A guide for novice consumers
When approaching the purchase of a sparkling wine, novice consumers may find themselves faced with a non-trivial choice.
“Is it better a sweet or dry sparkling wine?”; “What does Brut sparkling wine mean?”; “With fish dishes which sparkling wine should you buy at the supermarket?”; “Brut or sweet sparkling wine?”
These are just some of the questions that you can find online and elsewhere, to which we will answer in the following article.
Sweet or dry sparkling wine. How to make the right choice?
To start the analysis we need to understand that sparkling wines are differentiated by Italian and European law according to their sugar content, i.e. the quantity of sugars added after the second fermentation.
The sugar content of sparkling wine is calculated based on the grams present in 1 liter of alcohol.
The degree of sweetness of sparkling wine therefore depends on the quantity of sugars present within it.
How can we differentiate a sparkling wine?
In general, there are three main categories: dry, soft and sweet sparkling wines:
- Zero dosage or not dosed or Brut Nature: sparkling wines with a sugar content less than 3 grams/litre. Therefore, these are “ultra dry” sparkling wines which are perfect for aperitifs and fish dishes.
- Extra brut: sparkling wines with residual sugar between 0 and 6 grams/litre
- Brut: the most common type. The sugar can oscillate between 0 and 12 grams/litre. Unlike the previous, we can notice that here the range is wider.
- Extra Dry: we move on to a sweeter type, in which the sugar content ranges between 12 and 17 grams/litre
- Dry or Sec: sparkling wines with sugar content between 17 and 32 grams/litre
- Demi-sec: when the residual sugar is between 32 grams/litre and 50
Sweet: when the sugar content is more than 50 grams/litre.
Recommended pairings with Rocca dei Forti wines
The 15 sparkling wines present in the Rocca dei Forti collection allow the consumer to make a varied choice, which is well suited to any type of culinary pairing.
The Rocca dei Forti Brut sparkling wines
Since this is the most common and widespread type, in the Rocca dei Forti collection there are 7 Brut sparkling wines, for each of which we recommend specific pairings. Here are some examples:
the Brut sparkling wine is a fresh, delicate and versatile product, ideal with appetizers and aperitifs, to be paired with salmon rolls and raw fish; or light first courses based on fish or white meat.
Another Brut Sparkling Wine in the collection is Verdicchio DOC. It comes from Verdicchio wine, from the vines of the controlled designation of origin areas of the Castelli di Jesi. It is perfect if paired with particularly tasty fish-based dishes, and is excellent with cod and stockfish. It also goes very well with dishes based on white meats and with mature cheeses.
Buy Verdicchio DOC Rocca dei Forti: https://t.ly/u3MN
The Prosecco DOC Rose, on the other hand, is an enveloping, sapid and fresh Millesimato sparkling wine that pairs perfectly with Culatello di Zibello, warm bread or with a focaccia stuffed with fresh cheese and a heart of pistachio mortadella.
The other types of Rocca dei Forti sparkling wines
The Sweet sparkling wine is aromatic and balanced, ideal if paired with spoon desserts and with custard-based desserts, with fruit tarts such as peach tart, an easy and quick recipe to prepare in summer.
Alcohol Free also belongs to the category of sweet sparkling wines: it is a very particular product given its non-alcoholic nature, particularly suitable for light and fresh pairings such as with a light salad with exotic fruit.
This product is truly versatile, also indicated for making non-alcoholic cocktails with fruit or replicate the most well-known sparkling wine-based cocktail.
Buy Alcohol Free Rocca dei Forti: https://t.ly/u3MN
From sweet we go to Demi-Sec, a lively product of great pleasure which goes well with a rich gourmet cheese platter.
Food & sparkling wine pairing
In conclusion we can say that pair sparkling wines to food according to the sugar content follows one single and simple rule. The sweet sparkling wine pairs perfectly with sweet food, while the dry sparkling wine, famous for its versatility, can pair perfectly with a more varied range of dishes: from aperitif to light fish-based first courses, including white meats and fish in general.
