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Get Four
|  | JUNE 9, 2006
Prosecco's Friendly BubblesForget the comparisons with Champagne, this sparkling wine stands on its own merits. And it's a perfect compliment to summer gatheringsIf Champagne makes you feel like dressing up in evening clothes and going to a pricey three-star restaurant, Prosecco is casual Friday and an invitation to sit at a good friend's picnic table with a platter of raw oysters and just-off-the grill octopus or sea bass. It's June, with Memorial Day in the rear-view mirror and weekend outdoor dinners upon us. And though Prosecco often gets looked down upon by the Prada crowd because it doesn't cost as much and has a somewhat less sophisticated flavor profile than Champagne, I find it works marvelously with many dishes and in almost any social situation. With the cost of filling up a Range Rover threatening to eat up a $100 bill, Prosecco, commonly found for less than $20 per bottle, should find its way to many a garden party this season. Prosecco is a white grape grown in Northern Italy on the steep slopes of Valdobbiadene and the hills of Conegliano in the Veneto. It's also grown in Friuli and Trentino, and even in Germany and Austria. As a rule, though, the wine produced from grapes in the Veneto hills is much better and more interesting than that of the flatlands. To be labeled Prosecco, the wine must be 100% Prosecco, though blends with a majority of Prosecco grapes are often short-handed as "Prosecco" in the marketplace. FAMILY AFFAIR. It's a mistake to compare Prosecco to Champagne. They are made from very different grapes that produce very different sparklers. Champagne's flavor is intentionally bready, whereas Prosecco is characterized by light and persistent fruitiness, and a gentle and lingering aroma of almonds, apples, and pears. Its lack of pretension is key to its charm. I recently had the pleasure of tasting and talking Prosecco with Sergio Mionetto, the master vintner of the Mionetto estate in Valdobbiadene, which produces about one million bottles per year. It's a family affair. Sergio is the grandson of Francesco, who began Mionetto in 1887. Sergio's nephews, Emilio and Attilio, are involved as well. Prosecco is a wine meant to be drunk young. There are some vintage Proseccos to be found, but I haven't found any to be worth the higher prices they command. Mionetto's Proseccos, like most, are best consumed within a year to 18 months of bottling. Unlike Champagne, which undergoes its second fermentation in the bottle, Prosecco's second fermentation is done in a tank. BUBBLING OVER. The resulting sparkling wine is bottled young, and after 18 months in the bottle Prosecco begins to lose its fruity character and becomes unpleasantly yeasty. To guarantee quality, Mionetto and other wineries bottle their product from tightly controlled and monitored tanks on an as-needed basis. Since there's no bottling date stamped on the label, a certain amount of trust in the distribution channel is required. Annual U.S. sales of Prosecco have seen double-digit growth for the last several years, thanks to a consistent marketing outreach to retailers, restaurants, and bartenders. U.S. sales of Mionetto are up 32% this year as the Prosecco fashion spreads, and sparkling-wine-based cocktails, whether made from Champagne or Prosecco, climb in popularity. There is something terribly friendly and quaint about Prosecco. Sergio says the industry snickered when he introduced his Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Doc Frizzante with a string tied around the cork. It's an homage to the wines his grandfather bottled, which had strings hand-tied over and around the cork to prevent the carbonation from prematurely lifting it. SHARE WITH FRIENDS. In Italy, Prosecco is drunk as frequently and easily as soda, and of course wine enthusiasts are usually familiar with the sparkler. But it's great fun to turn casual wine drinkers on to Prosecco, because many just don't have it on their radar. I must say that more than a few of my guests were pleased to be able to pop a friendly imported sparkling wine for far less than the $30 or so a bottle of Moët-Chandon costs. A great find like Prosecco is worth raising a glass to. The Mionetto sparklers shake out like this: Il Prosecco: About $13, and 100% Prosecco grapes. Muted carbonation. I tasted apples as the dominant flavor. The metal crown cap conveys that this isn't a pretentious product, and is meant to encourage weekly consumption. The taste and finish is as friendly as the package. Sergio Mionetto Spumante: About $19. Not technically a pure Prosecco, as it has just 90% Prosecco, with 10% made up of Verdiso and Bianchetta grapes, two old varietals from Veneto. This is slightly higher in acid than the others. I like the recommendation of mixing it with peach or pear juice for a nice cocktail. But drinking it as an accompaniment to grilled fish or with cheese is a great idea too. Il Rose. About $11. Also, not a pure Prosecco, as it's made from Raboso, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, along with Prosecco. I tasted raspberries as the dominant flavor, which was complimented by an appropriate aroma of roses. Il Moscato: About $11.00. Flanking Mionetto's Proseccos is this sweeter sparkler. It's 100% Moscato grapes. Pears and citrus come through in this sweeter Prosecco. I served it at the end of a meal with cheese and fresh fruit and it was a hit with my guests, none of whom could recall the last time they drank Prosecco. Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Doc Frizzante: About $13. Muted carbonation. Dry and fruity. Apple flavors and about half the carbonation of a spumante. Mionetto is the leading producer of Prosecco in Italy, but it's not the only one. A few more I can recommend: Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco: Franco's non-vintage Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Rustico is fresh, delicate and delicious. Nice accompaniment to antipasto or to enjoy simply as an aperitif. Around $11. Zardetto Prosecco: This Prosecco, which includes 5% Chardonnay, is a frothy, lively sparkling white with a slight hint of creaminess. Around $9. 
BW MALL
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