Antipasto Skewers Recipe & How to Choose Wine Pairings
As much as I try to plan ahead, there always seems to be a last-minute invite to a friend’s house. Or a family get-together that sneaks up on me.
Then it’s the internal debate of whether to scramble and make something homemade (at which point I’m late for the party) or bring something that’s obviously store-bought.
That’s why I love these super easy antipasto skewers. I can pull them together in a pinch with items that I usually have in my fridge already.
They’re a fun finger food for picnics or summer BBQs (I mean, who wouldn’t love meat and cheese on a stick!). And you can play around with the patterns and change up the ingredients depending on what you have.
Just keep some small wooden skewers on hand so you’ll have them at the ready whenever you need them.
Wine Pairings with Antipasto Skewers
Pairing with so many different ingredients can be tricky. When you’re having wine with something complex, it’s best to keep the wine simple so it complements rather than competes with the food.
The meat, cheese, and olives bring a lot of salt to this dish. So you’ll want a good amount of acidity to offset this. The acid from the tomatoes will also soften the wine and if it doesn’t have enough acidity, the wine will taste flabby.
White Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc
Cool climate Sauvignon Blancs will have the high acidity needed for this pairing. One from southern New Zealand (you’ll most often see Marlborough) would work great, with its flavors of gooseberry and green bell pepper. Or if you want to get a little fancy, you could go with a Sancerre from the Loire Valley in France, with hints of green apple, lime, and wet stone (don’t ask me how I know what rocks taste like).
Sparkling Wine Pairing: Lambrusco
Lambrusco gets a bad rap for its past, when the market was overrun with cheap, cloyingly sweet versions in the 70s and 80s. But quality Lambrusco is a fantastic food wine. Especially with meats and cheeses given it hails from Emilia-Romagna, home to the likes of Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma. For a dry, light version, try Lambrusco di Sorbara. Or for a sweeter option, look for Lambrusco Salamino.
Red Wine Pairing: Sangiovese
This medium-bodied red wine is the dominant grape in Tuscany. Common flavors are red cherry, plum, and dried herbs. Look for Chianti Classico, which is made at higher altitudes and will have greater acidity than those just labeled Chianti. And whatever you do, don’t buy one that comes in a straw bottle. It’s a fiasco (no really, that’s what they’re called).
Adventurous Wine Pairing: Verdicchio
A white wine from the Marche region in Central Italy, Verdicchio is naturally high in acidity and has flavors of lemon, almond, and sometimes fennel. Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is most famous, where the grapes are grown around the fortified village of Jesi (I wish that I had Jessie’s castle).
Looking for more appetizer ideas and wine pairings? Check out my recommendations for burrata wine pairing and Cambozola wine pairing. Or get 21 ideas for easy snacks with wine and 7 small charcuterie board ideas. Plus, find out the best crab cake wine pairings.
Salute!
Antipasto Skewers
Equipment
- 5 Wooden skewers
Ingredients
- 10 Cherry tomatoes
- 10 Basil leaves
- 10 Mozzarella balls
- 15 slices Genoa salami
- 10 slices Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 10 Green olives
Instructions
- Thread one each of the ingredients onto wooden skewers. Feel free to mix up the order.
- At the end of the pattern, add a piece of salami and then repeat with the second set of ingredients in the same order.
- If you're not serving right away, cover and refrigerate. They will keep well for 24 hours.
