Super Bowl... and Prosecco?

two proseccos from the noted Treviso region of Italy

CONTINUING where I'd left off with A Decadent Holiday, 2014's holiday season was filled with enough bubbles to carry David and I well into the new year. Just ahead of our Christmas dinner in, my good friends at Colangelo PR sent two bottles of D.O.C. Treviso proseccos with the anticipation of "hearing [my] thoughts."

WANTING to start with a prosecco that I'd not tasted before, I opened the Villa Sandi "il fresco" prosecco. At first taste, I was surprised at how similar it tasted to Valdobbiadene proseccos--one of my favorite prosecco varieties. Immediately, I recalled the light, flowery taste, synonymous with "Valdo" wines; but it wasn't until I had done some research that I'd learned that Valdobbiadene is a town within the province of Treviso (in the region of Veneto). According to prosecco.it: 

[Valdobbiadene wine] is a wine you will be able to recognize "blind" once you have tasted it...

Although the aforementioned wine may not come from Valdobbiadene proper, when considering its floral character and light crispness: the regional terroir (in this case) does result in a quality quite similar to those "inimitable" wines of Valdobbiadene. The second bottle from which David and I drew tastings was the Mionetto brut spumante. Harvested from grapes grown on clay-rich hills in an area near Valdobbiadene, this D.O.C. wine carries characteristics congruent with the Villa Sandi il fresco, but with a drier finish.

... but what does all of this have to do with Super Bowl, you ask?

Well, the savvy folks down at Colangelo PR put together these spirit-rousing game-day pairings that will ensure a buoyant time for all (and I do always love me a good bubbly and pizza)!

Thanks to its low acidity, moderate alcohol strength and fresh, light flavor, Prosecco DOC is extremely versatile and can be served with almost any game-day snack you can imagine. Below, you'll find several fun, interesting ways to serve up your bubbly, from kickoff all the way through the fourth quarter!

With take-out pizza: A margherita pizza, with fresh tomatoes and gooey mozzarella pairs perfectly with prosecco. The light, citrus flavors of the proscecco balance out the richness of the mozzarella and parmesan, which keeps your guests from getting full too fast!

With blue cheese dip: Though most might say a nice port should go with blue cheese, this is Sunday Night Football. You want something that's going to work with your dish and your mood. Prosecco is the prefect pick--it's light, it'll cut through the richness of the cheese and it has a little bit of fruitiness to counter the tangy, funky qualities of the cheese.

With jalapeño poppers: When you pop the fried, cheese jalapeño into your mouth, the first thing you'll want is something bright and refreshing to clear out those sharp flavors. Prosecco has the bubbles and the acidity to cut both the fat of the cheese and the spice of the pepper and in turn, refreshes you for your next snack.

Cin cin!