Mother's Day with Riondo Prosecco, Bormioli Rocco, and the Minute Mimosa Sugar Cube Trio

This week we received an excellent samples kit from Terlato Fine Wine featuring a newly reimaged Riondo Prosecco, Bormioli Rocco Italian cocktail glasses, and a Minute Mimosa Sugar Cube Trio.  This family's mother was very pleased. I mentioned the reimaged prosecco because Riondo changed the style from a fizzy frizzante to a full sparkling spumante. Based on Prosecco regulations, this required a change in closures from a frizzante screwcap to a spumante mushroom cork closure as spumante wines have greater effervescence. 

Riondo is named for nearby Mount Riondo and the brand produces DOC sparkling wines using the Charmat method from grapes grown in over 14,800 acres of vineyards in the Veneto region. The Riondo DOC Prosecco Extra Dry ($15) is 100% Glera and is extremely dry with noticeable pear and bready characters.  The wine finishes with refreshing acidity boosted by the increased effervescence. We used the non-typical Bormioli Rocco cocktail glasses and added a Peach and Raspberry cube from the Shimmer Peach and Berries cube trio. The cane sugar added roundness and softened the sparkling wine while providing subtle fruit flavors. Can't wait to use the Bormioli Rocco for more traditional cocktails and picking up more Riondo at either WholeFoods or Norms Beer & Wine. Cheers and Happy Mother's Day.

DOC delle Venezie at the Wine Media Conference Virtual Summit

DOC delle Venezie is an interesting consortium of three wine regions created specifically around one grape variety: Pinot Grigio. The DOC was established in 2017 in order to enhance, protect, and promote this grape within the Triveneto: Trentino, Veneto, and Friuli Venezia. The enhancement revolves around improving quality and focusing on microclimates -- which in some instances requires reducing cultivation in order to increase quality.  Protection is implemented through an Italian Government Seal which guarantees that the wine consists of 85% Pinot Grigio grown in the Triveneto region. And promotion includes various tasting events like one just presented at the Wine Media Conference Virtual Summit.

(Photo courtesy of the Italian Wine Central).

For this event participants, each received two different wines from DOC delle Venezie with Wine Journalist, Sommelier, and Italian Wine Girl Laura Donadoni providing an overview of the Pinot Grigio, Triveneto, microclimates, and the wines. First some basics. Pinot Grigio was a natural mutation of Pinot Noir and Pinot Bianco that occurred over 2,000 years ago.  In order to grow to its full potential, the grape needs a cool climate (preferably within an average of 55-59 degrees F) and well-drained soils.  If the grape is planted in warmer regions then, in general, these wines lack texture and acids.

Pinot Grigio is widely planted in the Trivenetio because of its cool environment with large diurnal temperatures with the Alps acting as a barrier for disruptive weather but providing cool winds as does the Adriatic Sea on the east. Thus the average temperature in the DOC appellation falls between 57-59 degrees F where texture and acids develop naturally. Pinot Grigio wines represent 7 out of every 10 bottles produced in the DOC delle Venezie and come in three styles: Bianco, Frizzante, and Spumante.  The latter two are semi-sparkling and sparkling wines that are made using the Charmat method of pressurized tanks.

For the tasting, we received two wines that represent different character profiles of the Trivenetio. The Pietra di Pinot Grigio (Friuli Venezia Giulia) provided apple and lemons both on the nose and palate, with honeysuckle, some depth and minerals, and finishing with vibrant acids. A popular DOC delle Venezie profile. On the other hand, the Gemma di Luna Pinot Grigio provided white peaches and a more dominating stone fruit profile with more minerality, but with the same strong acidity. This wine is more typical for those made in Trentino near Lake Garda.  And a final positive for DOC delle Venezie Pinot Grigio is they generally run from $15-20. Cheers.

Disclosure: We received samples from DOC delle Venezie in order to share our opinion about their products, but this isn’t a sponsored post.

New Years with Prosecco & Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Sparking Wine

What is Prosecco? Is it a region, a wine, or a grape variety? Before 2009 this term described all three; but in that year several reforms were implemented to clarify the definition. First, the Prosecco DOC was created which covers a vast area spanning two regions (Friuli Venezia Giulia & Veneto), nine provinces, and 556 townships. It is geographically located north of Venice in parts of Veneto and Friuli. At the same time the historical birthplace of Prosecco, Conegliano Valdobbiadene, was granted DOCG status. This is a region of steep hillsides located between the villages of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. And finally, the name of the primary grape variety used in making Prosecco wine was changed from Prosecco to Glera - a historical synonym.

The word Prosecco is most likely Slovenian in origin "derived from prosek, a dialectic term for 'path cut through the woods'". In Croatia a sweet passito wine called Prošek has been produced for thousands of years - although the EU has now banned that usage. In Italy Prosecco evolved from the name of a village near Trieste to its wider use. The first known mention of Prosecco in Italy occurred in 1593 when an English traveler named Fynes Moryson wrote "[In] Histria (Trieste) proper grows the wine Pucinum, now called Prosecho, much celebrated by Pliny". Pucinum refers an ancient wine drunk by the Romans.

The modern history of Prosecco began in 1876 when enologist Giovanni Battista Cerletti founded the Scuola Enologico in Conegliano. The wine's popularity accelerated with improved secondary fermentation techniques starting with Federico Martinotti patented method using large pressurized temperature-controlled receptacles. Eugène Charmat's adoption of the autoclave in secondary fermentation soon followed. Post WWII this autoclave became "widely adopted throughout the area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene and the modern sparkling wine industry was born". Over time this historical region lost focus as more producers outside the region began producing Prosecco sparkling wine. Thus the 2009 reforms.

Whereas the larger Prosecco DOC incorporates four provinces of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste and Udine) and five provinces of Veneto (Belluno, Padua, Treviso, Venice, Vicenza), the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG comprises 15 hillside towns with thousands of small growers supplying 183 wineries.

There are three styles of wine in both the DOC & DOCG: Spumante (95% of production), Frizzante, and Tranquillo (Still). And there are three categories of residual sugar: Dry (17-32 grams of residual sugar), Extra-Dry (12-17 grams), and Brut (0-12 grams). A fourth category, Extra Brut, was just adopted and will incorporate wines from 0-6 grams.

Other requirements include that the grapes in a Prosecco wine must be at least 85% Glera with the remaining 15% from other authorized grape varieties. Secondary fermentation can be achieved via the autoclave method or in the bottle ("Rifermentato in Bottiglia"). And finally labeling. Superiore refers to only Spumante wines made within the ConVal DOCG. Millesimato indicates a wine made from a single vintage (85% minimum). And Rive indicates a Prosecco Superiore made entirely of grapes from one of the designated Rive (villages).

Bervini 1955 is one Prosecco DOC brand founded by Antonio Bergamo and his son Giuseppe in, you guessed it, 1955; and today is operated by Giuseppe and his son Paolo.The winery is located in the Pordenone province of northeast Friuli Venezia Giulia and actually resides in both the Prosecco DOC and the Friuli Grave DOC - noted for wines made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Friulano. I received two of their Prosecco offerings starting with the 2016 Spumante Prosecco D.O.C. Millesimato Extra Dry ($18.99). The Millesimato designates that the wine is comprised of 100% Glera -- sourced from vineyards in both Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. This is a lively wine, loads of citrus, effervescence, and completely enjoyable. The Spumante NV Rosé Extra Dry ($18.99) is sourced from Raboso and Cabernet grapes from Friuli Venezia Giulia and because of the absence of Glera is not labeled Prosecco. Nevertheless it is a clean wine, bursting with berry flavors but noticeably dry.... This one goes fast.

I also recently received three Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG samples that are further refined.

The Masottina Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Superiore Millesimato Brut ($22) is produced from another third generation family, this one in the Conegliano area. The wine is an elegant display of 100% Glera with apple and citrus notes, soft an creamy, and lively acids.

The Villa Sandi Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry ($23) possesses both weight and freshness balanced again between apples and citrus. The finish persists long after the bubbles have dissipated.

Finally, the Bianca Vigna Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Superiore Millesimato Brut ($24) is fantastic, both creamy and saline with more stone fruit than citrus.

Veneto, Valpolicella, Appassimento, Corvina, and the Zenato 2012 Alanera Rosso Veronese IGT

Italy's Veneto region is most known for its Soave wines; but their reds have been somewhat a mystery.  My main exposure was a Protocol Wine Studio session last year focusing on the Valpolicella DOC. Fortunately, Leonardo LoCascio Selections has allowed me to revisit the region by sending me the 2012 Alanera Rosso Veronese IGT ($20, 13.5% abv). It is produced by the Zenato winery, which was founded in 1960 by Sergio and Carla Zenato and is a leading producer of Lugana, Valpolicella and Amarone wines.

Like Amarone wine, the 2012 Alanera Rosso Veronese IGT is made using the local appassimento method in which 50% of the red grapes (predominately Corvina) are partially dried before fermenting. The process concentrates the fruit and provides earthier attributes, but doesn't sweeten the wine as I has expected. Besides Corvina, the blend for the Alanera also includes the native Rondinella, Corvinone, and smaller percentages of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon - with a portion of each variety partially dried using the appassimento method.  And the name Alanera is a tribute to the Corvina grape, raven in Italian, and thus Alanera or "black wing". 

The wine is extremely dark, another attribute of Corvina, and starts with sweet tobacco and leather on the nose. The flavor is similar to chewing on dried cherries - there's a velvety texture - with the wine finishing dry and tannic. After decanting, the tannins mellowed quite nicely and the dark cherry flavors deepened. A very nice and approachable wine.