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Prosecco is the western quintessential sparkling wine specialty and this refined wine has finally attained the status that it for so long deserved, that of the DOCG. Once a typical local drink it was a cult favorite of the Venetians. Soon as it entered the Harry’s Bar, Prosecco emerged in a new form, that of the Bellini with a dash of the astute peach juice. But no one really cared to pat an eye at the adulteration of the “plonk” wine. But to this day Prosecco still stands unfailing as one of the most famous and admired liquors around the world.
In order to be termed as prosecco, the wine has to be at least 85% prosecco with the rest coming from other varieties like perera, bianchetta and verdiso. The original Prosecco wine is prepared from white prosecco grapes and the wine comes in three basic varieties or styles, which are,
- Still
- Frizzante or slightly fizzy
- Spumante (characterized by the full blown brownish sparkle that comes to mind when drinking bubbly)
Veneto in North Eastern Italy is the chief region where Prosecco grapes are grown. It is situated close to Venice. It is said that this grape was brought in from the neighboring region of Friuli. This is what David Lynch and Joseph Bastianich highlights in their famous book, Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy. Some of the best quality Prosecco grapes are grown in the denominazione di origine controllata region which is termed as the Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. Thereon the finest prosecco known as "superiore di Cartizze" comes from a sub region called Cartizze situated in the hills of Treviso, north-north-west of Venice.
Fish or shellfish is the best that goes in accompaniment with the sparkling and lively chill taste of Prosecco which is the perfect pick for the summer days. Some of the suggested accompaniments would be steamed lobster, grilled shrimp, linguine in white clam sauce or seared scallops.
Before serving Prosecco the best thing to do would be to chill the bottle on ice or in the freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes. While you are opening it, be a little careful as sparkling wine is always under pressure. Pour the liquor in to fluted sparkling wine glasses and enjoy the serene and placid taste of the liquid.
Sale of Prosecco in the United States was dismissed a few years ago as it was considered to be sweet and fizzy one-dimensional liquor. But recently both the quality and the price of Prosecco have started to rise to a dramatic level according to The Nielsen Co., one of the reputed marketing research firms in the global market. According to their report, Prosecco in excess of $24 million was sold in the US just in the second half of 2008 and the first half of 2009. The sales in the prior accounting year were $19 million.
Marzia Trevisan - prosecco.net
