Page 11 - Italian American Herald - October 2019

ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
LET’S LIFT A GLASS
Here’s to Prosecco: Crisp, aromatic elegance in a bottle
By Murray Schulman
All my readers know that one of my favorite pastimes is celebrating. Our family will come up with all sorts of
creative reasons to celebrate. Whatever the reason, our celebrations always involve food and wine. When I ask most people what type of wine makes for a great celebration, they will generally say Champagne. Remember, this answer comes from most people. Italians and Italian Americans certainly are not most people. Ask an Italian the same question and their answer will be the same as my answer. Without hesitation, Prosecco is the answer that is given. And why not? Any time of day, meal accompaniment, food type, formal, informal and everything in between, is an appropriate scenario to serve Prosecco.
This wine works all on its own, on ice, in a venetian spritz cocktail, in the perfect Bellini or mimosa. It is even part of the Italian mixed drink call Sgroppino.
What exactly is Prosecco? Some refer to
it as Italy’s sparkling wine. Most Prosecco
is made spumanti (sparkling). Some is
made frizzanti in which the bubbles are less lingering. Then only about 5% of Prosecco is made tranquillo or still. This style is usually only for local consumption in Italy. Unlike Champagne, there is no actual geographic identifier for Prosecco. However, the best Prosecco is produced in an area only one hour from Venice. The key to the designation is that the wine must be 85% Glera grapes made in the Prosecco style. The other 15% may be any white grape like Chardonnay
or Pino Grigio. Prosecco is made using the Charmat-Martinotti method in most cases. Rather than having the second fermentation take place in the bottle, that second fermentation takes place in large stainless steel tanks. Of course, this makes production much less expensive. The fermentation
time may be as little as 30 days for the less expensive brands to nine months for the more expensive bottles.
I’m guessing that you want to know what to expect from Prosecco when you open the bottle. If you want something that
I know you will enjoy, you will look for a DOC or better yet, a DOCG designation.
If you are enjoying Prosecco with me, we will be pouring a Superiore DOCG. Either Valdobbiadene or Asolo. If I have something extra special to celebrate, I will upgrade to Superiore di Cartizze.
Believe me when I tell you that you can find a perfectly delicious Prosecco starting around $14 up to around $40. Like most sparkling wines, Prosecco should be chilled. In the mouth you will experience apple, pear, white peach and apricot. The wine is aromatic and crisp with a fresh, light and simple elegance.
In my not-so-humble opinion, no household should be lacking at least a bottle or two of Prosecco. That is not to say that you should have these bottles hanging around
for years and years Prosecco is intended
to be drunk young. You can translate that statement into Prosecco is intended to be drunk, now, today, anytime. Producing the Glera grape and making this wine is serious business. Drinking Prosecca can only be describes a fun. A celebration of life and lifes best moments. Don’t wait for a celebration to
indulge. Indulge and make this moment your own personal celebration. Cheers! IAH
OCTOBER 2019 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 11
ITALIAN WINE
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Tubman Garrett Park Wilmington Riverfront Rain or Shine
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RETURNING TO WILMINGTON’S WATERFRONT
SPONSORS INCLUDE:
City of Wilmington
Delaware Commission on Italian Heritage & Culture
Societa` da Vinci
Tickets Available At:
ItalianWineFest.com
$60 ($50 ea. for table of 10)
Italian food and lots of goodies, Premium Italian Wine samplings, Dogfish Head Beer Garden with confirmed appearance by beer megastar Sam Calagione, plus Musical Entertainment, led by local favorite Steve Silicato, Amateur Winemaker’s Competition & Traditional Italian Sauce/Gravy Competition!
Produced By Delaware Italian American Foundation, Inc. 301 Old Dupont Road, Suite C, Wilmington, DE 19804 IRS 501(c)3
Proceeds reinvested here in Delaware - culture/art/education and at-risk youth.
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Buy Tickets Now