Tag: friends

La Zona Prosecco by Chrismont, King Valley, Victoria

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La Zona Prosecco

I have been waiting for ages to write about this particular sparkling wine, because it is high up on the list of favourites for me. The winemakers of the King Valley in Victoria certainly know how to romance my taste buds, and Chrismont makes this stunning Prosecco that just never fails to please me.

It's fizzy, light, delicate and satisfying all at the same time. And whilst packaging and labels don't  affect the flavour of the wine, they've got the label design right as well. It's elegant and sophisticated, has tones of classical eras gone by, and yet somehow still modern...representing the La Zona Prosecco beautifully.

I had some guests over for what I like to call my "couch dinners". Instead of being too formal at the dining table and making people think they've come to a dinner party, this is food set up on a coffee table so all can kick back and relax on the couch, talk, drink, laugh and maybe take in a movie or whatever is on the box that night.

It casual setting, but that doesn’t mean lazy food. To go with Chrismont's La Zona Prosecco, I absolutely had to make some proper pasta – the hand made variety. And on this particular night I decided some silky pappardelle would be perfect. It's an old recipe, made with smashed up broccoli, garlic, anchovies and chilli as the "sauce" with a couple of other ingredients to top it off.

Needless to say it was a real hit, complimented the food perfectly as it just sings in unison with Parmigiano Reggiano we added. 

It’s the perfect pre-dinner drink, dinner drink and after dinner drink!

#‎KingValley. #‎iloveprosecco #‎proseccotime #‎friends #‎family #‎couchtime #‎lazona #‎lazonaprosecco #‎kingvalleyprosecco #‎sparklingobsession

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Maschio Dei Cavallieri Prosecco

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Maschio Dei Cavallieri

So lately it seems I've been drinking more Prosecco than champagne. This hasn't been a deliberate thing, just something that's happened organically through people bringing me bottles to try and restaurants and bars having a Prosecco as the sparkling wine of choice on their menus.

A recent visit to a friend's place saw me greeted with a lovely cheese board and a bottle of Prosecco on offer. This one was another Italian DOC one, and was called Maschio Dei Cavallieri.

I can't say much about it that I haven't already said about other Proseccos I've had the pleasure of drinking of late, except that it was definitely drinkable by my standards. And in case this is the first post of mine you've read, what I mean by that is that I seem to sway towards the sparkling wines with the lighter coloured tones and more delicate flavours. 

So what I will say is that it went down well with the food on offer, worked well with the lovely crumbly strong cheddar and overall was a respectable experience.

At the end of the day, it's just such a subjective thing, and for me, the company I am in will always outweigh the quality of the wine or food.

#proseccotime #iloveprosecco #italiansparkling #wine #champagne #ilovechampagne #sparklingobsession #cheese #wineandcheese #cheeseboard #friends

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Petaluma Croser NV Sparkling

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Petaluma Croser NV Sparkling

One of my favourite things to do is cook for friends. I am particularly fortunate to have wonderful friends who love to try different foods, and this leaves me in the enviable position of being able to use them as guinea pigs, or just surprise them with something special when the occasion arises.

So when it was a long time friend’s birthday, out came the favourite recipe books. Flicking through them I was reminded that one of my most loved dishes is a beautiful risotto that is cooked with champagne. Normally I’d serve it as an entree, but for this occasion, I wanted it as a main.

To accompany either side of this dish, I chose to debut a stunning scallop recipe with cauliflower puree and crispy jamon crumbs as entree, and a silky smooth chocolate brulee with vanilla bean ice-cream and orange cointreau sauce. 

Now back to the risotto....

I have to say, with the exception of a few very high end restaurants, that risotto served in most other venues is a flavourless disappointment, and so it’s great when you find a recipe you can make yourself that’s packed full of flavour. This one is made with marscapone for added creaminess, and cooking it with the champagne, then topping with ultra fresh oysters makes it one of the sexiest dinners around.

Adding the champagne definitely adds a lot of theatre to the cooking process, as you watch the bubbles froth up the arborio rice. It’s also an excellent excuse to start drinking the bubbles whilst you stand and lovingly stir the risotto!

I have made this risotto using Chandon NV Sparkling in the past, but on this occasion I thought I’d give the Petaluma Croser NV a try. And it worked beautifully. It’s a true champagne style body of flavour, but not too heavy so it held its own in this dish. 

And to drink it is of course a pleasure – with it’s light golden yellow hue it’s simply happiness in a beautiful crystal flute. It’s also incredibly well priced, so you just can’t go wrong.

Pleased to report my friend loved the entire meal, but her favourite part was the risotto with champagne and oysters! Mission accomplished. 

#champagne #risotto #oysters #friends #ilovechampagne #sparklingwine #birthdaytreats

https://www.petaluma.com.au/our-wines/croser.html

twitter.com/PetalumaWine

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