The holiday season is in full swing and nothing marks a good celebration like Bubbles. The world of sparkling wine is far broader than just Champagne and too often people get confused between them. Each week this month, we will focus on one of the major types of sparkling wine and what makes it special. Each one is important and deserves its own time in the spotlight.
This week we will start with the #1 selling sparkling wine by dollars and volume, Prosecco. While many people view prosecco as an Italian “champagne” this is a disservice to both products as they are unique and wonderful in their own way.
Prosecco is made primarily of the grape of the same name, Prosecco, also known as Glera elsewhere. In fact, the only place allowed to call it Prosecco since the ’90s is its home in the northeastern Italian region of The Veneto. Aside from using different grapes than its French cousin, Champagne, Prosecco is made in a different process known as “Methode Charmat” or the tank method.
This sparkling wine process involves all steps of production taking place in a sealed stainless steel tank as opposed to the individual bottles of Champagne. While this process is much less expensive, thereby resulting in a less expensive product, it is not done for economics. The tank method is used to highlight the fresh fruit and floral notes of the Glera grape. This results in Prosecco being a brighter, fresher quaff than Champagne. This also lends it to be a better partner to peach nectar resulting in my favorite sparkling wine cocktail, the Bellini.
Be sure and try one of these Italian beauties today: