It’s a Tuesday night and you have a birthday to celebrate. Do you make a reservation to sit outside at some fancy steakhouse or do you enjoy a thoughtful evening at home with your loved ones — in whatever form that takes these days?
The great news is that special occasions and milestone events can still be celebrated in a memorable way. So many of life’s most brilliant moments unfold across the kitchen table or in the living room, so let’s embrace celebrating at home, be it on the couch, in the kitchen, or even in the backyard.
Now more than ever is the time to grab some candles, order in dessert, and seek out a new, beautiful bottle of bubbly to try — and stock up on for future spontaneous moments of festivities. Whether you’re marking a milestone or just need some cheer, here are some sparkling ways to elevate your evenings at home.
Grab the Prosecco
The quickest way to kick off any celebration is to open a bottle of sparkling wine. With the sea of sparklers available these days, choosing the ideal bottle can be slightly overwhelming, but Prosecco is always a great place to start.
Made in the northeastern corner of Italy, in the Veneto region, Prosecco is a crisp, fruit-forward, lightly floral sparkling wine. Made from the Glera grape, the majority of Prosecco these days is made using the Charmat method in which the wine is fermented in large, pressurized steel tanks where the beloved teeny bubbles are formed before the wine goes into the bottle.
The growing region for Prosecco is quite large. However, the much smaller Conegliano Valdobbiadene area is home to some the best of the best when it comes to Prosecco. The steep slopes in the countryside just outside Venice have a wine-making tradition that dates back to the Roman Empire. Situated between the Adriatic Sea and the Swiss Alps, vineyards here benefit from stony soils, high altitudes, and cooling breezes. To find the top bottles, look for those labeled Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. or Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, which is the highest designation of quality given to a wine under Italian law. D.O.C.G. Proseccos are a rare brilliance. Less than 25 percent of all Prosecco made has the D.O.C.G. designation.
Luminore by La Marca is an excellent example of Prosecco from Conegliano Valdobbiadene and the Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G.; its dry, refined character is evidence of the region’s exceptional terroir. Here, grapes are hand-picked from small hillside plots, ensuring that only the most pristine grapes are transported unbroken to the winery, resulting in a wine with high acidity and notes of fresh citrus, pear, and nectarine. And at an SRP of $25 a bottle, it’s an affordable luxury worth repeating.
Break Out the Good Glasses
With so much work, play, and school happening at home these days, it is easy to let standards slide. Sure, we could wear comfy pajama pants like we do in our virtual work meetings, but when it’s a special occasion, let’s treat it as such. Put on real pants, use real plates, and pour Luminore by La Marca into real glasses, like those elongated flutes you store in the back of the cabinet, to give whatever you’re commemorating the joyful respect it deserves.
Whether you are toasting an engagement, a birthday or getting through another virtual workday without throwing the computer out the window, the clink of the glasses is so much more rewarding when it is with elegant glassware.
Feast on Festive Foods
Along with great wine, great food goes hand in hand with any type of celebration. To avoid having to spend hours in the kitchen (and cleaning up dishes afterward), and to support your favorite local restaurant, order in a family-style meal.
Not all wines can pair with everything from a fancy French cheese plate to lamb skewers to a spicy Thai dish, but that is the advantage of Prosecco’s refreshing bubbles. It will gently accompany more delicate foods and at the same time will cut through rich, heavy dishes.
Or skip dinner all together and sip on a glass of bubbly with lemon zest panna cotta or a slice of homemade birthday cake. It is a party, right?
Celebrate (Virtually) with Friends and Family
The more the merrier is always a good motto for both significant events and impromptu soirées. And now it’s easier than ever to include faraway friends and family. Video conferencing platforms allow you to invite up to 100 guests to your shindig. To make it official, send out e-invites.
Then liven it up with a festive virtual background. Maybe even send each of your invitees a photo from one of your favorite places so it feels like everyone is in the same spot together.
Want to really gild the lily? Send guests a bottle of Luminore by La Marca so you can all “share” a glass. Guests can take a moment to toast a special memory or the person being honored. End the evening with a collective raising of Prosecco-filled glasses and a cheers to good times.
This article is sponsored by Luminore by La Marca.
