Prosecco is my favorite bubbly by far. I love its freshness, fruitiness and affordability. Rarely have I purchased one I wouldn’t recommend to others.
The LaLuca Prosecco I bought at the state store for our New Year’s Eve family get-together was typical of this Italian sparkling wine. Only problem was I really went overboard on the number of bottles. Four of the eight potential revelers begged off early. Staying up past 10 p.m. was simply out of the question for these usually early risers. Thanks, guys! That left three of us and four bottles of wine. Yikes! What was I thinking?
The three of us managed to kick one bottle during a rousing game of Texas Hold ‘Em. We munched a spicy snack mix that paired perfectly with the Prosecco.
Home we went a couple days later with the remaining three bottles. One bottle will go to a friend as a thank-you gift for a favor. But what else can I do with my sparkling wine overstock?
A perhaps little-known tidbit about sparkling wine is that it’s not only great as an aperitif. You can also enjoy your Prosecco, Champagne or Cava with a variety of entrees. Because of its fruitiness and touch of residual sugar, Prosecco tones down salty and spicy food. Here are a few ideas I have in mind for the bottle chilling in my frig:
- Spicy Italian chicken sausage and spinach tortellini drizzled with browned butter and sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Lemon chicken tenders over rice served with roasted root vegetables
- Grilled jumbo shrimp in tomato sauce served with spicy green beans