Sparkling wine – let’s get the party started
December 17, 2015
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve looked at how you can choose a sparkling wine to suit your taste and budget. So now you’ve got your sparkling wine – let’s get the party started! Here are a few top tips for serving your sparkling wine and some recipes for easy dishes to serve with it.
At what temperature should you serve sparkling wine?
Whatever their style, all sparkling wines are best served chilled, ideally to around 6°C-10°C (43°F-50°F). If you serve sparkling wine too cold, it will be very refreshing but you won’t be able to appreciate the aromas and flavours as much. I often get the bottle out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
What if the wine just arrived and you need to chill it fast?
It has been proven that the fastest way to chill your bottles or cans down is to put them in a bucket of cold water and ice.
What glasses are best?
The best glasses for sparkling wine are flute-shaped, as this helps retain the bubbles (and the aromas) for longer than more open styles of glass.
What food can you serve with sparkling wine?
Sparkling wine is the most versatile type of wine of all. It’s refreshing, great on its own and pairs with pretty much any kind of food. Its high acidity means you can pair it with fatty foods, like pâté or cheese, or dishes with acidic ingredients, like tomatoes or vinegar.
Sip it by the pool on a hot day; uncork it with zest for a special celebration or team it up with pâté for a sophisticated start to a dinner party. Anything goes.
Party food recipes – click these links:
For more information about sparkling wine, check out these posts in English or Spanish:
How to choose sparkling wine (1) or ¿Cómo elegir un vino espumante? (1), which demystifies terms like “Brut”, “Nature and “Dulce”.
How to choose sparkling wine (2) or ¿Cómo elegir un vino espumante? (2), which talks about the different styles of sparkling wine.
Profile of Daniel Raab of Domaine Raab-Ramsay: Chilean organic sparkling wine producer or Productor de espumante orgánico en Chile.
Sparkling wine tasting panel results or Resultados de cata de vino espumante.
English-Spanish sparkling wine glossary.
A sparkling toast to the weekend or Un brindis espumante al fin de semana with more sparkling wine recommendations.