Prosecco for the Holiday Season

Last year Prosecco surpassed Champagne as the most popular sparkling wine in the world after many years of steady growth in the US. According to Fortune Magazine, Prosecco sales have even grown 40% in France thanks to it's comparative affordability. The US is the number one market for Prosecco outside of Europe.

Of course Prosecco and Champagne are not exactly the same thing.

Both come from regions rich in history and tradition. In fact, Prosecco was just recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in part because some of the very steep (up to 70 degree slopes), sometimes terraced vineyards in the Dolomite foothills. Those vineyards make the highest quality wines from Prosecco, and they aren't cheap to buy, or to farm.

Champagne is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and it undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle (Methode Champenoise).

Prosecco must be made at least 85% from the semi-aromatic Glera grape.  A few other local grapes, and some international varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir can make up the other 15%. Unlike Champagne, Prosecco undergoes a secondary fermentation in tanks rather than in the bottle, a process known as the Charmat bulk process.

A lot of Prosecco's sales growth has derived from the fact that Prosecco D.O.C. can be quite inexpensive, often selling for around $12 or less. But there is another level of quality... Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. is the highest quality Prosecco. Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita is the designation denoting the highest quality wines in Italy, and the designation comes with substantial rules governing ingredients, yields, alcohol levels, and minimum aging.

Prosecco wines carrying the D.O.C.G. designation, including those from the 'cru' of the hillside Cartizze sub-region, are going to run you around $25 to $50 a bottle, and they're a serious step up in quality from some of the lesser D.O.C. bottlings. Only about 16 out of 100 bottles of Prosecco carries the D.O.C.G. designation.

Mionetto, one of my favorite Prosecco D.O.C. producers recently released a couple of these outstanding D.O.C.G. wines: a lovely Cartizze, and the 2016 vintage Cuvee Anniversario Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G.

The Mionetto 'Luxury' Prosecco Superiore Cartizze D.O.C.G. ($35) has great effervescence, with pretty pink lady apple, lemon zest, and pear flavors, a bit of warm yeast notes and a crisp minerally finish reflective of the rocky hillside site.

The Mionetto Cuvee Anniversario Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. ($22) is made in an 'Extra Brut' style, meaning next to no sugar was added prior to the second fermentation. This has been a trendy category in both Champagne and Prosecco for a few years.

For my taste, Brut Champagne is perfectly crisp, with just enough roundness. Extra Dry, the next sweetest category is usually a bit sweet for me.

When it comes to Prosecco, I think Glera needs a tad more sweetness to show its aromatics, so I usually prefer Extra Dry Prosecco.

All that said, this Cuvee Anniversario Extra Brut Prosecco D.O.C.G. from Mionetto is very well made and a terrific value at just $22 a bottle. It's bracingly dry from start to finish with pretty green apple and limestone notes and has very fine bubbles. It will go better with seafood than it will with pastry dishes.

- Tim Teichgraeber

And here are a couple of other Prosecco D.O.C.G. sparkling wines worth seeking out...

2castelli Prosecco D.O.C.G. Brut
 

La Farra Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. Extra Dry. Superb.