No Rules, Just Taste: Wine Pairing The Italian Way

Wine pairing often gets treated like chemistry: formulas, rules, right and wrong answers.
But I believe that it is something much closer to language; something that forms from a few basics, develops through listening carefully, making mistakes, and that over time allows you to express yourself with confidence.

I recently had a conversation with a friend asking how I would pick a wine for a given food, and what I would look for. It got me thinking that one could get lost in all the variables that can drive the selection of a wine, and that can feel like a rather daunting prospect so that you quickly delegate and end up missing out on a lot of fun.
So this article is supposed to help make wine pairing feel approachable, intuitive, and enjoyable: whether you’re opening your first bottle or refining a palate you’ve been building for years.

I’ll focus exclusively on Italian wines, and I’ll keep Singapore very much in mind: a city where cuisines, cultures, and flavors constantly overlap. Pairing wine here doesn’t mean following “rules” blindly; rather, it means adapting them, questioning them, and sometimes consciously breaking them.

Keep in mind that in spite of what you may have heard, wine pairing is not an exact science.
But it can go surprisingly deep depending on how curious you are. So…

How Deep Do You Want to Go?

At its simplest, pairing wine is about avoiding clashes and encouraging harmony. At its most advanced, it becomes an exploration of several elements:

• grape varietals
• acidity and structure
• cooking methods
• fat, salt, sweetness, spice
• regional traditions
• personal taste maturity

In particular, that last point matters more than anything else.
Two people can drink the same wine with the same dish and have completely different reactions. Both can be right, since in the end it is all about your personal taste.

If you look at how we tend to do things in Italy, pairing isn’t something you “study.” Wine grows alongside food, and traditions form naturally over centuries; so picking one bottle over another for us is just a natural process formed over time, an instinctive approach that I’d like to try and bring into a modern Singaporean context. No intimidation and no pretense that there’s only one correct answer.

The Big Picture

Before diving into details, let’s zoom out. When people feel unsure about wine pairing, it’s often because they’re starting too far down the rabbit hole. Begin with structure, not labels.

Sparkling wines are the perfect icebreaker. They are the most versatile bottles you can open. High acidity, bubbles, and relatively low alcohol make them incredibly food-friendly. They can easily shine with:

• fried foods
• salty dishes
• rich starters
• snacks, tapas, dim sum
  

Italian sparkling wines – from the well-known Prosecco-style freshness to the more structured “metodo classico” – cut through fat, reset the palate, and keep things lively. If you’re unsure what to open, bubbles are rarely a mistake.

White wines are more than “fish wine”, because they represent a spectrum rather than a single category.

• Light-bodied, high-acid whites work beautifully with raw seafood, delicate dishes, and subtle flavors.
• Medium-bodied whites can handle grilled fish, roasted vegetables, and creamy textures.
• Full-bodied whites (often aged or skin-contact) can pair with poultry, mushrooms, and even certain meats.

For example, a light Pinot Grigio can be perfect with raw seafood, but so can a mineral volcanic Garganega or a Vermentino, depending on texture and preparation. One isn’t “better” than the other; they simply speak different dialects.

Red wines are not about color, but texture; this is to say that a red wine is not necessarily heavy, and is not reserved only for meat

• Light reds with bright acidity can pair with charcuterie, grilled vegetables, and even some seafood dishes.
• Medium-bodied reds are incredibly versatile at the table.
• Full-bodied reds thrive with protein, fat, and intensity.

A juicy steak doesn’t require a powerhouse wine. Sometimes, a well-made Pinot Noir-style red (not necessarily a Pinot Noir) works better than something overly extracted.

To summarize, the key question isn’t “red or white?” but rather: how much structure does the dish need?

The Real Drivers of Pairing

Instead of obsessing over grape names, start with what’s on the plate.

Fat & Richness
Fat loves acidity. Creamy, oily, or rich foods need wines that refresh the palate.

• Fried food → sparkling or high-acid whites
• Rich sauces → structured whites or medium reds

Sweetness
Sweetness in food makes wine taste drier and more bitter.

• Slightly sweet dishes pair better with wines that have roundness or aromatic intensity
• Bone-dry wines can clash with sweet glazes or sauces

Cooking Method
How food is cooked matters more than what it is.

• Raw → lighter, fresher wines
• Grilled → wines with some structure and grip
• Roasted → deeper, rounder styles

Protein vs Carbohydrates
Protein softens tannins. Carbs emphasize acidity.
This is why red wine loves meat, and why pasta with a tomato-based sauce sings with high-acid Italian reds.

Cheese vs Cold Cuts
Cheese is about fat and salt. In particular, while fresh cheeses need freshness, aged cheeses require structure.
On the flipside, cold cuts add spice, curing, and umami. Which means you need something that can balance their flavour profile.

So What About Singapore’s Everyday Table?

Singapore is one of the most exciting places in the world to pair wine, and this is simply because the rules were never written here in the first place! It’s like a blank slate, an empty canvas, a place where testing and trying is the name of the game.

I tried to think about some of my favourites and applied the basic guidelines above to see how Italian wine fits in.

Dim Sum & Light Chinese Dishes
Steamed dumplings, chee cheong fun, delicate fillings.
Look for:

• sparkling wines
• light-bodied whites with freshness
• low-alcohol, clean profiles

The goal is not to dominate, but to refresh between bites. A few examples from our catalogue would be Cryfus Sixty Edition CDM Bianco and Pinot Grigio Garda.

Roasted Duck
Whether Cantonese-style or Peking duck, this dish brings fat, crisp skin, and savory depth. This also applies to the ultra-famous trinity of duck, char siew, and roast meat (the oh-so-good pork belly I cannot live without).

Great matches:

• medium-bodied reds with acidity
• low-tannin styles
• wines that can cut through richness without overpowering

This is a moment where Italian reds from all over the peninsula truly shine. Good options could be Castagnini’s Merlo and Raboso Veneto by Sandre.

Black Pepper Crab & Cereal Prawns
One of my favourites and that I cook at home as well: bold, aromatic, intense.
This is where pairing becomes super playful and fun (again, rules to be broken):

• aromatic whites can work surprisingly well
• structured whites with texture handle spice better than tannic reds
• avoid overly oaky or alcoholic wines

Spice usually doesn’t need power, rather it needs balance. So go for Le Matine Verdeca, Vitidautunno Vino Bianco Roero Arneis, or Monteforte’s White Lava.

Claypot Rice
Caramelized rice, savory meats, umami.
Try:

• medium-bodied reds with good acidity
• wines that echo roasted notes without heaviness

Perhaps something like Firriato’s Chiaramonte Nero d’Avola or a Valpolicella Superiore Clivus by Monteforte would do.

Beef Rendang
Complex, slow-cooked, layered with spices; I’m drooling while typing (and I just had this for lunch):

• wines with depth but not excessive tannin
• round textures
• moderate alcohol

In this case – and similar to dim sum – balance matters more than intensity. My suggestion would be Crifo’s Primitivo Le Carrare or Trambusti IGT Sentimento.

Raw Seafood, such as Oysters, Sushi, Sashimi
Purity is everything here:

• crisp whites with salinity
• sparkling wines with finesse
• minimal oak, high freshness

You cannot mess with texture nor mark the ocean flavours, instead you want to amplify as much as possible: here our Firriato selection shines with both Saint Germain (sparkling) and Jasmin Zibibbo.

Wagyu & Hanwoo Beef
Rich, marbled, luxurious, lots of fat. Instead of chasing power, look for:

• elegance
• acidity
• tannins that cleanse rather than overwhelm

Sometimes, restraint creates the most memorable pairing, and here you can play a lot. I would try Di Costa in Costa; though this is a 100% Nebbiolo, just like a typical Barolo, it is made from grapes growing in Roero, which has sandy soil, hence lighter. Obviously, you can go to the pure choice of Monroj Barolo. If you want a more elegant option, I’d go for Poderesette L'Invido (a beautiful Bolgheri Rosso). And if you're feeling classy and want an ultra-unique option, I cannot but recommend a bottle of Madonna Della Querce, a wonderful Nobile di Montepulciano Gran Selezione.

Biodiversity is Italy’s Secret Weapon

Italy produces more indigenous grape varieties than any other country in the world. That’s not trivia, it’s a pairing advantage, especially in a country like Singapore, where food options are so diverse and widely available.
Different grapes evolved alongside different foods, climates, and traditions, and this diversity gives Italian wines an unmatched ability to adapt at the table.

At TerraVino, this is exactly what we celebrate: bottles that aren’t generic, but expressive, and wines that – just like us – don’t shout, but converse (while waving our hands a lot, I know).

This Said…

…Here’s the truth when it comes to pairing: there are no hard rules.
Wine isn’t a test. It isn’t homework, nor a performance (though it may at times feel so).
Some of the most interesting discoveries happen when a pairing shouldn’t work and yet, perhaps surprisingly, it does. Other experiences teach you something about your own palate by failing.

So do not be afraid of trying, tasting, adjusting: that is the journey itself, and it is so much more exciting this way.

Besides, sharing wine is more important than analyzing it (if at all), and this spirit (that any Italian can tell you drives how we drink and appreciate wine) matters more than any chart or score.

I don’t believe in an intimidating wine culture. I choose curiosity over correctness, enjoyment over perfection, and I certainly choose stories over scores.
Our wines are chosen to be lived with at dinner tables, celebrations, quiet nights, and shared moments. Pairing them isn’t about showing knowledge; it’s about building memories.

If you remember one thing from this article, let it be this: if you enjoy the wine with the food you’re eating, the pairing is right.

Everything else is just conversation.