calling for white wines.
FAQs
u003cstrongu003eWhat white wine goes with spaghetti bolognese?u003c/strongu003e
Spaghetti bolognese goes well with any white wine, but you can go with Sauvignon Blanc for a versatile choice. You have to ensure you won’t spend so much on a white wine you will use for cooking.
u003cstrongu003eIs white wine good for bolognese?u003c/strongu003e
Yes, white wine is a good ingredient for bolognese. Its acid content balances against the meat’s richness and fruity flavors of tomato sauce.
Final Thoughts
Many white wines are suitable to add and experiment on with bolognese. You can choose from the most popular to the most affordable white wines.
However, it would be essential to use those white wines you like to drink. The flavors tend to be more concentrated while cooking because of heat.
And, of course, you might want to drink and enjoy the excess wine after cooking with it.
References:
- https://www.thespruceeats.com/quick-guide-to-italys-pinot-grigio-3511262
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/5-things-to-know-about-chardonnay-the-worlds-most-popular-white-wine/2019/07/26/eed6635c-ad55-11e9-a0c9-6d2d7818f3da_story.html
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomhyland/2018/07/25/verdicchio-a-great-italian-white-wine-needs-some-love/
- https://www.winespectator.com/articles/viognier-57818
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