Time to Play with Prosecco
Last week, I gave you some of my cheat points on what to look for in a sparkling wine. I was at an event last week and one of my followers asked a great question:
- When I’m out looking for a new wine like a Prosecco, I keep seeing the same ones over and over again. Are any of them good?
Great question. One of the issues I face in Michigan is being able to have a huge selection available for me to look over and select an option. It’s not that what I have available here is bad. It’s just limited as the customer base here will not support having a huge stock on the shelves. That leaves me two options:
- When I travel, I pick up items to bring back with me (which I do as I’m able), or
- Learn to love what’s available here.
When I write articles, I want my followers to have the same experiences as myself. Plus, have access to the same beverages that I’m able to try. Therefore, today’s review is about an available Prosecco that should be in everyone’s market.
The Details
Why Prosecco? It’s a great valued sparkling wine that most people have seen but may not have tried. Prosecco to me is fun to drink in the warmer weather. I like to get a bottle and toss it in an ice bath to have it super chilled. I then pour small samples (2-3 oz) to enjoy. They tend to pair well with foods and can be quite refreshing.
Today’s Prosecco comes from LaMarca based out of Italy. It’s produced in a DOC region which means that it has specific controls in place to ensure the product’s quality. I’ve seen this product available all around when I travel and it’s affordable enough to try. I’m sorry but I do not like spending $40+ on a bottle that I may not like. This Prosecco normally retails for around $20 for a 750 ml which is a good price point. Yes, I’m a certified sommelier but I can’t afford my tastebuds all the time. 😊
Even though the bottle was in my wine fridge at 40 F, I placed the bottle in an ice bath for 20 minutes to reduce the temperature to as cold as possible.
Aromas
The aromas were a bit muted but there were a number of them. The yeast/lees aromas were over the profile showing great quality. The glass showed beautiful notes of grapefruit, lemon, red apple, and pears in the fruit. This was followed by hints of jasmine and orange in the floral area. The Prosecco showed a touch of ground cinnamon and wet gravel as well.
Taste
In the areas of taste, I was surprised that this Prosecco was off dry. It does show pleasant sweetness that blends with the high acidity and very low grape tannin. I love this combo for this wine as it’s a bit astringent but not overpowering. I know that after my first sip, I had a good bit of saliva production, but it was not consuming.
The mouthfeel reminded me of the texture of butter on the palate. Very cool aspect of this wine. The Prosecco showed great body as well. All of these points helped create the food pairing list below.
Flavors
I have to admit that I found the flavor a bit muted and watered down. However, the flavor profile that was there was a pleasant surprise again. It was filled with:
- Grapefruit,
- Key limes,
- Fresh lime zest,
- Ripe oranges,
- Fresh cantaloupe,
- Green apples, and
- Hints of pineapple, toast, vanilla, and yeast.
The Prosecco had a great clean finish that dropped away quickly which made it quite refreshing. In order to experience all of these, you should keep Prosecco very cold. As it warmed up, it became more astringent, and the flavor hints disappeared. It increased in orange and yeast flavor, but this did not offset the increased acidity.
Foods to Pair
- The other day while traveling, I had fried green tomatoes done right at Restaurant 10 in Atlanta. It had a great coating, was cooked well (not greasy) with enough seasoning to let the green tomato flavor shine through. I know the Prosecco would work well with this dish. Even though the acidity, body and mouth feel would match, the contrast of the fruit flavors would be interesting with the fresh tomatoes.
- A good ham sandwich. Stay with me here. Not what you make at your house. Go to a French Bakery and get a good baguette. Cover this with premium butter (not supermarket brand), a really good black forest ham and a dash of pepper. This would work with the Prosecco’s buttery mouthfeel and acidity rinsing your palate. The main reason however is that both finish clean.
- Sorry that I’m on a sandwich kick but this can be used as an appetizer. Using a good, pillowy focaccia as your base, split in half. Add to this some sauteed zucchini and roasted red peppers and finish with Amish Butter Cheese. Why does this pair with the Prosecco? Other that it works with the acidity, mouthfeel, sweetness and finish, the vegetable flavors would be a great contrast with the fruit flavors in the Prosecco. Lastly, it would just be a great appetizer / sandwich to eat outside in summer.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was exceptionally happy with this Prosecco. Not only was it affordable, but the overall wine’s profile was great. This is one I would seriously consider purchasing again. One point I’d love to leave you with:
- When purchasing and tasting wines, they all do not have to be expensive for enjoyment! I strive to find great affordable bottles as $300 each night per bottle is not in my price range.
Now that I’m hungry from all of the above suggestions, I’m going to make a sandwich and start to lay out next week’s article. Trust me, you do not want to miss this one as I dive into a very cool appetizer to pair it with another sparkling.
