Does this cheese go well with the wine we're tasting?
Degustando: deh-goo-STAN-do. Gerund of degustare — tasting. The present continuous.
When the winery serves cheese during a tasting. Understanding the pairing reasons deepens both experiences. Italian winemakers are equally passionate about cheese.
Va bene con means 'goes well with'. Il vino che stiamo degustando is 'the wine we are tasting' — stiamo degustando is the present continuous. A natural tasting question.
I formaggi stagionati si abbinano ai rossi tannici.
Aged cheeses pair with tannic reds.
General principle — fat softens tannins.
Il formaggio fresco è meglio con i bianchi?
Is fresh cheese better with whites?
Generally yes — lighter cheese, lighter wine.
Con il gorgonzola, cosa consigliate?
With gorgonzola, what do you recommend?
Gorgonzola + Recioto or Sauternes is a classic pairing.
In Italy, wine and food are never truly separate — the concept of 'wine for its own sake' is less developed than in Anglo-Saxon wine culture. Most Italian DOC wines were historically designed to accompany specific local foods, and this functional pairing philosophy still dominates Italian wine thinking.