Prosecco

New venture.....i mean new part....back in Italy...this time we are staying in Jesolo so that we can visit Kim on the ship every Saturday...so that Sofia gets to see her Papa....during the week that means we get to do some outings....one of those outings was to the Prosecco area...now I am sure you know why I wanted to go there, well I guess that is not so hard to guess, i love sparkling wine and the Prosecco area is only about 60km from Jesolo, so definitely wanted to explore.....

The Prosecco area is in the north of Venice and it is between the villages of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. What we decided to do is take the scenic route to Conegliano and then drive to Valdobbiadene. It was a rather nice road up, just seeing the different areas and villages and how the landscape changes....once we were in Conegliano, we took some off road route towards Valdobbiadene, some roads were gravel and extremely steep, it was a lot of fun, i guess we did not really follow the Prosecco route...but we found amazing view points and we loved it...let me share a pic with you....

Prosecco landscape
Prosecco landscape

While driving we suddenly saw this tiny sign which read wine tasting, so we drove down this steep little street, rang the doorbell....the gate opened and we were met by this man who stated that only tasting no lunch was possible....perfect for us....what a beautiful little spot, there were some outside tables and the views were amazing. We received tasting glasses and he mentioned that he had 4 Proseccos for us to taste...yummie. The funny thing is the glasses they give you for tasting....it is normal wine glasses...i think i need to do some research why those glasses and not champagne glasses....hmmmmm....i guess it might be because it could be a vino frizzante which they are serving. Which of course has much less bubbles and hence it is served in a wine glass....let me share a pic of the place....

Me and Sofia at Prosecco place
Prosecco place

Let me also share a pic pf our tasting......

Mutti, dad and Sofia
Tasting the Prosecco

I think i need to explain a little the difference between Prosecco, vino frizzante and spumante...cause there is quite a big difference and i think it is interesting to know, if you disagree with me...then i would recommend to just skip over the next section....hahaha...

First of all, we should make it crystal-clear that Prosecco is not a grape nor a specific wine -it is an appellation. Prosecco used to be the name of a grape which now is known as Glera.

There are two methods pf prodction......The Metodo Champenoise, also known as Metodo Classico (Champenoise Method; Classic Method) is the traditional way of producing sparkling wine. It was first used in the Champagne region of France for the manufacturing of Champagne. In Italy, only vino Spumante is produced after the Metodo Champenoise. After a primary fermentation and bottling a second fermentation takes place. Vintners add yeas and sugar inside the bottle and then close the bottle with a crown-cap. Because of this, the carbon dioxide will stay in the wine. Most appellations require (at least) 18 months of aging. The pressure for Italian sparklers, which follow the Metodo Champenoise, can range from 3 bars to 6.5 bars.Depending on how much sugar the spumante has classifications vary from demi-sec (lots of sugar) to extra-brut (almost no sugar).

The Metodo Martinotti, also known as Metodo Charmat (Martinotti Method; Charmat Method) was invented in the 19th century by a Federico Martinotti, an Italian oenologist from Asti.Just like in the Metodo Champenoise, sparkling wine has to undergo two fermentations. The primary fermentation is exactly the same for both production processes. However, the secondary fermentation does not take place in the bottle. Instead it takes place in large stainless steel tanks. The wine gets bottled under high pressure. This results in a much cheaper manufacturing process. It can be said without a doubt that Federico Martinotti revolutionized sparkling wine production.

Compared to sparklers manufactured after the Metodo Champenoise, the sparkling wines following the Metodo Martinotti process have an inferior perlage, tend to be less aromatic and are in general of lower quality.

Putting it simple, Vino Frizzante (ital. frizzante: bubbly) is a sparkling wine with a minimum pressure of 1.0 bar and maximum pressure of 2.5 bar. The carbon dioxide can either be natural or come from a gas injection. Natural carbon dioxide is always the result of the Metodo Martinotti.The Metodo Champenoise is never used for Vino Frizzante.

Pressure is also an excellent indicator for Vino Spumante: At least 3.5 bar. Vino Spumante can be produced after the Metodo Champenoise and after the Metodo Martinotti.

Spumante from the appellation Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG is in most cases a Metodo Martinotti. The German equivalent of Vino Spumante is Sekt. The French equivalents are Champagne and Crémant.

So....a little simpler...

Myth: Prosecco is a an Italian sparkling wine.

Fact: Prosecco is an appellation for wine. It can be still, sparkling, and frizzante. Therefore, always read the label.

Myth: Prosecco is a white grape.

Fact: Prosecco used to be the name for a white grape. This grape is now known as Glera. In the European Union the use of the name Prosecco in reference as a grape has been outlawed since 2009.

Myth: Prosecco is a synonym for Italian sparkling wine

Fact: Simply wrong. Who told you that?

The tasting we did were Vino frizzante...hence less bubbles...hence the wine glass....we tasted differnt sugar content bubbly...the max was 16% and the minimum sugar content was 5%...one definitely must start with the less sugar and work up to the most sugar...if you ty it the other way, the brut does not taste very good, it has a funny after taste...i know this because i did it both ways...of course with time in between....hahaha...and definitely better if start from less sugar and move to the most sugar.....i just enjoyed the tasting so much...great views and the guy really made an effort to explain.....

After our tasting it was time to eat....tummies were grumbling....we found this really quaint little spot...beautiful terrace....have a look...

Osteria alla terrazza
We enjoyed a glass of Prosecco frizzante and a cold meat platter and a cheese platter and some artichokes....simple...yet so effective and yummie...and yes...i will share a pic...
Vino Frizzante Prosecco
Foodies at Osteria alla terrazza
After lunch...time to head back to Jesolo...what a beautiful day out...definitely would go to this area again....need to show mom (who was in Switzerland) and Kim (who was on the ship)....for now though...im gonna go dream of some vino frizzante...so we will chat again soon...cheers....

 

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