Description
Its story began in Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a hilly area in North-East Italy, 50 km from Venice and around 100 from the Dolomites. Here, for over three centuries, people have grown the grapes that produce Prosecco Superiore, whose success began with the founding of Italy’s first School of Winemaking in 1876. The production area covers 15 communes and represents the heart of the world of Prosecco; it is one of Italy’s historic denominations, recognized in 1969. In 2009, with the reorganisation of the denominations for Prosecco, the Ministry of Agriculture classified it as a Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin (D.O.C.G.), the highest level of quality for Italian wines.
There are also the Asolo D.O.C.G. and the Prosecco D.O.C., covering 9 Provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, created to protect the viticultural heritage of Prosecco and defend it around the world.
Color
Straw yellow color with greenish reflections
Grape Varieties
Aroma
The smell is rich in floral hints (acacia and pink flowers) and fruity (apple
green, pear, citrus fruits).
Taste
On the palate it looks soft with citric notes, fresh and very much balanced.
The aftertaste has notes of green apple, honeydew melon, pear, and honeysuckle.
Cellaring Potential
Produced for immediate enjoyment.
Food Matching
It has become famous worldwide as a must at “aperitivo-time”, a ritual that has now become popular at an international level, establishing an iconic moment of the Italian lifestyle. However, thanks to its variable level of sweetness, Prosecco Superiore is also suitable for drinking throughout a meal, particularly in the Brut version.
It should always be served “straight” (never mixed) and the secret of matching it with food is succeeding in combining its elegant, non-invasive personality with dishes that show off the quality of the ingredients, thanks to cooking methods that preserve their original flavours and aromas.
Vinification
The tank method or Charmat method, came about during the industrial advancements made in the early 20th century and is the main process used for Prosecco and Lambrusco wines. The major difference between the tank method and the traditional method is the removal of the individual bottle as the vessel used to turn a still wine into a sparkling one. Instead, base wines are added together with the sugar and yeast mixture (Tirage) into a large tank. As the wine has a second fermentation, the CO2 released from the fermentation causes the tank to pressurize, whereafter wines are then filtered, dosed (with Expedition liqueur) and bottled without aging.
Tank method sparkling wines have a much more freshly made character with stronger secondary (yeasty) flavors. Some may argue that the tank method is not as high-quality of a production method as the traditional method of sparkling wine. While the process is more affordable (and thus is popular with lower quality wines), it is still used for fine sparkling winemaking.
Aging
3-5 years