tomato sauce

[Thomas]

It's the onions that ruin it for me. My Neapolitan mother would cringe at the thought of adding onions to her tomato sauce, and I have followed her lead.

In any event, in Southern Italy, where rich tomato sauce got its reputation, the wines to pair with it include Salice Salentino, Primitivo di Manduria (Zinfandel), Brindisi, and a few Sicilian offerings, too. As I've said before, it's the balance between acidity (tomato) and lushness (the wine).

In Northern Italy, tomato sauce, when it is not mimicking the southern version, is less rich and lighter; it calls for the more delicate wines.