We could all use a bit of sparkle this holiday season. In her instalment for our Tastemakers Holiday Extravaganza of recipes for your festive table, Annie B. Shapero shows us how to make two fizzy Italian aperitivos that will start any dinner off on a merry note.
Could you introduce yourself, for those who don’t know you?
I’m Annie B. Shapero, certified sommelier and the founder of DiVino, a wine consulting and communications company operating out of New York City since 2010 – but soon to be bi-coastal with a long-awaited outpost in Italy. I used to live there and never got it out of my heart. At DiVino I do just about everything, from wine writing and marketing to wine education and wine event hosting. We also translate from Italian to English, and vice versa when needed.
What’s your mantra when it comes to choosing and enjoying wine?
Wine is a language. That’s my approach. It is more than vocabulary. It is culture, history, science and most of all, it is a conversation. Wine tasting in company is an ancient ritual, and I truly believe that when you engage your senses and share that experience, you are more alive and connected – to the world and to each other!
For me, wine is about people and places. Visiting a winery and getting to know a winemaker will make you fall in love with a wine. I can’t tell you how many people ask for my help in tracking down something they had on vacation and wish they could taste again. There is a similar nostalgia in drinking wine with someone you love for a special occasion. I often choose my wine based first on my company, and what I know they will appreciate, and second based on what we’re eating.
I often choose my wine based first on my company, and what I know they will appreciate, and second based on what we’re eating.
Why and how did you start your own YouTube Channel?
I’ve always loved making movies. Back in high school I used to use the two-VCR technique (start-stop-record) to edit school projects, and I made all my own special effects. I never imagined it would become part of my career. About two years ago I was poised to open my own wine bar in New York; I couldn’t wait to host wine dinners and wine classes, to offer a sophisticated yet approachable space for all kinds of wine lovers. When that project fell apart, I had all of this pent-up creativity and a desire to bring people together into my world of wine. That’s when I had the idea to create a YouTube series so that I could connect with people and share my point of view.
With 21 Days to Wine, my goal is for the comment section of every episode to be a sort of virtual wine bar, with people asking questions, sharing their thoughts and, most of all, telling wine stories! After that I just kept going. I had some professional help in the beginning, and am now teaching myself how to shoot and edit – but I’ve realised even the greatest homemade videos are only the next best thing to being there in person.
You lived in Italy for a long time, and still travel there often. How would you define the Italian holiday spirit?
Of course, you see a lot of advertising in the shop windows for gift sets and deals, but I never get the inundation of pure consumerism that you feel in the United States. The lights and illuminated decals they string up in the streets, even in tiny towns, are very charming, as opposed to audacious and blinking. I love a good US-style bus tour of over-the-top Christmas houses – don’t get me wrong – but there’s something sweet about an understated holiday atmosphere. All the warmth and light is inside the house. It’s cosy.
Like so many Italian traditions, food is truly at the heart of it all. The Christmas Eve dinner as well as the Christmas Day lunch are very important. I spent most of my holiday seasons in Rome where there was always way too much food. They used to make fun of me for trying to sneak in a workout before lunch the next day instead of lounging around on the couch, but you need to make space! And do not even try to avoid the Prosecco and panettone at any given moment throughout the season.
For your Tastemakers video, you’ve created two festive cocktails that both have sparkling wine as a basis. What sparkling wine do you recommend?
I used a very dry Prosecco that I know and love: Corvezzo Terre di Marca. It’s on-theme for the original Spritz, which originated in Venice, as does the appellation Prosecco. For the Hugo, which originates in the Trentino region, you could use a dry sparkling wine like Ferrari Brut, a Trento Doc made in the classic method.
What would you typically eat with these drinks? Anything a little more fancy for a festive occasion?
As I mention in the video, salty snacks are the ideal pairing for an aperitivo in general: crisps, peanuts, popcorn or crackers. The beauty of the aperitivo is that you can serve anything you want, from cheese and charcuterie to more elaborate appetisers like tartines, tiny sandwiches or pizzette (mini pizzas).
If you want to jazz it up for the holidays, try something from your own favourite holiday traditions. At my annual holiday cocktail party, I always make bacon-wrapped dates, which I think would pair amazingly with the bitter Campari. The sweetness and fattiness is a perfect counterbalance. I also serve polenta crostini, baked up crisp and topped with prosciutto and fresh sage. The subtle floral sweetness of the elderberry in the Hugo would temper the prosciutto, so the sage and mint would really sing.
Check out the recipes here:
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