This weekend we decided to have a pasta night, because who needs an excuse to eat pasta right? We have been getting a lot of use out of our pasta maker, especially since we went to Italy and did a cooking class. We had so much fun and learnt some great recipes, so we decided we should bring some of our friends over and do it all over again!

The best thing about pasta nights is that it gets everyone into the kitchen rolling out the pasta and cooking together. It also means that there is a lot more time enjoying wine together. I mean you’re hardly going to stand around the kitchen with no glass of wine in hand? Just me? Surely not! The best thing about cooking on the weekends is that you have more time to savour the moment, and that moment is made all the better with a glass of great wine in hand. Add some good friends and great food, and you’ve got the perfect evening.

However, I hear you saying ‘Well that’s nice, but get to the wine you drunk!’ Ok, ok, you asked for it. You see, no Italian pasta night would be complete without a delicious and bold Italian red to go with it. I had just received one that I wanted to try, and I felt it would be rude not to open one that had so perfectly appeared at that moment.

Wine at home with Italian food

The wine that we enjoyed on our pasta night was the Constantino ‘Lausu’ Nero D’Avola 2015. Now Nero D’Avola is a food wine. Unlike some other Italian varieties, Nero D’Avola is bold and beautiful, so needs a great meal to go with it. Normally I wouldn’t pair a Nero D’Avola with pasta as it can be too light, but we were having gnocchi with a meat-based sauce and I figured why not? We needed a wine to cut through the richness of the meal, and this was the wine to do the job.

This wine is from Sicily which I admit is not a wine region I’ve had many wines from. I have yet to visit Sicily so I tend to gravitate towards the wines of Tuscany and Puglia (I mean who wouldn’t, particularly with Tuscany), but after trying this wine I think I need to look out for more Sicilian varieties. Constantino has played a part in breathing life back into the Sicilian wine region. Founded in 1960, the winery focuses on highlighting all that Sicilian land and grapes have to offer.

Why you’ll love it

The Constantino ‘Lausu’ Nero D’Avola 2015 is a full-bodied wine, as you’d expect from Nero D’Avola. Normally I would find it a bit too heavy for my tastes, but with food, it was absolutely perfect. My problem, you see, is that I often don’t wait for food to open the bottle!

This wine is absolutely delicious. It is full of juicy flavours of ripe dark fruits and cherry with a hint of vanilla. Translation for those who that doesn’t mean anything to – it is a rich wine with fruity flavours. The front hits you with these deep and juicy fruit flavours, but the back has a big whack of acidity from tannins, and so the initial richness in the wine gets balanced out at the end. It packs a real punch, and the flavour lingers long after you take a sip.

Really the reason you’ll love this wine is that it resembles a big red of South Australia, but has the nice subtle notes of Italian wine. I loved the complex flavours despite it being a heavy red, and these played out beautifully with food.

What to enjoy it with

So I mentioned above that this wine is a food wine. I’m not usually big on food wines, but this one is absolutely beautiful. I think this is because despite it being quite a heavy red wine, it also goes quote will with cheese. This is because the wine cuts through really rich dishes due to its acidity, so you’re on to a winner if you crack it out with your cheese platter before dinner. Don’t worry, I would totally do the same! You can always bring out another bottle for the main course, right?

If you have more patience than I do, you’ll want to pair this dish with meat dishes. It stands up to the rich flavours of slow-cooked tomato sauces and meats. Think rich and thick tomato or cream based sauces. We paired this with gnocchi that had a pork and fennel sausage and truffle oil sauce. Yummo!

You can’t really go wrong pairing this with Italian food, but make sure the dish is suited to heavy red wine. Think all your meat-based pasta and slow cooked meals. Anything rich and bursting with flavour. Try to avoid light Italian meals though as this wine will overpower those delicate, fresh flavours.

The final word

I am so glad I tried the Constantino ‘Lausu’ Nero D’Avola 2015. It is everything I want in a heavy red wine, and more! I loved the complex flavours, and the yummy, juicy front. Despite how heavy it was, it didn’t feel overpowering, and I found it to be easy drinking because of it. I usually can’t have too much heavy wine, but this one was balanced by acidity and so was gone all too quickly. This is why normally I’ll opt for something like a Sangiovese, but this has broadened my horizons!

Italian food nights call for Italian wine, and the Constantino ‘Lausu’ Nero D’Avola 2015 was a perfect accompaniment to our tasty meal. I only wish I had another bottle at home to cook another great Italian meal for or enjoy a cheese platter with, or anything. Any excuse to drink this delicious Sicilian wine again. If this is what Sicily has to offer, shut up and take my money!