By Michael Austin
Chicago Tribune
By Michael Austin
Chicago Tribune
Most often, sparkling wine is reserved for what we call special occasions. I can’t understand why this is true except that a lot of sparkling wine is kind of pricey, especially the stuff that comes from the place where it all began, Champagne.
I would love to see sparkling wine kicking off many more occasions. One way to get your sparkle on more often is to embrace prosecco, the affordable effervescent wine from northeastern Italy. It is light, accessible, refreshing and often so inexpensive that you could go around collecting the change buried under your seat cushions and almost have enough for a bottle. Prosecco is like Champagne in that it comes from a legally protected place, most of which is near Venice in the larger Veneto region (but also in neighboring Friuli-Venezia Giulia). One reason the wine is so affordable is that it is made via the cost-efficient tank method, known as Charmat, and not via the pricier traditional method that involves secondary fermentation in bottles.
Prosecco can feature aromas and flavors of citrus, pear, apple, peach and honey, with varying degrees of bubble intensity. It works well as an aperitif and is very food-friendly. Make sure it is well-chilled, and you can’t go wrong.
Below are some prosecco wines from a recent tasting, listed in ascending order by price. Most of them land in the neighborhood of a moderate 11 percent alcohol, which means you can have an extra glass and still be able to say “Conegliano-Valdobbiadene” 10 times fast.
Tiamo Prosecco. Soft and creamy with a gentle fizz that carries waves of apple and honey, this extra dry prosecco was made from certified organic grapes grown both in and around the town of Valdobbiadene. $15
Martini &Rossi Prosecco. Pear and tiny whiffs of anise give way to a pleasant minerality in this extra dry refresher with aggressive bubbles to wake up your mouth and scrub your palate clean after every bite. $15
The White Knight Prosecco Brut. This one starts with floral, powdered sugar candy aromas and proceeds to a clean citrusy finish, with lively, persistent bubbles. Certainly good with food but fun to drink on its own, too. $15
Zardetto Prosecco Brut. Floral and peachy, this wine ups the sweetness and alcohol (11.5 percent) just a touch but sill finishes crisply. Its bubbles are more frothy than individually zingy, resulting in a creamy mouthfeel. $16
Zonin Prosecco Grey. Part of the White/Grey/Black Dress Code series from Zonin, this one comes in an opaque silvery bottle, delivering minerality, salinity, spice and bright fruitiness from its inclusion of 13 percent pinot grigio. $17
Carpene Malvolti 1868 Extra Dry. A hint of smoke and minerality lead to layers of toast and lemon in this complex Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. sparkler. A great value. $19
2014 Adriano Adami Col Credas Brut Rive di Farra di Soligo. “Adami Col Credas” are the words to remember when you are shopping for this single-vineyard Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. wine, which starts with flowers and apples, and ends with fresh lemons. $22
2014 Bisol Crede Brut. From the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G., this is another vintage prosecco, but it says so only in the fine print. Expect pear and bread aromas to lead to apple flavors, with a soft mouthfeel and a crisp, citrus finish. $25
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