Many Italian Cheeses have the great advantage from a wine pairing perspective, of being relatively subtle in flavors, featuring and showcasing the natural taste of the milk they were made from rather the powerful savors (and smell!) acquired through a long ageing.
Think French cheeses in comparison! Many of these are strong, matured, sometimes stinky cheeses that do not actually pair all that well with delicate wines, most generally overpowering them. That’s unless perhaps, if you follow our Infographic on How to Pair French Wine & Cheese.
The Italian cheeses featured here however, are mild and creamy. Tasty and generous, yet, they make perfect matches with elegant wines.
Those who like a good Prosecco sparkling wine know, it is a particularly delicate wine, with discrete floral, citrusy, and slightly vegetal flavors that, generally speaking, do not withstand the powerful flavors of strong cheeses unless you don’t care about missing out on all the wine’s characteristics.
Prosecco’s acidity however, allows it to cut through the fat and generosity of creamy dishes and cheeses, hence our selection below.
Note that the natural hay aromas found in Prosecco mirror those found in delicate cheeses that also feature elegant notes of grass and meadow flowers. A match made in Heaven!
Entrées
Caprese & Cherry Tomatoes Kebabs
The Caprese salad is the probably the simplest Italian dish, yet one that represents the essence of Italian cuisine the most: simplicity and respect for the genuine flavors of tasty ingredients.
Caprese is made of fresh Mozzarella cheese balls, tomatoes, and sweet basil, simply seasoned with salt, olive oil, and if you’d like a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
For a slightly more sophisticated look and a fun presentation, put cherry tomatoes and small Mozzarella cheese balls on a stick, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with fresh basil and salt to the side, allowing your guests to season and combine flavors at their own convenience.
Burrata
Burrata is a fresh Italian buffalo milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the inside contains stracciatella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture.
Originating from the South of Italy, it is the perfect cheese to surprise your guests and pair with a good glass of Prosecco.
Grana Padano
Probably my favorite Italian grating cheese for pairing with wine. Milder than its Parmigiano cousin, Grana Padano comes with more subtle flavors, a creamier texture, and a less salty flavor, all of which making it more wine-friendly and less overpowering to fine wine.
Grate a piece of Grana Padano into chunky pieces and present nicely on a plate. That’s all you need to do!
Main
3-Minute Italian-style Mushroom & Mozzarella Omelette
This is a super simple recipe, yet delicious, probably one of the very best ways to showcase the tastiness of mushrooms, by cooking them in an omelette, with a hint of garlic and nutmeg to spice things up gently.
Find the full recipe & Cooking Instructions here (or tap on the image below):
Dessert
Again, the simpler the better!
This is the simplest dessert recipe you’ll find, yet its taste will be just as good as the ricotta cheese and the honey you will use. Favor a honey with a mild floral taste, for a gentle pairing with the Prosecco wine.
Take about 300g/10 oz fresh ricotta cheese for 4 portions.
Leave the ricotta to drain in a colander or sieve for 1 hour, then portion the drained cheese into moulds and put into the fridge until chilled.
Upturn each mould onto a serving plate and top with some honey.
For a touch of crunch and punchier flavors, sprinkle with toasted walnuts and/or pine nuts.
Recommended Organic Prosecco Wines
Below are a couple of Prosecco wines I particularly enjoyed, and that also happen to be organic.
The first one, called ‘Shake It’ is a unique one that is refermented in its bottle, and that comes with its lees giving the wine a hazy effect when you shake it, but also bringing burther smoothness and flavors.
This post and recipes were developed with our partners at Corvezzo winery that take the production of quality Organic Prosecco very seriously.
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