Ring in 2007 with Italian bubbly
Some good friends, owners of one of Washington’s best vineyards, just hopped a plane for Italy, where they plan to spend the holidays. Lucky you, I told them. You’ll be drinking Prosecco.
Prosecco is to champagne what dogs are to cats. Not as classy, but much friendlier. It’s Italian bubbly that you can make a regular part of your wine-tasting life, yet it speaks of celebration and festive occasions. Widely available, inexpensive, food-friendly and versatile, Prosecco is made exclusively in the Veneto in northeast Italy.
It is a sparkling wine fermented in large tanks rather than in the bottle. Conveniently enough, Prosecco is the name of the grape as well as the type of wine. If a bottle says Prosecco you can be certain that is what is inside (unlike champagne, a term that is still subject to a certain amount of abuse). You may also see the word “spumante,” which simply means sparkling.
Asti Spumante, which has become a semigeneric term for sweet, cheap Italian bubbly, led many people to equate “spumante” with sugar. Don’t let the word fool you; it does not indicate a particular level of sweetness. Rather, it signifies that the wine is made to a fizz level equivalent to champagne. If a Prosecco is not spumante, it is frizzante, which indicates a sparkling wine made with less pressure (and therefore lighter, fewer bubbles).
Terminology aside, it’s pretty easy to spot the frizzante Prosecco – it will be sealed either with a cork and a neatly tied string, or with a crown cap, like a beer bottle. Spumante gets the champagne-style wire cage and champagne cork, along with a heavier bottle.
Proseccos are usually dry or off-dry, and most are labeled clearly. As with champagne, brut is the drier style; extra dry actually has a touch of sweetness. In this instance it can be a welcome touch. The brut styles carry a finish with a certain amount of bitterness, a bit like citrus rind. Italians favor those flavors, while many Americans like the sweeter style, which can enhance the wine’s natural aromas of fresh peaches and citrus, and soften that bitter edge.
Prosecco also provides the fizz for the famous drink of Venice called the Bellini. First poured at Harry’s Bar in 1948, the original Bellini was a seasonal drink that required fresh, ripe peaches for the purée. Fresh is still best, but you can work up your own version of a Bellini with any good fruit purée. The Prosecco should make up about two thirds of the drink, which may be served in either a champagne flute or a martini glass. A splash of peach liqueur can also be added. The great thing about Bellinis, apart from the springtime flavors, is that Prosecco has very modest levels of alcohol, so you may enjoy several without dire consequences.
At its best, Prosecco can show a complex tangle of peach, apricot, citrus and green apple fruit flavors, lifted with naturally tart acidity and topping out at just 11.5 percent alcohol. It’s a perfect aperitif; its lightness and brisk acidity will sharpen the appetite. For food, choose the same sorts of appetizers that you would set out with your best champagne.
If you want to serve Prosecco after the meal, choose an extra dry (remember, it will be sweeter) version and avoid sweet desserts. Savory desserts and fruit tarts are the safe choice. One final tip: The best Proseccos are made in the area of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene just outside of Venice, and will say so on the label.
Recommended:
The frizzante-styled “Brio” by Folonari ($9), Mionetto Brut ($10) and Martini & Rossi ($13) all make great mixers and won’t put a big dent in your budget.
The best of the inexpensive spumante Proseccos are the Rive della Chiesa Proseccos ($11), Fantinel Prosecco Extra Dry ($12), Zardetto Prosecco Brut ($12) and Montelliana Prosecco Extra Dry ($10).
Stepping up the price a couple of bucks adds more elegance and richness to the flavors. Look for Trevisiol Prosecco Valdobbiadene ($13), San Simone Prosecco dei Colli Trevigiani ($15) and Canella Prosecco di Conegliano ($13).
If you want the best, you’ll pay a bit more. I particularly like the vintage-dated Zardetto 2004 Zeta Prosecco ($18), the Bisol 2004 Crede Prosecco ($18), and the nonvintage Ruggeri Prosecco Extra Dry Gold Label ($19). Standing head and shoulders above the crowd is the Bisol 2004 Cartizze Prosecco Di Valdobbiadene Superiore ($41) – a round, rich, smooth and supple Prosecco, with layered and perfectly integrated flavors that carry through a seamless and very satisfying finish.