When it comes to popping the corks on a bottle of bubbly, prosecco is often our go-to, fun fizz.
But according to a recent survey, we often get it wrong. Mionetto Prosecco found more than half of Brits (51%) serve prosecco either too warm or too cold; two thirds (63%) don’t know the optimal pouring angle for a bottle of bubbly, and 65% use the wrong technique when popping a cork.
With our angles, temperatures and techniques all off – it’s time to go back to basics for a fizz masterclass.
View this post on InstagramChilled Mionetto Prosecco with cured Italian meats is the perfect way to enjoy Prosecco’clock.
Tips for serving prosecco
To help you achieve the perfect prosecco pour and pairings, celeb chef and all round pro, Aldo Zilli shares his expertise…
1. Get the temperature right
“At Casa Zilli we always have prosecco in the fridge. It should be chilled at the right temperature, between four to six degrees, or six to eight, depending on how cold you like your prosecco. I’m a big fan of drinking my wines cold,” explains Zilli.
“I know some wines shouldn’t be drunk that cold, but right now, especially in summer, if I mix prosecco with Aperol or anything else, it’s got to have ice. It’s not brilliant to put ice in everything, but I think cold is good when it’s very hot.”
2. Perfect the pour
First open the bottle: remove the foil and loosen the cage (keep it on the cork to allow more grip), point the cork away from you (and your friends), hold down firmly and slowly turn the cork while easing it out to the sound of a delicate hiss, slight pop, but never a bang!
Then hold the bottle at a 45-degree angle, and Zilli says you should tilt your glass at a 45 degree angle too, and slowly pour your prosecco down the inside. “We pour it on the side so it doesn’t get ‘bruised.’ It’s not just a bit of sparkling wine, it’s got to be treated like a good wine,” he explains. “If you pour it straight into the glass, it doesn’t have a chance to breathe, to come out of the bottle, and the bubbles just fizz, so be gentle with it.”
3. Choose the right stemware
“We don’t serve prosecco in flutes either, we serve it in nice big wine glasses so the aromatics open up and you have the lovely fruity aromas,” says Zilli.
A tulip shape sparkling wine glass is cited as the perfect vessel for prosecco, but he’s happy to drink it out of a large wine glass: “Oh definitely, 100% – plus, I get more that way.”
4. It’s all in the timing
“When you drink prosecco it’s got to be the right time, maybe between 5pm and 8pm,” says Zilli. “In Italy, where it comes from, if you go to Venice, they have a lot of cicchetti bars and they have these little mixed crostini they serve with lots of small plates and that’s when people enjoy prosecco the most.”
5. Serve it to men and women
“There’s a myth that men don’t really order prosecco. I believe the men just want their girls to order it! Which is why, when my wife fancies a glass, I tend to join in very quickly,” says Zilli. “The other Sunday we had lots of people round and it’s just such a great, cheering way of having a drink.”
6. Prosecco works brilliantly in cocktails
“Aperol Spritz is the drink that everybody wants. It’s such a great marriage, I like to put a few slices of orange in it and that orangey taste, it’s really, really good.”
As well as serving a Bellini (equal parts peach juice and prosecco), Zilli suggests topping your bubbles with Italy’s other famous export: “I really like it with a touch of Campari. It’s my go-to when I’m drinking prosecco. Only because I like the bitterness of Campari, so I put some orange slices into my prosecco, a bit of ice and a splash of Campari.”
7. Perfect prosecco pairings
“This is a very food friendly wine – it’s an aperitivo. In Italy it’s drunk as an aperitif, and when you’re drinking and eating a lot of antipasti, sometimes you don’t even make it to dinner. So if you’re entertaining at home, you can just do that – and not bother with dinner.”
But if you do, he says: “I always try to pair it with shellfish. Prawns, crab, lobster if you want to splash out, clams, mussels. Prosecco is a brilliant match with spaghetti vongole.
“With meat it needs to be light, so white meat, chicken or veal. One of my favourite matches with prosecco is a vegetarian recipe – pecorino cheese with pasta. Prosecco is my food!”
Read more: Wine serving tips – the dos and don’ts for perfectly served wine.
