Bacon is a promiscuous food: It pairs with lots of different wines. That said, some pairings work better than others. Here are wines to try with pasta dishes that include bacon.
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With carbonara-like dishes
Even though carbonara is traditionally made with un-smoked meats, like pancetta, American-style bacon is often used as a substitute. The eggs in the dish make it a great match for a crisp but richly textured un-oaked white, like Gavi di Gavi from northern Italy.

With bitter greens
Bacon and greens are magic together, but the wine pairing can be a bit more challenging. Your best bets are neutral Italian whites, likePinot Grigio, Soave or Orvieto (the last two of which are made from Trebbiano), which won’t interfere with the astringency of the greens.

Over-the-top cheesy dishes
For pastas that are creamy or call for a lot of cheese, you want a wine with mouth-watering acidity. Any of the white wines above would work just fine, but if you have some tomatoes in the mix, it’s worth trying a red. Dolcetto from northern Italy has delicious tangy fruit that can taste almost pucker-y on its own, but it’s perfect with these kinds of dishes.

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Kristin Donnelly is a former Food & Wine editor and author of the forthcoming The Modern Potluck (Clarkson Potter, 2016) and the blogEat Better, Drink Better. She is also the cofounder ofStewart & Claire, an all-natural line of lip balms made in Brooklyn.