Prosecco

[alacarte]

During a recent trip to Italy, I was served a wonderful glass of Prosecco alongside an appetizer dish of crudo and raw langoustines. I continued to sip it through the seafood risotto and parchment-baked fish that followed.

It was wonderful with all three dishes. I never thought to pair Prosecco with seafood, and certainly not with crudo or what resembled sushi (the raw langoustines). Usually I think of Prosecco or other sparklers as something to drink with dessert, or alone.

I only wish I knew exactly which Prosecco we had that evening. I've tried to duplicate the combination now that I'm home again, but the bubbles seem bigger and the taste more melon-y, not as clean and crisp as the one we had in Italy. Guess I'll just have to keep trying.

[Brad Ballinger]

Prosecco wines come in generally six different types: Still dry, still sweet, frizzante dry, frizzante sweet, spumante dry, and spumante sweet (frizzante typically means less pressure/fizz than spumante). So you likely had drier versions of the wines when you were in Italy (I'm guessing in the Veneto, where wines from the prosecco grape are made, and where the wines are usually paired with fish or shellfish).

Look for wines that carry the DOC designation: Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. They will generally be of the highest quality.

[Craig Camp]

After a hard days work a stop at the bar for a quick drink is a tradition stretching back several millennium. In the USA it's Miller time and in the UK a pint of bitter, but in northern Italy you are more likely to find working men with large work-hardened fingers holding a delicate fluted wine glass and quaffing Prosecco while munching on salami and potato chips. Sparking wine is part of everyday life in Italy, not something for anniversaries and New Years Eve - and it's priced accordingly. Our local bar is decidedly blue collar, but behind the bar is always a magnum of Prosecco on ice and more than a few of the oversized bottles disappear down the throats of thirsty Italians every day.

While Prosecco is often thought to be the name of a sparking wine, it is actually the name of a grape. In Veneto, wines from prosecco grapes are made into still, frizzante (lightly sparkling) and Spumante (sparkling) wines with quality ranging from tasteless to deliciously fruity and charming. Charm is what Prosecco Spumante is all about and the lovely fresh peach and citrus flavors of this grape are brought alive by the bubbles. Prosecco is for fun and for enjoying as often as possible and while it will never challenge the complexity of Champagne - for pure easy pleasure and refreshment the frothy sparking wines of Prosecco can't be beat. The simple pleasures of Prosecco remind us that very enjoyable wines can be created from humble varieties in the hands of dedicated and educated winemakers with the best vineyards.

Stretching out north and northwest of Venice are endless prosecco vineyards most of which produce flavorless frizzante and sparkling wines sold for a few Euros a bottle in grocery stores, which are often "improved" by adding a dollop of Campari or Aperol. However, on the hills around the town of Conegliano the prosecco vine is most at home and produces wines with such exceptional aromatics and freshness that the region has been awarded its own DOC, Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. The sub-region of Cartizze is considered the finest of all and wines from this small zone add that name to their labels. These wines sell for a few more dollars than plain Prosecco, but are worth it due to their additional complexity and depth - all without giving up any of their charm. Dryness designations follow the Champagne model with Brut being the driest and Extra-dry being just off-dry. Prosecco sparkling wines are made by the Charmat method, which is the best method for preserving the luscious fruit flavors of this grape.

The delicious fruit flavors and aromatics of the best wines from Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene possess such a unique and pleasurable character that they should not be considered budget Champagnes, but sparkling wines with their own place in the wine world. The choice is not which is better, Champagne, Cava or Prosecco, but which is better for the moment and, of course the budget. Prosecco is a fruit driven wine and it is the quality of the fruit flavors that define the best wines from this region. These easy fruit flavors make Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene the perfect choice when you are looking for refreshment and one of the best of choices for brunch - Easter or not.

[Brad Ballinger]

Prosecco sparkling wines are made by the Charmat method, which is the best method for preserving the luscious fruit flavors of this grape.

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For those who may not know, the Charmat method ("metodo charmat" may show up on some bottles) is a bulk process method in which the carbon dioxide is kept in the wine in the tank throughout fermentation. Wines labeled Champagne in France must get their bubbles through a secondary fermentation in the individual bottle. Not so with wines produced using the Charmat method. The wine is already bubbly when bottled. It is less expensive than bottle fermentation. And Prosecco Frizzante and Prosecco Spumante wines are certainly easier on the wallet than most Champagne.

[David McDuff]

Fantastic post, Craig. The food-friendliness of good quality Prosecco can't be overemphasized. In the Veneto and, of course, Venice itself, Prosecco is served not only as an aperitif or bar quaff but also throughout the entire course of a meal with all sorts of food. In addition to the aforementioned seafood pairings, it's a classic match with platters of antipasto -- cured meats, marinated vegetables, fresh cheeses.... Just try a glass with some prosciutto and melon and wonder no more.

One of the best estate bottled Prosecco I've come across, which should be available in the New York market, is a Prosecco di Valdobbiadene from a producer called Bele Casel.

[esme]

Thanks for all the great information. I found it funny that the prosecco in the hotel minibars in Italy were about half the price of the water.

My favorite prosecco is De Faveri Prosecco Spumante Nera Brut. It's light and dry with peachy-apricot flavors. It seems to be pretty readily available too. I also like it mixed with Cipriani bellini mix.

[alacarte]

Thanks for all the wonderful info. I had no idea there was so much to know about Prosecco. I'm going to start trying some dry Proseccos and see if that gets me closer to what I remember.

Do Italians also drink the still version? In my opinion the bubbles were part of what made the drink so refreshing.

[KatieLoeb]

Just try a glass with some prosciutto and melon and wonder no more.

Precisely what I was going to suggest! That has to be one of the most classic pairings of all time and will definitely get folks to go "Aha! I get what this food-wine pairing thing is all about now!"

The Bele Casel is my favorite locally available Prosecco. A bit more elegant than the other bottlings around. If one can find this I strongly suggest giving it a try.

[suzilightning]

i agree with katie and love bele casel though here in nw nj we can't seem to find it.

i am now sipping on a zardetto brut which should go with our dinner of crabcakes, green beans and coleslaw. i have also been drinking Z which is zardetto's next step up - so to speak- and a bit drier and more elegant than their zardetto...

course i also like a good cava and anything else that sparkles .......

hmmm, seems i go after drinkable sparkles rather than wearable ones