True fans of cured meats know that there is salami for every occasion. This sausage, which is fermented then dried for preservation—can be hot, sweet or plain old funky. For pairing help, we turned to James Beard Award-winning Chef Jamie Bissonnette, co-owner of Toro, Coppa and Little Donkey restaurants in Boston and New York City, and author of The Charcuterie Cookbook (Page Street Publishing, 2014). Here’s what to drink with four common varieties (available at murrayscheese.com).
Fennel
Called finocchiona in Italian, this hails from Tuscany and is made with fennel seed, fennel liqueur or both.
“If it’s spicy, which is what I like, I would go with a high-acid, low-alcohol Riesling,” says Bissonnette. “I love that balance of sweet and spicy and herbaceous.”
Chorizo Ibérico
This spicy sausage hails from Spain and is flavored with smoked paprika.
Bissonnette recommends Manzanilla Sherry. “I love that contrast with the fatty, spicy complexity,” he says. “Throw in a couple of Marcona almonds, and it’s a really great bite.”
Genoa
This is often made with a mix of pork and beef, as well as red wine and plenty of garlic.
“I definitely love Italian whites, but I would much rather drink something from the Loire [with this] like a funky Chenin—something with some weight to balance the fat,” says Bissonnette.
Wild Boar
Lean, tangy and a deep-red color, it’s usually made with a mix of wild boar and pork belly, which adds fat.
“For me, there’s only one thing to drink with [it],” says Bissonnette. “One of my favorite drinks of all time: Dry, sparkling rosé. Probably the [bolder], the better, to go with the gaminess [of the meat].”
Last Updated: May 4, 2023
