A passion for Prosecco

PROSECCO
A passion for
Prosecco
Photograph: Laurent Grandadam/SIME/4Corners
Its fresh, fruity and floral flavours, food-friendliness and great value means
more and more wine lovers are enjoying this famous Italian sparkling wine.
Emily O’Hare and fellow experts reveal why they love Prosecco and
recommend their own favourites that you should seek out
58 | J u l y 2015 • D E C A N T E R
FRESH, FROTHY AND delightfully informal,
Prosecco sales continue to rise. If you’re not
drinking it – and you should be – then those
sales are probably all down to the fact that it’s
regularly the aperitif of choice for those of us
in the wine industry. Thanks to its affordable
price (no one is attracted to the wine trade by
the salaries) and accessible fresh fruit and
floral flavours, Prosecco has turned a
generation on to the pleasures of sparkling
wine, and its capacity to refresh, whether it is
enjoyed on its own or with food.
In 2009 the area for Prosecco production
was expanded and volumes increased, so there
are many more bottles to choose from than
ever before. But with such a large production
zone, it can be hard to understand where the
quality lies. The simplest solution is to first
look to the historically respected sites, and
from there to the quality-minded producers.
The heartland of Prosecco production lies
between the small towns of Conegliano and
Valdobbiadene within the province of Trevise
(see also our travel feature, p118). This area,
consisting of 15 communes, has DOCG status
– the top appellation level meant to guarantee
the quality and authenticity of the Prosecco
produced within its boundaries. Here the
vines grow on extremely steep slopes, rising
up from the surrounding plains exposing the
fruit to high levels of sunshine and cooling
breezes from the Adriatic to the south and the
Dolomites to the north.
‘Thanks to its
affordable
price and
accessible
flavours,
Prosecco has
turned a
generation
on to the
pleasures of
sparkling
wine’
Most of the wines chosen by our experts on
the following pages come from estates within
the DOCG. The wines from this part are the
priciest, yet the quality justifies – often
exceeds – the cost of the wine.
Another term to be aware of on the labels of
wines from the Valdobbiadene-Conegliano
DOCG is ‘Rive’. This word, followed by a village
name, means that the grapes picked for that
wine came exclusively from that single village
– like a Burgundy cru. This gives the producer
the opportunity to express – and us to taste –
the quality of that specific terroir.
Some estates, like Sorelle Bronca, are
turning their focus even further from village
to vineyard with single-site bottlings. Others,
like Malibran, are exploring the nature of the
bubbles in the bottle and looking to ancient
methods – allowing their wine to undergo a
second fermentation not in tank, as is usual,
but in the bottle like Champagne. These wines
suggest on the label that you carafe them before
serving – and drink the yeasty deposit that
remains (in Champagne this yeast is expelled
before the bottle is corked and sealed).
The volumes of Prosecco may be increasing,
but the best producers – many of whom are
recommended here – are not standing still,
continuing to produce wines that excite and
stimulate aficionados and newcomers alike.
Formerly head sommelier at London’s The River
Café, Emily O’Hare is now based in Italy. ➢
D E C A N T E R • J u l y 2015 | 59
PROSECCO
Emily O’Hare
Head sommelier at The River Café, London until last year
PRODUCERS I LIKE,
such as De Faveri,
Malibran, Sorelle
Bronca and Nino
Franco, deserve the
attention they are
getting because they
are making Prosecco
interesting. They are
not resting on their
laurels but searching for ways to further express their
land by making site-specific bottlings and rediscovering
or perfecting old and new methods of production. They
are challenging people’s perception of this sparkling
wine – ‘simple’ is not a word you can use any longer to
describe top Prosecco.
I love drinking Prosecco at teatime – around 5pm.
I know the classic partnering might be an Italian snack
or supper, but I think it suits an English cream tea. The
wine’s light lemony and apple flavours work beautifully
with rounds of cucumber sandwiches and scones.
Ian D’Agata
Awarded journalist and DWWA
Regional co-Chair for Italy
WHEN A PROSECCO is well
made it has a wonderful
textural creaminess and a
white peach character unlike any other fizz.
The problem is there are far too many cheap,
tart ones out there that give Prosecco a bad
name. I drink Prosecco as an aperitif or enjoy
Brut versions with fried fish and appetisers.
Ruggeri, Vecchie Viti Superiore Brut,
Valdobbiadene 2013 17.5 (91)
£17-£21.95 AG Wines, EclecticTastes, Exel,
Hawkshead, Slurp
Ruggeri’s top Prosecco, made from the
best grapes from just 2,000 vines in the
oldest vineyards. It stays on its lees for three
months, giving it an intense white peach
and floral perfume with creamy flesh and
great length. Drink 2015-2018 Alc 12%
Bisol, Crede Superiore Brut,
Valdobbiadene 2013 17 (90)
£12-£16 Divine Fine Wines, Eclectic Tastes,
Malibran, Credamora Superiore,
Valdobbiadene 2014 18 (93)
£19.90 Passione Vino, Vini Italiani
Encouraged to referment in bottle and not in tank, this
wine challenged my perception of Prosecco. The
aromas and flavours are more saline than sweet, with
an attractive yeastiness. Even more intriguing was the
feel of the wine: it fans out on the palate to hit every
tastebud. Excellent on its own, but unbelievable
with a fish stew. Drink 2015-2018 Alc 11%
De Faveri, Tappo Raso Frizzante
Superiore Brut, Valdobbiadene NV
17.5 (91)
£11.20 Millegusti
For the past seven years, this has been the
house fizz for The River Café. Dry and featherlight, it is unbeatable in its capacity to refresh,
with subtle fruit aromas and flavours that
move through the mouth on strings of finely
beaded bubbles. Drink 2015-2016 Alc 11%
For full details of UK stockists of these and
other wines in this article, see p115
Jeff Kellogg
Wine director at
Maiolino, New York City
MY FAVOURITE
THING about
Prosecco is how
restaurant diners
become happier just
by hearing the word ‘Prosecco’
– even before you can pour it for
them. The wines are getting
more and more serious, but
what I really love about them is
their simple deliciousness.
You take your first sip and
the next time you look, the
bottle is empty and you are
in a great mood. My secret use for
Prosecco is mixing it with
Campari for a perfectly
balanced spring cocktail. Adami, Superiore
Dry Cartizze NV
Exel, Mount Wines, The Drinks Shop
18.25 (94)
Proseccos are best as bruts as the
residual sugar helps to showcase the
wine’s delicate aroma. This is fresh,
floral and fruity, with a rich, creamy
texture. Drink 2015-2016 Alc 11.5%
£18 Millésima
While you may expect this
sparkler to be more full
bodied coming from the cru
of Cartizze – possibly
the best site for the
Glera grape – the
beauty of this wine is
its elegance. The nose
is at once citrus, fruity
and floral: mandarin,
ruby red grapefruit
and lemon curd marry
with white flowers and acacia that
jump from the glass. The length of the
wine is incredible, and my favourite
pairing is with fried sweetbreads.
Drink 2015-2017 Alc 11%
Sommariva, Brut,
ConeglianoValdobbiadene NV
17.5 (91)
£13 Dago Wines
This is a fantastically complex
Prosecco: tart Granny Smith
apples and ripe and creamy
Meyer lemons move into
tropical fruits like lychee and
pineapple. The palate is rich
but dry, with just a tease of
toastiness that draws
favourable comparisons
with Champagne. Drink
2015-2016 Alc 11.5%
➢
D E C A N T E R • J u l y 2015 | 61
PROSECCO
Jane Parkinson
Awarded wine writer, author and
broadcaster
I DON’T MIND
confessing I
used to be a
Prosecco
sceptic but my
turning point
came a few
years ago during a trip to
Vinitaly, the annual trade fair in
Verona. After a day pounding
the exhibition hall, by 5pm
an aperitivo was long
overdue and it came in the
form of a glass of Prosecco
on Piazza delle Erbe in the
haze of the sinking sun. How
can that fail to change
anyone’s mind? Prosecco’s
effortless lightness of
touch usually makes it a
pre-dinner drink for me,
although I have
returned to it at the end
of an evening on more
than one occasion as a
light alternative to a
heavy pudding.
Marco
Salvadori
Biancavigna, Brut,
Conegliano-Valdobbiadene
2013 17 (90)
£15.99 Armit
A Prosecco with noticeably more
depth of flavour than your average
one, thanks to its fruit sourced from
three vineyard sites – Conegliano, San
Pietro di Feletto and Soligo – giving
extra complexity. Classically floral
in aroma with a creamy richness to
support the fruit on the palate, albeit
with a lightness of touch. Think pear
clafoutis. Drink 2015-2017 Alc 11%
IN VENICE, WE grow up with
Prosecco. At work I taste so
many, but I never bore of it and on my days off
it’s the perfect aperitif. With such light alcohol,
it really can be enjoyed at any time of day.
Nino Franco, Rustico Superiore
Brut,Valdobbiadene NV 17 (90)
£14-£16 Hedonism, James Nicholson, Sommelier’s Choice,
Solent Cellar
Sylvoz, Le Colture
Prosecco Brut, Treviso
NV 15 (83)
£12.50-£15 Corney & Barrow,
Exel Wines, Vini Italiani
Gorgeously pretty with a fresh
pear and magnolia nose
followed by luscious pear and
elderflower on the palate.
Its vibrant bubbles lift the
sweetness of fruit, giving the
effect of being fresh and
zesty despite the generous
orchard fruit flavours. A very
moreish Prosecco indeed.
Drink 2015-2016 Alc 11.5%
Richard Baudains
DWWA Regional Chair for Veneto
I FELL IN love with Prosecco in the days
when it used to be served from jugs in
osterie around Treviso, won over by the
cool light bubbles, the vaguely grassy
floral aromas and the soft apple and pear
flavours. (The fact that it was so
democratically priced might also have
had something to do with it!) It was
simple stuff, but it operated on the pure
and uncomplicated pleasure principle.
Today Prosecco maintains this fundamental character,
but it also has so much more to offer in terms of
personality, in variety of styles and – a much abused
phrase, but absolutely appropriate – terroir character.
Silvano Follador, Superiore Brut Nature Cartizze
2013 18.5 (95)
£22.49 Baaco, Drink Italy
The young and talented Silvano Follador makes wines which
are never obvious and can even be slightly daunting with their
bone-dry intensity, but they have a subtle complexity which
few other Proseccos can match. Delicate wild herbs on the
62 | J u l y 2015 • D E C A N T E R
Head sommelier at
Harry’s Bar, Venice
From one of Valdobbiadene’s oldest wineries, this
tastes vital and fresh. The bright fruit flavours have
good intensity and the bubbles are gently
persistent, making it a great wine to go
with food. Drink 2015-2016 Alc 11%
Sorelle Bronca, Particella 68
Superiore Brut,Valdobbiadene
2014 17 (90)
£20 Indigo Wine
This is made in a single tank from
grapes from a single vineyard in
Cobertaldo. It’s different in every
vintage, but the wine is always fresh
with a compelling mellow quality,
courtesy of the unaggressive, creamy
bubbles. Drink 2015-2017 Alc 11%
nose, light and airy at first on the
palate but then firm and long with
an elegant tension between the
dry savoury tones and the peach
and cherry fruit. Drink 2015-2016
Alc 11.5%
Casa Coste Piane Frizzante
Naturalmente ConeglianoValdobbiadene NV
17 (90)
£14.40-£16 Ellis Wharton, Field &
Fawcett, Joseph Barnes, Noble Fine
Liquor, Smiling Grape, Vini Italiani, Wine Bear
Loris Follador (no relation to Silvano) has more
or less single-handedly turned the traditional
farmhouse Prosecco bottled on its lees into a
cult wine, with his faultlessly executed
frizzante. The mousse does not have
creaminess of a full spumante, but the bubbles
are super-fine and the saline and lemon flavours
have an irresistibly refreshing ‘drink me’ quality.
Drink 2015-2016 Alc 11% D
For full details of UK stockists, see p115