Trentino aperitivo: ideas with speck, cheeses, and wines

How to prepare a Trentino-style aperitivo

A Trentino-style aperitivo can be simple yet very rich in flavor: all it takes is a few carefully chosen products and some well-balanced pairings.

The idea is to create a platter that combines speck, cured meats, cheeses, bread, preserves, and a good wine, without overdoing the quantities.

Speck and cured meats

Speck is almost a must-have.

You can pair it with:

  • Trentino lucanica sausage;
  • salami;
  • pancetta;
  • game meat charcuterie.

The ideal approach is to offer 2 or 3 different types, thinly sliced.

Cheeses

Alongside the cured meats, choose at least two cheeses with different characteristics.

For example:

  • a young and delicate cheese;
  • a more flavorful mountain dairy cheese;
  • Casolet from Val di Sole;
  • an aged cheese.

This way, the platter becomes more interesting and allows for tasting a variety of flavors.

Preserves, honey, and accompaniments

A small amount of honey or preserves can really enhance the cheeses.

You can add:

  • honey;
  • preserves;
  • walnuts;
  • rustic bread;
  • breadsticks;
  • some pickles or preserved vegetables.

Which wine to choose

For a Trentino aperitivo, you can choose a wine based on the products on the platter.

Many white wines and sparkling wines work well with speck and delicate cheeses.

With cured meats and more aged cheeses, you can lean towards local red wines.

A Trento DOC is a very versatile choice, while Teroldego and Lagrein pair well with more intense flavors.

And grappa?

I would save the grappa for the end of the aperitivo or the meal, as a small concluding taste.

From a young and soft grappa to a more complex barrel-aged one, the choice depends primarily on personal taste.

Maso dei Sapori's tip

At Maso dei Sapori in Mezzana, you will find speck, cured meats, cheeses, honey, preserves, wines, grappas, and other specialties that you can combine to create your own Trentino aperitivo.

If you are not sure what to choose, we can help you put together a selection based on your tastes and the number of people.