Prosecco: cheers!
Prosecco is a trademarked wine produced exclusively in selected parts of north-eastern Italy between the city of Venice and the Dolomites Mountains. Prosecco was originally the name of a grape and a place, but once the wine’s popularity grew, more clarification was needed to avoid just anyone using the name, and the prosecco grape was renamed “Glera”. Sparkling wine manufactured using grapes grown outside of this region cannot use the term “Prosecco” on the label, as the thin-skinned green Glera grape grows just in the hilly countryside of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene recently included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Prosecco wine’s flavours vary considerably depending on many factors such as the producer, region, style etc. The Conegliano DOCG area is known for medium-bodied Proseccos with ripe fruit, sage, spices and notes of apple. While the Valdobbiadene DOCG area produces light-bodied Prosecco with scents of fresh green apple, pears and peaches, and nuances of acacia flower. The ‘best of the best’s are the “Cartizze” and the “Prosecco Superiore Rive”, as they are the best wines in terms of refinement and character. The “Rive” are the steepest inaccessible slopes of the hills of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene where working is a heroic undertaking. Here the particular nature of the soil, the perfect altitude and exposure, is the perfect habitat for Glera that produce excellent grapes. “Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze” is a very special wine produced in an extremely small area. Just over 100 hectares of difficult land, with a special soil that was originally part of the seabed, made unique by a microclimate, where the Glera grows on the steepest slopes of the hills. The combination of these factors gives life to a great sparkling wine. The great international success of Prosecco began in the 1990s. All over Italy, Prosecco is a favourite wine to be enjoyed in festive times. But it’s also the number-one aperitivo wine. Prosecco is very versatile so it can be combined in many ways: in 1948 Giuseppe Cipriani, founder and barman of the iconic Harry’s Bar in Venice, frequented by superstars such as Humphrey Bogart, Truman Capote, and Ernest Hemingway, invented the famous Bellini cocktail with Prosecco and the pureed pulp and juice of “Verona” white peach served in a chilled flute. The colour of the Bellini long drink recalls the chromatic paintings by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovani Bellini, hence the name. Prosecco is also famous for another iconic drink: the SpritzIn the past few years, Spritz became the symbol of the Italian aperitif all over the world and it’s probably the most popular in Italy too. The origins of the spritz go back to the late 1800’s. The drink began in the Veneto region of Italy, which at that time was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Austrian soldiers found the Italian wine too strong, and to make it easier to drink added a splash (a “spritz”, in German) of soda water. So, the recipe for spritz became 3-2-1: three parts prosecco, two parts of your choice of bitter liqueur, and one part (a spritz) of soda water. Serve over ice, have the perfect pairing with a salty snack and enjoy with friends. Salute!