There’s an old saying in the food and wine trade: If it grows with it, it goes with it.

In other words, if the people who grow the grapes and make the wine like to pair their wine with a certain local dish, it’s probably because they go really well together.

In Venice, where Prosecco is the locals’ wine of choice, the ultimate food pairing is always seafood. And there’s a good reason for that.

Glera, the grape used to make Prosecco, has a natural “salty” quality to it. Some people like to call it “minerality.” And that savory character works beautifully against the salty flavor in seafood (like the pasta and clams in the image above).

The freshness of Prosecco, its light body, and its wonderful fruit flavors also work great with seafood — the same way that freshly squeezed lemon juice does.

There’s another favourite expression of people who work in the food and wine trade: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

The Venetians know a thing or two about great seafood. And they also love their wines…