Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Italian Red Wine

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers Italian red wine's optimal flavour pairings.

Italian red wine immediately conjures the evocative embrace of cherry and the bracing kiss of oak, but beneath its umami surface lies a nuanced symphony of subtle flavour notes: tannin, polyphenol, and even hints of tomato, giving it remarkable depth. And the artistry of the kitchen begins when we seek out partners that allow these notes to truly sing.

To illuminate these harmonies, we embarked on an ambitious journey, analysing thousands of ingredients. Each was meticulously deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, allowing us to pinpoint precisely which notes complement in both classic and unexpected ways. Our analysis reveals, for example, how pig's head's porcine tones enrich Italian red wine, and how clove's eugenolic notes create a surprising synergy with its juicy sweetness.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. woody, acidic, and herbal) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

The Flavour Code

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Cherry Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between cherry and clove flavours. Since Italian red wine has a distinct cherry-like flavour, try pairing it with the clove-like flavours of clove.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing Italian red wine with clove.

Harmonious Flavours Of Italian Red Wine

Just as our analysis revealed that cherry and clove-like flavours often complement each other, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour accents present in Italian red wine. For instance, the oaky flavours of Italian red wine are strongly associated with tea-like and coffee-like flavours.

The aroma accents complementing the various aroma notes of Italian red wine can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of pig's head offers many of the aromas complementary to Italian red wine, including porcine and fatty aromas. Because the flavour profile of pig's head has many of the of the features that are complementary to Italian red wine, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of pig's head across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with Italian red wine.

Recipes That Pair Italian Red Wine With Pig's Head

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of Italian red wine, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of Italian red wine, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to Italian red wine.

Which Cheese Go With Italian Red Wine?

Choose cheese that awaken its greenness or infuse with its dry sensation. Hard cheese and fontina offer vibrant, clean counterpoints, their verdant freshness lifting the palate. Gruyère add a gentle, oniony brightness, while goat cheese introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace cheese that harmonise with Italian red wine's bitterness. The addition of taleggio, with its subtle mouldy notes, can complement the burnt beautifully, while toma lends an animalic richness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Italian Red Wine), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.