Food & Occasion

What do you eat with Prosecco from Trieste and Friuli? The cuisine of the Karst offers its own answer. It developed at the crossroads of Italian, Slovenian, and Austrian traditions, and is hearty, salty, and smoky. A wine paired with such food needs acidity and bubbles so as not to be overwhelmed.

The classic dish is Jota, a soup of beans and sauerkraut. Its acidity and smoked meat call for something fresh to cleanse the palate again. Prosciutto del Carso, an air-dried ham from the plateau, pairs well too, as does Jamar, which ages in a Karst cave and carries a bold flavor. The carbon dioxide cuts through the fat, while the acidity holds its own.

In the buffets of central Trieste, you'll find boiled pork served with horseradish and mustard. The sharp horseradish only tolerates wines with little sugar. A Brut or Extra Brut tastes cleaner against this sharpness than a sweeter wine. For dessert come Presnitz or Putizza, filled pastries with nuts, raisins, and spices, which pair better with an Extra Dry.

In Friuli, it's worth trying Frico, a crispy cake made from Montasio cheese, with or without potatoes. Alongside comes Prosciutto di San Daniele from the Province of Udine. Both are salty and rich, exactly the combination a fresh sparkling wine balances well.

Among the local customs is the Osmiza. These are farmhouses on the Karst that open only at certain times, offering their own wine along with ham, cheese, and eggs. And in October, Trieste hosts the Barcolana, a major regatta in the gulf, when the whole city spends the day out on the water.