What sort of food to pair with prosecco?

Prosecco is so often drunk on its own that you may not have given much thought to the kind of food you can pair with it but if I had to sum it up in two words it would be ‘party food’

In fact when I went to the region a couple of years ago for the annual prosecco festival Vino in Villa we ate almost nothing but - it was all about canapés and finger food - Italian style, of course.

The key thing to bear in mind is that prosecco is generally sweeter than other sparkling wines especially (confusingly) the ‘extra dry’ style which is best matched with pastries, biscuits, cakes and other sweet things - in other words it’s the perfect wine for a tea party ....

Here are my favourite prosecco pairings:

Drier ‘brut’ styles of prosecco

Parma and other air-dried ham

simple cocktail-sized sandwiches

foccacia

mini quiches and frittata

mild cheeses such as fontina

white asparagus

sushi

seafood and vegetable-based dim sum especially prawn toasts and seafood dumplings

Sweeter (extra dry) proseccos

Panettone and Easter Colomba

Light sponge cakes and gateaux

Italian-style biscuits like brutti ma buoni

Macarons

Sweet soufflés like this seville orange soufflé

Mousses and parfaits

Jelly with cream or ice cream

Popcorn!

Image by Atanas Paskalev from Pixabay

Wine and Appetizer Pairings: a quick guide

The best wine to pair with appetizers and hors d’oeuvres largely depends on whether they precede a meal, as is traditional, or - as is more common these days - actually make up the meal itself, says regular contributor Monica Shaw. After all, we all seem to enjoy grazing these days.

The challenge is that people often serve multiple appetizers at once, each with contrasting flavours and a wide variety: cold, hot, rich, fresh, spicy, and often quite salty. The wines you choose should be as palate-cleansing as they are quaffable. Chances are, you’re entertaining, so you’ll want to pick wines that all your guests will enjoy.

In this post I’m sharing tips on crowd-pleasing wines that tend to pair well with all manner of appetizers, from dips and chicken wings to cheese boards and nachos. I’ll also cover some of the most popular appetizers and the wines that go best with them. 

The wine styles to look for with appetizers:

Sparkling wine

A good choice if the appetizers are performing their traditional role as pre-meal nibbles - particularly good with anything crisp, crunchy or deep-fried. Prosecco will be most people’s favourite these days though there are many other good sparkling wines including cava, crémant and, of course champagne.

White wine

Think fresh, unoaked whites rather than a rich white like chardonnay which is better with a meal. Sauvignon blanc is generally popular but a crisp Italian white like pinot grigio or Gavi generally go down well too especially with Italian antipasti. And although many people think they don’t like riesling in practice they generally do, especially with spicy snacks. If you enjoy it, go for it!

Red wines

More challenging as although many people like full-bodied reds like cabernet sauvignon and shiraz they can be a bit heavy at the start of the evening. Think more in terms of medium-bodied reds like pinot noir and merlot and lighter styles of zinfandel.

Rosé

A great option and not just for summer. Dy rosés from Provence and elsewhere in Southern France are hugely versatile and can stand up to big flavours. A good choice for charcuterie, cheese and tapas.

Sherry

Not for everyone but if you’re into tapas you can’t beat a chilled fino or manzanilla sherry. I’d offer the choice of one or two other wines - either white, rosé or red - too though

Wine pairings for popular appetizers

If you are only serving one appetizer here’s the type of wine to look for:

Artichoke and spinach dip
Artichokes are tricky and can make wine seem sweeter than it is so make sure your wine is bone dry. Italian whites such as pinot grigio work well or try a chilled fino sherry.

Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Prosecco, rosé, or an off-dry riesling.

French Onion Dip
Not only oniony but creamy too. A citrussy sauvignon works well or try a fresh, young chenin blanc

Deviled Eggs 
Go for a drier style of prosecco or a Gavi de Gavi.

Pigs in blankets
Bread encased hot-dogs, a Super Bowl Party classic which may steer you towards a beer. Wine-wise I’d be inclined to go for a light, fruity pinot noir.

Fried pickles
Pickles need something light, crisp, and fruity to handle the acidity. A sharply flavoured white like a picpoul or pinot grigio should do the trick. Or a dry riesling.

Cheese ball
A soft juicy red like a merlot or a sauvignon blanc both work well

Bruschetta and crostini
The classic bruschetta is topped with fresh tomatoes with which you could drink a dry Italian white like pinot grigio or a red like Chianti. Richer toppings like chicken livers are better with a red like a Chianti or Barbera.

Nachos
Again natural beer food but given the melty cheese I’d go for a medium-bodied fruity red rather than a white if you fancy a glass of vino. Merlot or zinfandel would both hit the spot.

Antipasti
With Italian style antipasti I’d generally choose a dry Italian white like a pinot grigio or verdicchio but dry Provençal-style rosé also works really well. As do light Italian reds like Valpolicella, Teroldego and Refosco particularly if your antipasti predominantly consists of cold meats.

Smoked salmon
Champagne (or other champagne-like sparkling wine) is the classic pairing but there are many other options including sauvignon blanc as you can see from this post.

Garlic Cheesy Tear and Share Bread
What’s not to like about this indulgent snack? Garlic goes really well with sauvignon blanc so you can happily serve that or a juicy red like zinfandel for that matter. And personally I wouldn’t be averse to a glass of sparkling wine.

You might also find these posts useful:

• What wine to pair with canapés and other party food
• The best food pairings for rosé
• What sort of food to pair with prosecco?
• Best food pairings with sauvignon blanc
• Wine and Cheese Pairing for Beginners
• 6 of the best Spanish Wines to pair with Tapas

Regular contributor Monica Shaw is the author of eatsleepwild.com and writersresidence.com.

What to drink with chicken wings (and your other Superbowl snacks)

Let’s face it a well-honed wine pairing probably isn’t top priority on Superbowl night but there’s no reason why you can’t sip something delicious as you’re nervously nibbling your chicken wings (or your nails).

Chicken wings can of course come many different guises - with a honey marinade, classic barbecue, buffalo wings or with this hot and spicy siracha sauce but the common factor is likely to be that they’re spicy, more than a little sweet (and sticky) and maybe crunchy too.

I know chicken wings aren’t likely to be the only food on offer but it's not like these drinks won’t pair with anything else . . .

* Lager. Gotta be, really hasn’t it and that doesn’t mean the most tasteless, cheapest brew on the market. A good lager from your local microbrewery - like Meantime if you’re in London.

* Pale Ale - I usually recommend an IPA over a pale ale but if you’re looking for a session beer, a lower alcohol pale ale is probably a better choice on this occasion. And there’s enough flavour going on in the food not to need a massive wallop of hops

* Prosecco or - be patriotic! - an all-American sparkling wine. Possibly not one for the boys but fizz totally hits the spot with crunchy, crispy foods.

* Rosé - OK, it’s not summer but that doesn’t mean you can’t drink rosé - it’s great with party food. Maybe even sparkling rosé. Maybe - gulp! - even white zin . . .

* Off-dry riesling especially if the wings have an Asian twist

* A soft fruity red like a Zinfandel which is particularly good with smoky barbecue flavours.I’d keep the alcohol under 14% ABV though. It’s going to be a looooong night ...

For a totally off-the-wall pairing for wings check out this brilliant cocktail match I came across in Portland's Pok Pok.

You might also enjoy The Best Wine (and Cocktail) Pairings for Garlic Cheesy Bread

Image © Brent Hofacker - Fotolia.com

What to eat with your favourite wines this Christmas

Although we wine writers like to think we might be able to encourage you to be more adventurous in your wine choices this Christmas the truth is you’re probably going to stick to the wines you're familiar with.

But how to get the most out of them?

Of course there’s nothing stopping you drinking Saint-Emilion with the smoked salmon or Sauvignon Blanc with the turkey if you fancy it but your friends and family might be more impressed if you went for a less random pairing.

Here’s what I’d match with some traditional and current Christmas favourites:

Chablis
Often touted as a favourite Christmas buy but unless it’s an older vintage or a grand cru it’s going to be better with seafood than turkey. Perfect with shellfish like oysters and prawns, poached salmon or a good fish pie. For other suggestions see here

Meursault
Meursault on the other hand has the weight to handle the turkey and trimmings provided you don’t make your gravy too dark and sticky. Would be lovely with seared scallops or lobster too.

Sauvignon Blanc
Good party drinking - mostly everyone likes it - and a surprisingly good pairing with smoked salmon. Also a great match with goats cheese if you’re thinking dips or canapés. See here for other ideas .

Pinot Grigio
Another good party option. Lighter than the whites above so might struggle with the turkey. Good when it gets to the 27th and you feel like lighter, fresher food like a tomato, mozzarella and avocado salad or a seafood pasta. Or simply a glass of something cold and refreshing. (Popular Picpoul de Pinet will do a similar job) Check out my other favourite pairings here

Rioja
Better with roast beef or lamb than turkey IMHO but don’t let that stop you. It certainly has the weight to carry the stuffing and sides. Also good to have inexpensive rioja around to go with hearty stews (especially spicy ones with chorizo) or a big family-sized shepherd’s pie. And it’s a great all-rounder with a cheeseboard. Find other rioja pairings here.

Malbec
Everyone’s current favourite it seems and yes, you could drink it with The Bird. Why not, although steak or steak and mushroom pie would be better. You’ll find other Malbec pairings here.

Nuits Saint Georges
My initial reaction is don’t - it’s rarely worth the money and even if you have a good one it’ll struggle with the turkey. But red burgundy IS good with other birds like duck, pheasant and partridge so if you’re having Christmas à deux it could be the perfect bottle. Or a cold game pie. Don’t subject it to the Stilton, though.

Saint Emilion
Modern Saint Emilion is so full-bodied it can easily stand up to the turkey. Ideal for a rib of beef too. (And have you tried it with macaroni cheese/mac and cheese? You should!)

Châteauneuf-du-Pape
With its handsome packaging, surely the quintessential Christmas wine - perfect with the turkey, roast pork - or even wild boar should you come across one. (But a good Côtes du Rhône like a Vacqueyras will do the same job at a cheaper price.)

Prosecco
Probably everyone’s party favourite but because it’s generally sweeter than other sparkling wines. also very good with light cakes and biscuits. Try it with panettone

Champagne
Most likely on your shopping list for a festive toast but you can drink it with more than canapés. If it’s a vintage or full-bodied style it would even work with the turkey and would be lovely if you’re having lobster. Less good, it might surprise you, with smoked salmon, oysters and (mock) caviar unless it’s a no- or low-dosage (very dry) style. Brilliant with anything fried - including fish & chips!

Sauternes
The sweet wine that everyone’s familiar with but it’s not ideal with Christmas pudding or a chocolate bûche de Noël (Christmas log). Better with light fruit puddings or a rhubarb trifle. The French would drink it with foie gras and Roquefort over Christmas.

Sweet sherry
Underrated and just brilliant with traditional Christmas food such as mince pies, Christmas cake and even stollen. And surprisingly good with the Stilton. See here for more sweet sherry pairings.

Image © Boggy @fotolia.com