Find Your New Picnic Partners with this Perfect Pairing: Piave DOP Cheese and Spumante Garda DOC
Convenient, delicious, and authentic northern Italian products for casual outdoor gatherings.
After spending too much time cooped up indoors, everyone is ready to take their gatherings and meals outside, and Europe’s Perfect Pairing is just begging to be your next favorite picnic partner. Hailing from beautiful northern Italy, Piave DOP cheese and Spumante Garda DOC wines share distinctive origins, deep history, and authentic production techniques—and they are the perfect palate complements for one another. Simple and portable, yet utterly delicious, elevate your picnic with this northern Italian duo.
With Garda DOC wines, there’s no corkscrew required: Covering 10 historical appellations on the shores of Lake Garda, this DOC centers around sparkling wine production. Gentle, rolling hills curve around the southern end of the large lake, where cool breezes and abundant sunshine produce perfectly ripened grapes with freshness and acidity. White Garda Spumante DOC wines are typically based on Chardonnay, Garganega, Pinot Grigio, and Trebbiano, while rosé Garda Spumante is based on Pinot Noir, Corvina, and Merlot, and both may be made in the traditional or Charmat method.
In the beautiful alpine province of Belluno, the intensely flavored Piave DOP cheeses are made. A hard cow’s milk cheese, Piave DOP is named after the Piave River, which traces its way from mountaintops to the plains, winding its way through the land used to create these distinctive cheeses. A long tradition of dairy and cheese making has been passed down through the generations in this area, and modern cheesemakers use these traditional methods to craft five age designations of Piave DOP cheese.
Use your next picnic occasion to explore some of these styles, laying out a spread of delicious Piave cheeses. Taste the fresh and mild flavors of Piave Fresco, aged 20 to 60 days, or the intense, nutty richness of Piave Vecchio Riserva. Since it’s optimal to remove Piave cheese from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving, it will be at the perfect temperature to enjoy by the time you find the best place to spread your picnic blanket.
Garda Spumante DOC wines are just as convenient, portable, and delicious to drink outdoors as well; simply pop the cork, pour, and enjoy. The elegant, refreshing flavors perfectly complement the richness and intensity of your Piave DOP cheese board, and vibrant, fun-loving bubbles add just the right touch to a casual outdoor gathering.
