Wines and Spirits

Prosecco: From Bellini To Valdobbiadene

Prosecco gets a bad rap owing to the worst of the wines that have been sold under this distinction and label. Unscrupulous mass producers of this fizzy, fresh wine have for years driven the price down in both Europe and The United States to the point that if you think back at the worst wedding or hangover you have woken up with there is a good chance prosecco was involved. At its worst, many trained or untrained palates are able to discern a distinct flavor of wet dog, and green wood with undertones of despair. For other unfortunate souls prosecco conjures up memories of a sickly sweet and artificially peach flavored nightmare, served with this maligned wine and grape of the same name out of of convenience store slushy machine set behind the bar of a chain Italian restaurant like The Olive Garden. All this carried out under the pseudonym of a Bellini. This is not prosecco, and that is not a Bellini, which should be capitalized out of respect for its namesake. Prosecco is a grape home to the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy and grown in the foothills of The Alps. Though in the past prosecco had a semi-sweet offering and little carbonation it has come of age and become at its best: fresh, wildly effervescent, with a lemony twang and hints of almonds and honey. It is a perfect summer wine made better by the addition of crab or calamari and a picnic basket. While quality varies it is widely held that the area of Valdobbiadene produces the finest of these wines made in the Charmat method. The Charmat method is wholly different than the method employed in Champagne, where the second fermentation occurs in the bottle and requires a turning of the bottle each day to ensure equal fermentation. Rather, the Charmat method employs a large pressurized tank for the a second, quicker, fermentation. This method protects the vivacity of this grape and it is the reason it is often drunk in its release year. The Bellini is not overly sweet. On the contrary, it an ethereal mix of the white peaches of this region and this fresh zesty wine. For years Venetians have been marinating peaches in wine and it was at the famous HarryтЂ™s Bar in Venice where they found their way into a glass together. Famous for a couple of notoriously hard drinking regulars, Ernest Т  and Orson Welles, HarryтЂ™s Bar opened its doors in 1931. To this day it stands as VeniceтЂ™s most famous bar, though it is often overwrought with tourists. The owner, Giuseppe Cipriani, was an old soul and a romantic. His muse as he created this cocktail in 1948, was a toga worn by a saint depicted in a 15th century painting by Giovanni Bellini. Cipriani, from a young age had been taken by the color of the toga and vowed to recreate it, he did so with his own work of art the Bellini. The world is giving prosecco another try itтЂ™s time you joined them, especially as the story shifts to the hills of Valdobbiadene.

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