COLD APPETISERS FOR WINE

We are living in the post-corona era, it is now a fact. We started going out to restaurants and wine bars but we enjoy the company of our friends more on balconies, terraces and courtyards. Apart from the company, we enjoy drinks and cold appetisers. The ideal scenario is to prepare easily cold appetisers, with simple ingredients that more or less we all have or can easily get.

Since you are reading this article now, I believe you share the same love for wine with me, so I will try to suggest cold appetisers accompanied by some of my favourite wines.

ROLLS WITH APPLE AND PROSCIUTTO

Very simple and delicious snack. Just wrap a slice of apple (preferably golden, fuji, or jonagold and not green because of its greater acidity) with a nice slice of prosciutto. It will be even tastier if you add a Parmesan flake and a basil leaf before wrapping them. Simple as that. The wine that I think suits it perfectly is Cuvee Speciale 2018 Domaine Karanika. Crispy acidity, elegant and persistent bubbles and refreshing citrus aromas that blend harmoniously with the autolytic aromas from the second fermentation in the bottle.

CUCUMBER CANAPES WITH GOAT CHEESE

Just cut the cucumbers into slices of about three centimeters and after you create a scoop, fill them with creamy goat cheese (it can of course be made with any other cream cheese of your choice). Add a sliced ​​cherry tomato and a pinch of salt. This snack calls for a Sauvignon Blanc. The options are two: Sauvignon Blanc Argyriou Winery and Domaine du Nozay Sancerre. Whichever you choose, you will be completely delighted. 

SMOKED SALMON WITH FRESH MYZITHRA CHEESE

Simply add a bit of smoked salmon to a cracker and add dill, cheese and capers. If you put a Riesling next to it, you'll see that they fit perfectly, whether it's from Germany, like the Forster Pechstein Villa Wolf, or from Alsace, like the Terres D' Etoiles Domaine Mittnacht.

Finally, even if these simple things seem complicated to you, you can always rely on a sausage platter. You don't have to do anything here. Just put the cold cuts of your choice on a nice plate, add some dried fruits and some chutney or jam. Don't look far in our deli you will find everything!

For light and delicate cold cuts I would suggest a fragrant red wine with medium body such as Aiora 2018 Moschopolis Winery or Orivatis Pinot Noir Akriotou Microwinery while for stronger, spicier, smoked cold cuts, I would choose Elia Sangiovese Karavitakis Winery.

Sometimes it doesn't matter what you do, but how you do it.

So let's keep our cool and try to empty our fridge and wine cellar ... at least with style.

Vassilis Galanopoulos

Sommelier