Wake up and sniff the light and fruity bubbles, because it’s “national Prosecco week” and believe us when we say, literally everyone is celebrating.
This easy drinking, tank method sparkling can be a great way to enjoy some bubbly on a budget, but due to the popularity and abundance of the lighter, simpler style, it can be a bit tricky to find concentrated or complex examples.
We’ve grabbed a handful off the shelves for you folks, and this week we’re here to plague you with our thoughts on just what each of them has to offer.
Prosecco is a popular Italian sparkling wine made primarily from the Glera grape variety. Glera was originally called Prosecco itself, but it was renamed in 2009 to protect the wine's designation of origin. Glera is characterized by large, greenish-yellow berries, high yields, and floral and fruity aromas. It’s primarily grown in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions of northeastern Italy. Glera is a semi-aromatic grape variety that can produce fragrant, floral, and fruity wines when grown and handled with care. Common flavor notes include white peach, pear, lemon, apple, and white flowers.
Prosecco is produced in a large area spanning nine provinces across the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions in northeastern Italy, taking its name from the “village of Prosecco” in the province of Trieste.
DID YOU KNOW… The name "Prosecco" is actually derived from the Slovenian word "prozek" meaning "path through the woods.” (Not to be confused with Prozac, which is the path through the woods we take each week to keep writing these god forsaken blog posts.)
~SHOCKINGLY~ one of the key regions for Prosecco production is Prosecco DOC, which covers a wide area and represents the base quality level.
Higher quality examples can be found from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, a smaller, more “prestigious” area in the steep limestone hills between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.
“Cartizze” and “Rive” are both terms found on the bottle that indicate the wine is from an exceptional vineyard site.
As you can see from the above image (borrowed from winetourism.com) there are other DOC and DOCG that produce Prosecco, but this weeks reviews are limited to bottles from Prosecco DOC and Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG.
The Style
Prosecco is classified into three main styles based on sweetness levels: Brut, the driest style with 0-12 g/L of residual sugar; Extra Dry, slightly sweeter with 12-17 g/L of residual sugar; and Dry, the sweetest style with 17-32 g/L of residual sugar. Most Prosecco is produced as a sparkling (spumante) or semi-sparkling (frizzante) wine, though still versions do allegedly exist (PROVE IT!).
Proseccos are typically light-bodied and fresh, with flavors of green apple, honeydew, pear, and cream. Unlike Champagne, Prosecco is usually made using the humble tank method. The tank method involves a secondary fermentation in pressurized tanks rather than in the bottle, preserving the wine's fresh, fruity characteristics and allowing for larger-scale sparkling wine production at more affordable prices than wines made using the “Traditional method” (which involves a time consuming and labor-intensive secondary fermentation in bottle).
For a deeper dive into sparkling production styles, CLICK HERE!
Prosecco is best enjoyed young (typically within three to five years) to appreciate its vibrant, aromatic qualities. It's a versatile wine that pairs well with a variety of foods (or lack thereof) and is often used as a base in the highly romanticized Italian “aperitivo” cocktails like the so-callled Bellini and the ludicrously neon orange Aperol Spritz that today’s basic bourgeoisie (LIKE ME!) quaff on their beach vacations in “Italy” or other “warm locations.”
A less common (BUT PERSONAL FAVORITE) cocktail from the stuffs is the Kir Royale which is made using 3 ingredients…
KIR ROYALE RECIPE
Fill glass with sparkling wine to your heart’s content (if you aren’t sure, keep pouring)
Add a splash of crème de cassis (Mathilde is my go-to; the DeKuyper crème de cassis has a cheaper Welch’s grape juice sort of flavor which requires more restraint when “splashing,” but you can use any kind in a pinch)
Drop in a generous slice of lemon peel (I usually cut the rind from end to end the long way across the lemon, ~1” or 3 cm in width, and twice that in length)
Shout out to Moms for teaching us the way.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s dive into the juice!
Interesting profile with some hints of milk chocolate, but lacks concentration and length. You can grab a bottle at Target for $11, and for the money, it’s not bad at all - especially if you are averse to sweeter sparkling styles (LIKE ME!). 87 points.
Profile: Pear, green apple, white flowers, bubblegum, cream, wet stone
Palate: (Brut) Dry, medium acidity, light body, medium finish
Light, refreshing, but somewhat lacking in vibrance or intensity of flavors. Tame, and easy drinking, with a bit of a creamy texture. Not very complex or concentrated (LIKE ME!), but nice for what it is (LIKE ME!). Worked great in Kir Royale. 87+ points.
Palate: Off dry, medium acid, light body, medium finish
This had a lot of layers of tropical fruit and ripe stone fruit along with some floral character, but a slight soapy character and the concentration was still on the “light” side. A decent option if you’re into the off dry style, but you can probably do better for the price. 88 points.
The “Skip It” List
1. Borrasca Prosecco Valdobbiadene / $13
Chemical, plastic, artificial pear, dilute. Dry, med acid, light body, short finish. Awful!
2. Syltbar Brut Premium Prosecco / $20
Pear, golden apple, nuts, crushed stone. Dry, medium acid, light body, short finish.
Effervescence is on the weak side and concentration is severely lacking. Worked in Kir Royale, but not worth your $20 either way.
Prosecco is indeed in the air. If you are a fan of fresh and fruity sparkling, then chill up a bottle and chug it immediately. When in doubt, make it into a Kir Royale.
If you have a chance to try any of the bottles we’ve reviewed (or you are familiar with them and vehemently disagree with our assessments) let us know! We want to know what you think, and you should seize every conceivable opportunity to discredit us.
No love for cava in the poll??!
Thanks for the shout out, sons! XO Your Mom