Perfect wine and food pairings

Change your mood: Try a bubbly with dinner tonight....

I started the year out with one a yummy Bellussi Prosecco .  I had my doubts since I am not a big fan of sparkling wine but face it, from time to time we all feel a little bit fancier if we hold a glass of bubbly.  Most of us save our bubblies and champagnes for those special occasions but what if we can achieve amazing taste, flavor and balance with a reasonable italian sparkling wine that fulfills what we expect a sauvignon blanc to fill, on a monday night?  

The Bellussi Prosecco Extra dry can be had alone as an aperitif, with salads, seafood or sandwiches.  I paired it with a homemade spicy, grilled chicken greek salad and it was definitely more than my standard white wine.  For $12 a bottle, it is a deal because it definitely packs taste like a more luxurious wine (most italian sparkling proseccos range around $12-18) and delivers just enough flavor to make this easy drinking bubbly compatible with so many everyday recipes.   It is like having a glass of champagne without the heaviness.  You can actually smell and sip the crispness of its light body showcasing citrus, apple, pear, lemon, and a bit of fizz with a pleasant, ever so slight bitterness.  This refreshing taste is so pampering, not only does the beautiful glass of sparkling prosecco uplift your dinner, it has the ability to temporarily transpose you to Venice (ok, for a brief moment!) during the work week.   

This sparkling winner definitely gets my vote on yielding flavor, balance, and luxury for a great price.  After all of the sparkling italian wines I’ve had over the past few months, this one definitely felt like a bargain ! Keep in mind, leftover prosecco can be combined with vodka and peach juice juice to make bellinis or add cranberry juice to make poinsetta cocktails!

For those interested in making an easy spicy chicken greek salad at home, see below:
Chicken: 2 breasts of chicken marinated with lemon juice, paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne powder, curry powder, cumin powder and oregano (leave out the black pepper and cayenne powder for the kids). Bake chicken for 30 min and broil for 5 min.  Slice into strips, serve hot over chopped salad.
Salad: Chopped romain lettuce, two large tomatoes, one half green bell pepper, one large cucumber, one half small red onion, calamata olives, fresh or canned grape leave and feta cheese.  Dressing: Ken’s Greek Steak house dressing or make your own!
Add a humus or eggplant spread and turn your evening into a (healthy) mediterranean feast!
Wine pairing: Bellussi Prosecco (white $11) or Rosemount Diamond label Shiraz (red $8)