These bottles will bring out the best in everyone’s favourite rich and creamy pasta.

Comfort food might just be our favourite food, and one dish that always nails that brief is pasta carbonara. There’s something about this simple, rich and creamy dish that somehow just makes you feel better. Traditionally made without cream, carbonara combines eggs, cured pork – traditionally guanciale, but pancetta or bacon also work well – pepper, and pecarino or parmesan cheese. Rigatoni is an authentic pasta choice (those tubes catch all that creamy goodness), but spaghetti is our top pick. We also like to add peas to this dish – just don’t tell the Italians.

Pasta carbonara has a much-debated origin story, but many believe it was created in Italy in WWII, thanks to American rations of bacon and powdered egg. Similar pasta dishes have much longer histories in Italy, but, however it came about, carbonara holds a firm place in Italian dining. This dish can be a humble midweek dinner best enjoyed in front of the TV, or it can also make an elevated dish served up for friends. Either way, we think all occasions call for a glass of wine to go with it.

So, what’s the best wine to pair with carbonara? There’s a wide range of excellent options to suit a range of preferences, so we’ve rounded up some of our favourites below.

1. Sparkling wine

Think it’s bougie to serve bubbles with pasta? Maybe, but sparkling wine can be an excellent match for carbonara – its lively fizz and bright flavours refresh the palate between bites of this weighty dish. You could make it fancy with a blanc de blancs, made from 100% chardonnay (the Charles Orban Blanc de Blancs is one of the best-value Champagnes we know).

Otherwise, keep it Italian and stay under budget with prosecco. This sparkling is traditionally served as an aperitivo, but we love its fresh fruit flavours and soft floral notes as a pairing for many dishes, and carbonara is bang on. Look for the Maschio Prosecco, which punches way above its price.

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$12 EachNon-Member: $13.99 Each

2. Lean chardonnay

The thing about chardonnay is that producers can shape it in so many ways – leaner, high-acid styles included. This type of chardonnay is a great match for carbonara because it has the acidity, brightness and drive to bust through the cheesy flavours and creamy palate. It’s a pairing that contrasts – in the best possible way.

Cool-climate regions are renowned for these styles (although they also make excellent bolder wines, too), so we’re going straight for Tassie. The Josef Chromy Distant South Chardonnay is full of fruity, floral and nut aromas, stone fruit and melon flavours, and there’s a tight minerality that just works beautifully with this pasta.

$20.99 each

$20 in any six

A bottle of the Josef Chromy Distant South Chardonnay

The Tony Bish Fat & Sassy Chardonnay is made in a big style

3. Richer chardonnay

Wary of bigger chardonnay styles? Rather than dial up a wine’s flavours to the max, the focus here is on balance. Expect big flavour as you take a sip, but a fine, lifted and dry finish, too; the best of both worlds. This is great with carbonara if you’re chasing more of a like-for-like match. The creamy flavours and palate weight of both the pasta and the chardy make a mean combo.

Interested? Go for the Butchers Friend Barossa Buttery Chardonnay – we love a wine that does what it says on the tin. With ripe fruit flavours, creamy, nutty and spicy oak notes, and citrusy characters running throughout this full-bodied style, it’ll be right at home next to your carbonara.

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$14 EachNon-Member: $16.99 Each

4. Pinot grigio

You could choose a pinot gris to go with your carbonara and be very happy – especially if your dish goes big on the cured pork – but pinot grigio is our pick. While gris tends to be richer, often with a subtle sweetness, grigio is traditionally crisp with citrus, green apple and pear flavours. It all works a treat alongside carbonara as it offers a great balance for those rich, creamy flavours, but it also won’t get lost in the mix.

For a bargain bottle that tastes like it costs a lot more, seek out the Y Series Pinot Grigio. You’ll get flavours of baked apple and pear, along with a creamy finish that also delivers refreshing acidity.

$11.95 Each

$11.95 in any six

5. Barbera

Pasta carbonara is pretty much a white-wine dish, but if you’re more red-or-bust in your tastes, you still have some solid options. The styles to avoid are those with bold flavours and big tannins because all those creamy, cheesy and rich notes won’t taste quite right alongside it. Instead, look for light to medium-bodied reds with good acidity and flavours that won’t get in the way of the dish.

It’s no surprise that Italy does these wines well, so you could pour a lighter-style sangiovese or a barbera, which is one of Italy’s most underrated wines, if you ask us. The Italian Michele Chiarlo is full of fresh red-fruit aromas and flavours, and it’s especially made to be light and fresh.

$22.99 each

$21.90 in any six