Happy Holidays Everyone!
Hope you’ve been enjoying them so far. While we’re almost through the season, there is still one more big bash to go, and it’s all about the bubbly.
I recently had a set of Prosecco samples sent to me, which I enjoyed with the fam in Florida over Christmas week. These wines accompanied three evenings of very happy festivities. I thought I’d share them with you here as inspiration for the NYE celebrations to come tomorrow night!
(Note: these wines were received as samples, however, all opinions expressed are my own.)
All three Proseccos were really lovely. All three of these were Brut versions and quite dry–much more so than the average version you’re likely to find. They still had the bright, fruity quality that Prosecco is known for, but with a really crisp finish.
Before we move onto the wines though, let’s cover a few of the Prosecco basics.
- Grape: Glera, which was actually known as Prosecco until the name was changed in 2009. (Up to 15% of other grapes are allowed including international varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and Pinot Grigio.)
- Where it comes from: Northeast Italy. (The regions the grapes are sourced from straddle the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.)
- Typical Production Method: Tank method (aka Charmat/ Italian Method/ Martinotti Method. The second fermentation occurs in a sealed tank rather than in a bottle, as is the case in méthode traditionnelle, wines like Champagne.
- A dry based wine is mixed with sugar and yeast in a tank to get a second fermentation going, which creates the bubbles.
- Sediment is then removed and the wine is bottled under pressure.
- This method is particularly good for preserving bright fruit flavors in wines, which really suits certain grapes like Riesling or Glera.
- Prosecco comes in many sweetness levels. Extra Dry (with residual sugar of 12–17 g/l) and Dry (17–32 g/l) versions are more common, but Brut versions do exist - including all three of today’s wines.
Prosecco also comes at various quality levels. There are plenty of solid grocery store versions for easy drinking. However, if you’re looking to move up the quality ladder, there are some easy guidelines to look for.
First, look for the letters DOCG on the label or on the neck of the bottle, as opposed to DOC. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, versus Denominazione di Origine Controllata—this indicates a step up in Italy’s quality designations.) Prosecco from the DOCG zone comes from more select vineyard sites with greater regulation and control on production. “Superiore” indicates another step up in quality–these wines come from 15 specific communes.
In addition, there are a few names you can look for. Superiore versions come from Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG . In addition, Cartizze, is an even more specific area from the Caritzze hill. You might also see Rive + a village name. These are communes that have earned the right to put their names on the bottle if the meet certain production requirements. All of today’s wines come from the Prosecco Superiore DOCG zone.
Moreover, moving up the quality ladder doesn’t have to cost much. None of today’s examples will break the bank.
Now let’s get to the food and fun.
