Prosecco DOCG: The ultimate seafood pairing…

There’s an old adage that food and wine experts are often fond of repeating: If it grows with it, it goes with it.

In other words, when you are planning a food and wine pairing, consider what wines the growers pair with their foods. And find inspiration in foods and wines that are traditionally paired together.

Most Italian food and wine experts agree that Prosecco DOCG is one of the best — if not the best — pairing for classic Italian seafood.

Prosecco DOCG is widely considered to be the official wine of Venice, for example. And there’s good reason for that.

Proximity: Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, the two primary townships where Prosecco DOCG is grown and vinified, are only an hour away from Venice by car. On a clear day, you can literally see the famous bell tower of St. Marks square (Piazza San Marco) from the hills of Prosecco DOCG country.

Geography has played a historically fundamental role in Prosecco’s relationship with the “lagoon city.” The Piave River literally runs through Prosecco DOCG country and it leads to Venice where it empties out into the Adriatic Sea. The flow of water toward the city made it easy to transport demijohns filled with sparkling Prosecco to the city in a time before modern transportation. It was only natural that Prosecco would become a favorite wine of the Venetians because they had easy access to it.

But Venetians also loved and continue to love Prosecco because they are a seafaring people and they consume a lot of seafood every day.

When farmed and vinified correctly, Glera (the main grape in Prosecco DOCG) always has a characteristic mineral-salty note to it. And that savory character is complemented by its natural citrus (think gently bitter grapefruit) flavor.

If you’ve ever had fish dressed with a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice, you know that citrus and saltiness go perfectly together. The acidity of the lemon is the ideal accompaniment to the saltiness of the dish. Similarly, Prosecco DOCG makes for a fantastic match for nearly any kind of seafood, like pasta with clams or fried gobies (a favorite snack of the Venetians).

Here on the Villa Sandi USA blog, we’ll be sharing some of our favorite classic Prosecco DOCG pairings as well as creative pairings with international foods.

Prosecco DOCG and fish tacos, anyone? Stay tuned…