Prosecco used to mean one thing.
Sparkling white wine from a particular place in Italy.
Not anymore.
Now, for the first time ever, you can have Prosecco Rose.
Last year, wine officials in Italy (there’s a dream job) expanded the rules for the controlled designation of origin (DOC) for Prosecco to include sparkling Rose wines. Before, if a Rose came from the Prosecco area, it could not be called a Prosecco.
I know this might not seem like a big deal since many people toss around different wine terms all the time, calling some sparkling wines from California or anywhere for that matter a Prosecco or a Champagne.
But Prosecco can only come from a precise place in northern Italy near the village of Prosecco. It’s no different than Champagne (which can only come France’s Champagne region), Cava (which can only come from Spain) or even Scotch (which can only come from Scotland) or Bourbon (which can only be made in the United States) for that matter.
But enough about the rules. Let’s get to these wonderful, light, bright refreshing wines. Let me add that all three of the Prosecco Roses recommended this week cost less than $15 a bottle.
And one more thing, as Lieutenant Columbo used to say. If you can’t find these exact Prosecco Roses at your local wine store, be patient. They may have more soon. Prosecco Roses are still relatively new. But don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find many, many more as time goes by. Hope you enjoy.
WINES RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK
Val D’Oca Extra Dry Prosecco Rose ($12 Suggested Retail Price)
2019 Antonio Facchin Brut Prosecco Rose ($15 SRP)
Josh Prosecco Rose ($15 SRP)
PROSECCO WINE REGIONS
All Proseccos can only come from nine, specific places in two wine regions in northern Italy – Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
PROSECCO WINE GRAPES
First, let’s start with Prosecco white wines. They must be made primarily with Glera grapes, which used to be called Prosecco grapes until the name was changed in 2009. Why was the name of the grape changed? Because so many other wine producers around the world were calling their sparkling wines Prosecco if they were made with Prosecco grapes.
As for Prosecco Rose, these sparkling wines can only be made primarily with Glera grapes and up to 10 to 15 percent Pinot Noir grapes.
And if a Prosecco Rose is a vintage Prosecco Rose, at least 85 percent of the grapes must be grown and harvested in a particular year (vintage), according to the new DOC rules for Prosecco Rose.
TYPES OF PROSECCO
There are three types of Prosecco wines – Brut, Extra Dry and Dry.
Which one is the driest wine and which one is the sweetest? It might not be what you think.
The driest Prosecco and Prosecco Roses are the Brut ones. The sweetest Proseccos are the Dry ones. In between are the Extra Dry ones.
What’s the difference? The Dry ones have the most amount of sugar in them. The Brut ones have the least amount of sugar.
The past few weeks, I tried several Brut and Extra Dry Prosecco Roses. Everyone’s tastes are different. I personally prefer very dry Brut sparkling wines, but I also really enjoyed some of the Extra Dry Prosecco Roses I tasted as well.
WINE TASTING NOTES
Val D’Oca Extra Dry Prosecco Rose
This delightful, medium-dry sparkling wine strikes just the right balance between dry and sweet. It also has wonderful, bright, light fruit-like aromas and flavors, particularly hints of strawberry and raspberry without being overwhelming. Let me add that this Prosecco Rose is perfect with soft cheeses, seafood and delicious on its own.
2019 Antonio Facchin Brut Prosecco Rose
This wonderful, crisp, dry, vintage Prosecco Rose hits all the right notes – it’s fragrant and aromatic yet flinty and dry. There’s also a wonderful roasted hazelnut and almond-like finish as well. Definitely the driest of the three sparkling ones recommended this week and a great example of a vintage Brut Prosecco Rose. Bravo!
Josh Prosecco Rose
One of the reasons why I included so much information about where Prosecco wines must come from is partly because of this outstanding Prosecco from the United States-based Josh Cellars. Yes, it’s the same, great California winery, which you can read more about next month in a story based on my one-on-one interview with the winery’s charming founder, Joseph Carr. And yes, this Prosecco Rose is made using grapes from Italy’s Prosecco region.
So how does this Prosecco Rose taste? Absolutely terrific! Its subtle flavors and aromas range from fresh honeydew melon, ripe strawberries, apricots and macadamia nuts. There are also hints of fresh picked raspberries and red licorice. In short, it’s “bellissima” as they would say in Italy.
Cheers!
Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s weekend section every Thursday.
(Older “Wine Press” articles can be found here.)
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