This savory baked brie crostini with prosciutto and roasted garlic is a delicious appetizer to serve with sparkling wine. We enjoyed it with some special local bubbly from Westport Rivers as part of this month’s World Wine Travel event.
Planning note: This recipe assumes you have roasted garlic ready. Plan to make the roasted garlic in advance of starting on this recipe; allow at least 40 minutes for that. We cover steps for roasting garlic in this roasted garlic sirloin steak recipe.

Today I’m sharing a tasty brie crostini recipe paired with a sparkling wine for the December World Wine Travel event. The theme is “Bubbles from around the world with small bites, hosted by Culinary Cam.
Although the theme is “bubbles from around the world”, I didn’t travel very far for my bubbles. Well, actually I sort of did…it’s a drive of a bit over an hour for me to get to Westport Rivers Vineyard, as opposed to 10 minutes to a shop with bubbles from around the world.
Westport Rivers produces an interesting array of still whites and red wine, but they are best known for their bubbly. In fact, their sparkling wine has been served at the White House, pretty impressive for a winery for Massachusetts. Wine is not our claim to fame here.
This event gave me a deadline to get down to Westport and pick up my fall and summer wine club allotments. Plus, it’s an enjoyable day trip, as I covered in this article visiting Westport Rivers Winery.
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Brie crostini inspiration
So I knew I’d be featuring a sparkling wine from Westport Rivers for this event, but what appetizer to make? First, I needed to decide which bubbly I would feature.
When visiting Westport a couple of weeks ago, I tasted one of their sparkling rosés. This bubbly is fruit forward, and seemed like it would go with something that has a little spice.

I also had a bottle of their classic traditional method bubbly in the wines I picked up. I started thinking this Champagne style sparkling wine might be the one to feature with the holidays coming up.
I’ve made some tasty kale pesto crostini that we’ve enjoyed with sparkling wine. So I started thinking along those lines, and baked brie crostini came to mind. I played around a bit with ideas as to how to make the brie crostini stand out a bit from other similar recipes, and wound up with the delcious combination of baked brie crostini with prosciutto and roasted garlic.
What makes this recipe work
Brie crostini with prosciutto is a fairly common combination. The rich, buttery flavors of the brie go nicely with the saltiness of prosciutto. Adding roasted garlic brings a depth of flavor that really ties the recipe together nicely. A little drizzle of balsamic vinegar brings a hint of sweetness and acidity, and the basil makes the presentation pop.

The other key to this recipe is that we toast the baguette slices a bit before adding the brie and other toppings. This helps get the crostini to a nice toasty crunchiness, and everything stays together nicely with the toasted bread as a base.
The other thing that makes this recipe really work is our sparkling wine pairing!
Recipe tips and overview
Below please find an overview showing how to make this brie crostini recipe. Head on down to the recipe card for all the details.
This recipe as presented makes four services of two crostini each. It uses about half a baguette. You could easily double the recipe and use the whole baguette if you like.
Take the brie out of the fridge a good 30 minutes before you start making the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees when you are ready to start making the baked brie crostini.
Slice the bread into slices about half inch thick slices.

Keeping the baguette slides fair thin helps showcase the crostini topping flavors and keeps you from getting filled up too quickly.

Spread the baguette slices on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Coat the baguette slices with olive oil, either using spray or regular evoo.
In an oven preheated to 375 degrees, toast the bread for about 6 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time. Toasting the baguette slices first helps them stay crispy when the toppings are added.
Add toppings to the baguette slices after toasting them for 6 minutes.

Start by spreading the roasted garlic on each slice of bread.
Slice the brie into pieces about ¼ inch thick that will fit on top of the baguette slices.

Top the brie with slices of prosciutto.

I originally added one piece of prosciutto per crostini, but found the brie flavor dominated. Adding two slices of prosciutto per crostini created a better balance of flavors for my taste.
Finish baking the crostini after topping them with the prosciutto, brie and roasted garlic.
Bake the crostini with the toppings for about 6 minutes more, so that the cheese has melted and the prosciutto starts to crisp a bit.
Add the final toppings – place a couple basil slices on each crostini and add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to each crostini. They are ready to enjoy!

Sparkling wine pairing
As referenced earlier, we had the 2012 Westport Rivers Brut Cuvée RJR ($40, 12.2% ABV) to serve with the brie crostini. This is their flagship wine, said to be a favorite of both Julia Childs and Oprah (can you imagine the two of them sharing bubbly at the dinner table?).

Westport Rivers doesn’t make their vintage RJR every year. Next year they will be moving from the 2012 to releasing the 2019. Previous I’ve shared pairings here for the 2009 RJR – it was good with our Cranberry Jalapeño Dip and was actually an excellent wine pairing for corned beef and cabbage!
The 2012 RJR is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a small amount of PInot Meunier.
Tasting and pairing notes
I get apples and notes of caramel on the nose. On the palate, brioche, green apple fruit and cream. Well-balanced, with crisp refreshing bubbles. An excellent sparkling wine!
This classic bubbly goes very well with our brie crostini, as anticipated. The bubbles cleanse the palate from the cheese richness, and the flavor profile matches the roasted garlic and prosciutto flavors as well as the cheese. I would definitely recommend this sparkling wine with brie crostini pairing for the holidays!
About Westport Rivers Vineyard
I’ve covered Westport Rivers Vineyard before, so I will just mention a few highlights and key points here. Check out my article on Visiting Westport Rivers for more details, and give a listen to my Cook Local podcast interview with Robert Russell, son of the winery’s founders.
Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery is located in Westport, which is in Southeastern Massachusetts. Westport is a coastal town, with a vibrant agricultural scene. The proximity to the ocean helps moderate the winter temperatures, making it feasible to produce a wide range of white and red wine grapes. However, the cool temperatures of New England’s coast mean you won’t see big red wine grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon.
Talking to Rob for the podcast and chatting with winery team members when visiting, I am struck by how they focus on being part of the local agricultural system. Rob refers to the winery as “the family farm”. They are involved with various initiatives to preserve open space for farming and recreation, despite the market pressures that would incentivize building more housing there.
They also take great pride in making top notch wines. As I’ve said, we aren’t in a region known for winemaking, but they have shown that excellent wine can be produced here. One of the keys is learning what grapes are suitable for growing in coastal New England. In addition to grapes like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay used for the sparkling wine, they have had success with hybrid grapes such as Marquette.
If you are in the New England area, I would definitely encourage you to check out Westport Rivers. And if you’re not, their bubbly is worth placing an order for shipment. Perhaps along with some of their still wines – let me know if you’d like suggestions!
PrintRecipe card
Brie Crostini with Prosciutto and Roasted Garlic
An easy and savory appetizer with brie melted on toasted baguette slices along with prosciutto and roasted garlic. Delicious with a good sparkling wine!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: appetizer
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- One baguette, cut into 8 half-inch slices
- 6 ounces of brie, cut into slices approximately ¼ inch thick to fit the baguette slides
- olive oil spray or extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons roasted garlic
- 2 slices of prosciutto, cut into pieces to fit on the crostini
- a few basil leaves, cut into thin julienne slices
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375. Take the baguette slices, and spray both sides with olive oil. Or, brush olive oil onto both sides if you don’t have olive oil spray. Arrange the olive oil coated baguette slices on a baking sheet.
- Toast the bread by placing the baguette slices in the oven for 6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the crostini from the oven.
- Add toppings to the baguette slices, starting by spreading the roasted garlic on top of each slice of bread. Follow that with the brie, then top the brie with a slice or two of the prosciutto. See notes below.
- Finish baking the crostini by placing the bread slices with the toppings back into the oven. Bake for about 6 minutes, until the cheese is nice and melty.
- Top the crostini with a the basil slices and balsamic vinegar. The basil is mostly for the presentation and could be skipped if you’d like. Enjoy the crostini with a good glass of sparkling wine!
Notes
- This recipe calls for roasted garlic. The time and steps for making them aren’t included here – here’s a good basic recipe for making roasted garlic. It takes about 40 minutes to roast garlic, so keep that in mind as you plan to make this recipe.
- You won’t need the whole baguette for the 4 servings this recipe makes. Reserve the bread for another use, or double the recipe to use most of the baguette.
- We initially had one small slice of prosciutto on each crostini. It got somewhat overwhelmed by the strong flavors of the brie. I liked it better with two small prosciutto slices.
Bubbles from around the world articles
Check all these great World Wine Travel articles featuring bubbles from around the world paired with small bites!
- Culinary Cam discovers A Bouquet of Bubbly Rosés with Festive Nibbles: From California’s Central Coast to Neusiedlersee, Alsace, Swartland, and More
- The Quirky Cork takes A Sparkling Journey Through Hungary, Germany, and Armenia
- Food Wine Click! pours A Very Bourgogne Holiday Apéro
- A Day in the Life on the Farm shares A Tropical Grazing Board and Hawaiian Sparkling Wine; Mele Kalikimaka
- Crushed Grape Chronicles tells of Bites with Bubbles – tossing together a party for two
- ENOFYLZ Wine Blog shares Bubbles and Bites: Dr. Konstantin Frank Sparkling Brut Meets “Meat and Potatoes”
- Wine Predator…. Gwendolyn Alley says Sekt Means Sparkling in German: 2013 Raumland Cuvee Marie Luise Brut Means Fondue Fun and Small Bites– Clink Different!
- Savor the Harvest shares Sparkling Wine From Around the World with Dinatoire
- Our Good Life finds the Top Affordable Sparkling Wines for Every Budget
Want more pairing ideas? Check out this article on 25+ pairings for sparkling wine!

Camilla Mateo Mann
Now I definitely need some brie crostini in my life. Soon! Thanks for joining me today, David. I wonder if Westport River ships to California. I will have to check. Thanks for the inspiration.
Robin Renken
The bubbles and the crostini sound divine! Bubbles from MA are on my radar now!
Cooking Chat
Worth trying if you get a chance!
Wendy Klik
This crostini sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing a local bubbly with us. We have some success with bubbly here in Michigan as well.
Lynn
Whoa, the Westport River sparkling wine was a favorite of Julia C?!? Now I’m curious to know when the winery was started. Will head to your podcast or article. Your toasting the baguette slices a little before adding the cheese is a great tip! Happy holidays to you and your family David!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Lynn! Same to you. Yes, fun to hear about this winery’s famous fans.
MARTIN D REDMOND
I’m loving the sound of your baked brie crostini and sparkling wine pairing David. Wishing you and yours a glorious holiday season!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Martin!