Pasta And Bean Soup

White · Medium · Dry

The most-planted white grape and the most chameleon-like. Crisp and steely from Chablis; rich, oaky, and tropical from California. Read the label, then match the style to the dish.

Works with Spicy Pasta, Bean, And Sausage Soup · Mediterranean Chicken Bean And Pasta Soup

Red · Medium · Dry

The soul of Tuscany — bright red cherry, dried herbs, and a savory line of acidity that craves tomato sauce. Chianti is the everyday face; Brunello is its serious cousin.

Works with Pasta And Bean Soup · Mediterranean Chicken Bean And Pasta Soup

Red · Medium · Dry

California Merlot, when made well — plummy, supple, with a touch of cocoa and earlier drinkability than its Bordeaux cousins. The unfairly maligned dinner-party red.

Red · Medium · Dry

American Bordeaux-style blend — must use the traditional Bordeaux grape varieties. The flag for serious New World red blending; varies wildly in style.

Red · Light · Dry

Gamay-based reds from southern Burgundy — light, fruity, food-friendly. The serious Cru bottlings (Morgon, Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent) drink like Pinot Noir at half the price.

Bordeaux's affordable shadow just to the east — same grape blends, simpler structure, much lower prices. The everyday red of southwest France.

Southwest France's quiet appellation — Bordeaux-style Merlot/Cabernet blends at fraction-of-Bordeaux pricing. Honest, food-friendly, never showy.

Red · Medium · Dry

Chile's reds — Cabernet, Merlot, Carménère, blends — riper than Bordeaux, less brawny than Napa, often great value with notable green-pepper character.

Syrah from the Rhône's steepest slopes, traditionally co-fermented with a touch of Viognier — bacon fat, violet, black pepper, brooding power. The reference for elegant Northern Rhône.

Red · Medium · Dry

Cabernet's softer sibling — plum, black cherry, and a whisper of chocolate, framed by rounder tannins and earlier drinkability. The wine that built Pomerol and the one to reach for when Cabernet feels like overkill.

Bordeaux's Left Bank — Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blends with structure, gravel, and the patience to age. The classic claret profile.

Red · Light · Dry

Burgundy's most temperamental grape, but the rewards are real — translucent ruby with a perfumed lift of red cherry, forest floor, and clove. Silken tannins and bright acid make it the most versatile red on the table; serve cool, around 58°F.