Food

How to Pair Food With Sparkling Wine

As you gallop into the Spring Racing Carnival, make sure you’ve got a collection of canapés to serve during this Sparkling celebration. From your favourite non-vintage classics, to Prosecco, vintage wines and even Sparkling Rosé, this handy guide will prove a guaranteed winner for all your Melbourne Cup and racing soirees!

NV Sparkling 

Usually light and fresh and made in a house style for consistency, non-vintage Sparkling wines are great with delicate and also fried food as their zippy acidity and mouth-feel won’t overpower lighter flavours and will help balance any fat. Always a great all-rounder with or without food.

Great food choices with NVs include:

Vegetable pakoras with yoghurt dipping sauce

Sydney rock oysters with ginger and shallot dressing

Sushi at home

Prosecco

Fresh and fruity and very versatile as a drink on its own or as a component in drinks like the delicious Aperol spritz, Prosecco is taking the world by storm and for good reason. It’s perfect with antipasto-style canapés or a cheese and fruit spread.

Great choices with Prosecco include:

Prosciutto wrapped prawns with a rocket aioli

Jamon, fig and ricotta bruschette

Manchego cheese sticks with tomato jam

Sparkling Rosé

Premium Sparkling Rosés are usually fine-boned and beautifully textured, and much like their still cousins, are fantastic food wines. Savoury food matches are ideal, and dishes containing ingredients high in umami – think tomatoes, mushrooms, parmesan, anchovies and soy sauce – will often be your best choice.

Great choices with Sparkling Rosés include:

Asian chicken wingettes

Vietnamese rice paper roll

White and black anchovy skewers

Vintage Sparkling

Usually richer and more complex in style than non-vintage Sparkling, vintage examples are often aged before release for extra complexity. As the name suggests, they’re made to reflect an actual vintage and are usually only made when the conditions are deemed just right. Choose deeper, more complex flavours with this style like smoked fish, charcuterie or stinky washed rind cheese for a classic pairing.

Great choices with Vintage Sparklings include:

Salted cod tartlets

Smoked salmon souffles

Chorizo mushrooms

Discover more Food and Wine Pairing Guides!

For more great food and wine combinations, be sure to check out our dedicated Food and Wine Pairing pages.