Pandoro, Panettone and...Cartizze!

What’s the best wine to pair with festive leavened cakes? Which wine is better for Pandoro and Panettone? Still or sparkling? Dry or sweet? White or red?

Let’s clear up any doubts! When enjoying a leavened cake like Pandoro or Panettone, the wine should be white, sparkling, and sweet.

Please don’t ruin a bottle of dry sparkling wine: it’s enough to give shivers just thinking about it!

We need to recreate on the palate the sensation of creaminess, softness, and consistency. And when it comes to leavened cakes, this is more than appropriate; I’d say it’s essential!

In Italy, there are many options, but the two most common are Asti Spumante and Cartizze Superiore. In both cases, sweetness is the defining element of these wines, and in the first case, it can be overly pronounced, which may not be to everyone’s taste. Thus, we need a wine that’s soft and gently sweet without an overwhelming sugar concentration.

The ideal wine, then, would be Cartizze Superiore. This is a Prosecco made from Glera grapes grown on the hills of Cartizze.

Spaghetti & Mandolino has chosen a winery located among the rugged and steep vineyards of this splendid Cartizze territory. It’s extraordinary to think that such a seductive and elegant wine comes from such an ancient and wild land. It’s the opposite of what one would expect. A visit is a must to believe it.

The Cartizze Agathe from the Faotto Bottignolo winery is the ideal wine for leavened cakes, as its natural sweetness isn’t…sweet! Don’t laugh, it’s true; it may seem like a contradiction. But this means that the sweet tendency of the wine is natural, not forced. It arrives at the end and complements a fruity structure with delightful citrus and apricot notes, all surrounded by floral sensations and hints of acacia honey. Yet, it retains the structure of Prosecco, with the Glera grape providing a wonderful natural acidity and a herbaceous aromatic component that ensures the wine’s great drinkability, without ever becoming cloying. On the contrary, it’s the balance in this Cartizze that is most surprising. After all, the grapes are harvested at the perfect ripeness, and only the best are chosen.

The Faotto Bottignolo winery in Santo Stefano di Valdobbiadene can rightly be described, as the French would say, as a "garage winery." And in a region like Valdobbiadene, that’s a rarity. Oh, and there aren’t many bottles, because the vineyards are literally…counted!

But trust us…for a great leavened cake, a Pandoro, a Panettone, a great Cartizze is worth it!

Happy holidays to all!