A woman walks into a bar in Tuscany and asks for a glass of Prosecco. The waiter returns with a flute of sparkling wine. The woman watches the bubbles rise and she inspects the color. Maybe it is the light, she thinks, as she detects notes of gold rather than the clarity of Prosecco. Raising the glass to her nose, she inhales. She is suspicious. The classic scent of apples, pears, maybe citrus, maybe almond are not apparent. When she tastes the liquid, she is sure. "This is not Prosecco", she says. "Si, si. It is prosecco," insists the waiter. "Ah, but this is not Prosecco di Valdobbiadene", the woman replies looking very disappointed.
Well, I must admit that I have had this conversation and subsequent disappointment in many bars throughout Italy. Outside of the Veneto, when you ask for Prosecco, there is a 50/50 chance that you will be served a glass of a local sparkling wine made from a regional grape variety. The word, prosecco is often used to mean a sparkling wine.
Well, I must admit that I have had this conversation and subsequent disappointment in many bars throughout Italy. Outside of the Veneto, when you ask for Prosecco, there is a 50/50 chance that you will be served a glass of a local sparkling wine made from a regional grape variety. The word, prosecco is often used to mean a sparkling wine.
The town of Valdobbiadene from the Zucchetto cantina
I think I first heard of Prosecco in reading Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun, where she often mentions drinking it. And, arriving in Italy on my first visit in 2000, it was the first drink I ordered in Venice. From that time forward, the Prosecco from Valdobbiadene has been my drink of choice.
Prosecco vineyards, Valdobbiadene, Italy
So, what is Prosecco? Our friend, Carlo Zucchetto, owner and winemaker at the Zucchetto winery in Valdobbiadene, will tell you it is liquid poetry. And I would have to agree. I first met Carlo over a decade ago when my husband, Jim, and I went to Valdobbiadene, a small town approximately one hour north of Venice, in search of a Prosecco to import to California. A serendipitous encounter in Hotel Villa Soligo, directed us to the Zucchetto cellars just outside of the Valdobbiadene town center. Zucchetto, a third generation family owned and operated winery, is one of the smaller producers in the area making about 60,000 bottles per year. Two of their Proseccos were the first wines we imported, and they remain one of my favorite Proseccos.
Carlo in the Cartizze Alta vineyard. He brought some Prosecco, of course.
Prosecco, the sparkling wine served everywhere in Venice, is the major ingredient in the famous Bellini cocktail first served at Harry's Bar. It is made by the charmat method in which the second fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks rather than in the bottle like champagne. This gives the resulting wine a young, fresh taste. Prosecco is generally meant to be consumed young - within a year or two.
My husband, Jim, and I with Carlo on one of our trips into the cellar to taste from the tanks.
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Tasting Prosecco from the tanks.
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When Jim and I first started importing Prosecco to California in 2004, the grape from which Prosecco was made was called Prosecco, and most of the Prosecco produced came from the Valdobbiadene and Conegliano DOC. But, within a few years, more and more sparkling wine labeled Prosecco was being produced further south in the province of Treviso, and even in the neighboring province of Fruili. To protect the wines produced in the original prosecco DOC area (Valdobbiadene and Conegliano), a DOCG classification was introduced in 2009, and prosecco from Treviso was classified as a DOC wine. At the same time, the name of the grape was changed to glera. Today, the glera grape is also being grown outside of Italy in Brazil, Romania, Argentina and Australia. In Italy, approximately 150 million bottles of Prosecco are produced each year, and more than half come from the Valdobbiadene/Conegliano DOCG area.
The glera grape used in making Prosecco
Like champagne, Prosecco comes in brut and extra dry varieties. In addition, there is Cartizze, the most prestigious cru in the DOCG area. Cartizze is made only from grapes grown on the Cartizze alta hills which cover about 260 acres of land in the heart of Valdobbiadene. The price of an acre of vineyard in the Cartizze hills is valued at between $500,000 and $1 million.
A view from the Cartizze Alta vineyard
Below are recommendations for a few of my favorite Proseccos now available in the US.
| Zucchetto, of course. As we now live in Italy and no longer import wines to the US, Carlo has found a new importer in Chigazola Merchants. What distinguishes Carlo's proseccos from others is his obsession with reducing the sugar content which results in a dryer wine. Learn more about the Zucchetto winery at www.zucchetto.com. |
| Ruggieri Giustino B. Giustino B is a Superiore Prosecco produced by Ruggieri, one of the larger producers in Valdobbiadene. Giustino B is consistently a winner of accolades, including the prestigious 3 bicchieri award from Gambero Rosso four years in a row. www.ruggieri.it |
| Bisol, another Valdobbiadene are winery, produces not only the charmat method prosecco but also prosecco made in the classic champagne method. www.bisol.it |
| Ca Vittoria is a producer in Conegliano. In addition to the classic Brut, Extra Dry and Cartizze (Superiore), Ca Vittoria offers a very nice rose prosecco. www.cavittoria.com |
