CAPS sommeliers Matt Landry (member CAPS BC, Runner-up Best Sommelier of Canada 2021), Seema Pal (CAPS Mantioba, WSET Diploma student, CAPSTONE Canada Scholarship Winner) and Joris Gutierrez Garcia (Runner-up Best Sommelier of Québec 2020) served up elevated pairings to match Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G.
Riding High: Matt matches Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. paried with Devils on Horseback
by Matt Landry: CAPS BC, Runner-up Best Sommelier of Canada 2021
Bubbles are always a good idea, especially when looking to pair with food. While there is an ocean of entry level Prosecco DOC, this holiday season reach for a bottle of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. the most enjoyable, least pronounceable wine region in northeast Italy. Sourced from rolling hillsides between the towns of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, this wonderful wine region offers high quality sparkling wines at incredible prices. Brut styles go well with a range of dishes, but for salty-sweet appetizers like Devils on Horseback (dried fruit and cheese wrapped in bacon or prosciutto) or caramelized onion tarts, look for wines labelled “Extra Dry” or “Dry”. These wines, ironically finished with a bit of sweetness, will work much better than their drier counterparts.
Devils on Horseback
2/3 cup crumbled goat’s milk cheese
24 dates, pitted, chopped
1/2 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped
24 slices bacon, or prosciutto
24 toothpicks, soaked in water for 30 minutes
24 pitted green olives
Directions: Combine cheese, dates and herb in a bowl. Mix well. Layout strips of bacon on a baking sheet. Place equal amounts of goat cheese and date mixture at one end of each bacon strip. Roll the strips of bacon, starting at end with the goat cheese mixture, and secure with a toothpick. Place in oven preheated to 400 F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a serving platter. Add an olive to end of skewer.
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Keep it Classic: Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. and Gnocchi
by Seema Pal: CAPS Mantioba, DIP WSET student, CAPSTONE Canada Scholarship Winner
From the hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. offers a frothy, beautifully acidic bubbly that can be enjoyed for any occasion! With notes of fresh apple, pear, almond and white blossom, this wine would pair exquisitely with an al forno gnocci in a creamy lemon Brie sauce, topped with a roasted almond garnish and shaved Grana Padano. Serve at 7°-9° C. Enjoy!
Gnocchi, Creamy Brie Sauce
2 large yellow fleshed potatoes, peeled, cubed
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
2 cups flour
1 egg
1 tbsp butter
1 shallot minced
Splash Prosecco Superiore
1/2 cup heavy cream
½ wheel Brie, rind removed, chopped
1/2 lemon, zest
2 tbsp fresh herb, such as tarragon, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Grana Padano, grated
1/4 cup almond slices, toasted
Directions: Boil potatoes in pot of heavily salted water. Cook until tender. Put in ricer, and mash until smooth. Place 1 cup mashed potato, salt, pepper, flour and egg in a bowl. Knead into a dough. Cut into 4 portions. Roll portions, on a floured worksurface, into ½-inch wide snake-like shapes. Cut into ½-inch long pieces. Cook gnocchi in pot of salted water for 3 to 5 minutes (note: when gnocchi float its cooked). Meanwhile, make the Brie sauce. Sauté shallot in butter until soft (about 2 minutes). Deglaze with Prosecco Superiore. Add the heavy cream and reduce until half its volume. Take off heat and whisk in Brie until it melts. Finish with lemon zest and fresh herbs and salt to taste. Add gnocchi to sauce, and toss. Serve in bowls and top with Grana Padano and toasted almond slices.
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It’s About the Bubbles: Pairing Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G with Shellfish
by Joris Gutierrez Garcia: Runner-up Best Sommelier of Québec 2020
What to eat with Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G.? This part of the world makes some of the best sparkling wine that are delicious by themselves but have the ability to pair really well with a wide range of food. What I focus on when pairing Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. with food is the lively bubbles, the bracing acidity and the exotic fruit that is so classic of that region. Here is a few options that are Oysters with lemon zest is classic and delicious like dry goat cheese served on roasted pain brioché with apricot or pear jam, cured ham, grilled shrimps with garlic, olive oil and pimenton and everything fried/tempura style with sweet and sour dips. Cincin!
Gamberi Saltati in Prosecco Superiore DOCG
24 medium-sized raw shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp pimenton
1 lime, zest
Splash Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G.
Olive oil
Pinch salt
Directions: Place butter in a large pan set over medium-heat. When butter has melted add the shrimp, garlic and pimenton. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Finish with lime zest and Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. Place shrimp on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and serve with Prosecco Superiore Conegliano Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G.
