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 like these on hand so you’ll have them at the ready whenever you need them.

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Being the Wine Travelista, my friends know it’s a sure bet that I’m showing up to a party with a bottle of wine in hand. If you’re looking to grab one that goes well with these antipasto skewers, read on for my picks.

BTW, if you haven’t yet, make sure to grab my free Wine Tasting Planner. It has 20+ wine night theme ideas, including the exact ones I’ve used for my wine tastings. Plus, a timeline, food pairings, games, free printables, worksheets, and more. Get your copy here.

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 Pick: 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 Pick: 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 Pick: 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 Pick: 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.

Salute!

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Learned something new?

Which wine did you try with this recipe? What did you like about it?