Prosecco is undoubtedly the king of aperitifs, but stopping there would be a real shame. Its freshness, fruity notes, and delicate floral hints make it a wine suitable for an entire meal, enhancing the flavors of a wide variety of dishes. People often wonder, “How should Prosecco really be tasted?”, “What pairs well with its bubbles?”, “Is Brut or Extra Dry better?”. Below, we’ll give you some tips on how to best pair Prosecco with every dish.
Prosecco as an Aperitivo
As we mentioned earlier, Prosecco has always been the king of aperitifs. It is perfect on its own, but also works wonderfully in cocktails like the Spritz and Hugo. Choosing the right level of sweetness is essential, which is why we recommend a dry style such as Brut or Extra Dry. These pair perfectly with light appetizers, snacks, or, even better, the typical Venetian cicchetti.
If you’re thinking of pairing Prosecco with cured meats, we suggest those with a more harmonious flavor, such as cooked ham or mortadella. It’s best to avoid highly spiced cured meats or very aged cheeses, as they can overpower Prosecco’s fresh taste. Light, fresh, and soft cheeses—whether goat or cow—are an excellent choice.
OUR TIP: If you plan to use Prosecco for making a cocktail, like a Spritz, it’s best to use DOC Prosecco, which is simpler and more delicate. When you want to enjoy Prosecco on its own, choose a Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco, with richer and more refined aromas.
Pairing Prosecco with Fish
Prosecco and fish truly make the perfect pairing, as they enhance each other’s characteristics. With its dry taste and fruity, floral notes, Prosecco pairs wonderfully with the clean flavors of sea bream, salmon, or sea bass. It also goes well with oysters, prawns, scampi, and lobster, but we recommend trying it with all kinds of seafood crudités, from sashimi to tartare.
In this case, the best option is a dry Prosecco, certainly a Brut, which balances acidity and minerality with the fresh taste of the fish. Our ideal choice for a seafood dinner is Nebbia, a Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore Prosecco Brut, which we present below.
First Courses
It’s hard to go wrong pairing Prosecco with a first course. Radicchio, asparagus, mushrooms, and truffles, as well as cheeses like scamorza, caciocavallo, and provola, are all ingredients that, when used in pasta or risotto dishes, pair perfectly with the bubbles of a Valdobbiadene Prosecco. The key here is to choose a Superiore Prosecco, preferably 100% Glera grapes. This grape variety provides more complex and persistent notes that can stand up to a flavorful and aromatic dish.
Second Courses
While pairing Prosecco with a first course is quite simple, matching it with a second course can be more delicate. The choice of meat and cut plays a fundamental role. White wines generally enhance tender, delicately flavored white meats, but they are not ideal for red meats or dishes with particularly complex cooking methods. For a second course to pair with Prosecco, the recommended meats are chicken, veal, rabbit, or pheasant, with the ideal pairing being Superiore DOCG Prosecco Extra Dry. If you’re serving a roast, a slightly sparkling Prosecco is often recommended.
Desserts
Many people think that Prosecco isn’t ideal with desserts, but that’s not entirely true. Although Moscato or passito wines are generally recognized as the quintessential dessert wines, not everyone enjoys their overly sweet and “juicy” taste. For this reason, a Dry Prosecco, the sweeter style of sparkling wine, is often the best choice to accompany a tart, panettone, or pandoro at the end of a meal. This wine has a residual sugar of at least 17 grams per liter, and in the case of our Valdobbiadene Superiore Dry Prosecco, it can reach up to 23 grams per liter. It is characterized by pronounced fruity notes of Golden apple, pear, and apricot, along with clear hints of white flowers such as acacia and wisteria, which are more subtle in the Brut versions.