Prosecco

Prosecco has a long and varied history, originally made as a still wine it eventually morphed into the world’s most popular sparkling wine. And now Voga has decided to take Prosecco back to its roots, and is making a “still Prosecco,” specifically without bubbles. Comprised entirely of Glera (the grape name which was also called Prosecco at one point) this offers softer notes of apricot, resin, and light guava, but this is not a fruity wine – there are more stone fruit characteristics – white peach, quince and loquat.

A peach Bellini is a simple drink, originally made in Venice, Italy with white peaches and Prosecco. These days there are any number of iterations such as ready-to-drink, or in recipes that have their own riff on the ingredients. But what you want is a Bellini that approximates the original. The Artigiano - perhaps ironically made in Germany, not Italy – is a very balanced blend of white wine and fruit purée. This is not a complicated drink, however, it is a very refreshing and very enjoyable drink.

This is a blend of Glera and Pinot Noir grapes.  Light salmon pink  in color.  Nice mousse with medium to small bubbles.  The nose has cherries, pomegranate and slight fresh hay notes.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has a slight sweetness.  Cherries with slight "crushed rocks".  Long finish.  This is easy drinking and would be a great choice for a holiday party.  Drink now.  It is nice on its own and should be food friendly.  Fried foods (think appetizers) are a good choice.  

Silvery/gold in color.  A moderate mousse with medium sized bubbles.  Clear and bright.  The nose is nice with a hint of green apples and slight peach notes.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a soft, easy to drink texture.  Apples and peaches with good acidity.  Moderate finish.  This drinks well on its own, but should be better with food.  Very food friendly.  It would go well with pasta with a cream sauce.  Drink now.  

This Prosecco is made from 85% Glera and 15% Chardonnay grapes.  Silvery gold in color with a nice mousse of medium sized bubbles.  The nose has a pleasant yeasty quality to it along with golden apples, and slight ginger notes.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, there is a hint of sweetness as this comes across as off-dry.  Apples with a touch of honey and slight ginger.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own and worked with with fried appetizers.  Drink over the next few years.  

A very nice way to start an evening especially with a crowd.  Silvery/green in color, clear and bright.  A nice mousse with medium bubbles.  On the nose, an effervescent lemon/lime quality.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is dry with minerality and lime notes.  A bit of lemon hard candy on the finish.  This drinks well on its own and will work with most foods.  Drink now.  

Produced in northwest Italky and made from organic grapes, this is a very nice value in a dry Prosecco.  The label is a bit different utilizing a white (instead of yellow) label.  Gold/silver in color with a lot of smaller bubbles.  The nose has lots of minerality with apple and pear notes.  Medium bodied.  Dry.  On the palate, the minerality comes thru.  Some apples.  Clean finish.  This is very food friendly and will work with just about anything from sushi to pizza.  Drink over the next year.  

This is a sparkling wine from northeast Italy.  It comes in an attractive packaging with a clear bottle.  Silver/green with a bit of white gold in color.  There is a nice mousse with a stream of medium sized bubbles.  It has a very nice nose with lanolin, lime, soda and also a bit of peach.  On the palate, this is very refreshing.  At 11% abv, it is lively with nice energy.  The lime/lime soda qualities carry thru to the palate with a nice crispness.  Solid finish.  This is made to be drunk now and in the next year or two.  It will work well on its own and also with a pasta in cream sauce. 

Kirkland is the in house brand for Costco.  They contract out a wide variety of wines and many of them including this one are very good and great values.  This sells for $7.Silvery green and gold in color.  A modicum of medium sized bubbles.  The nose is reticent but with minerals and limes/green apples.  It opens with a bit of air but is never strong.  It is better and stronger on the palate.  Clean.  Just a hint of sweetness, just barely.  Good acidity.  Good finish.  This is food friendly and easy to drink.  Made for immediate consumption, for $7, this is a no brainer for parties and coo

Prosecco has some of the best values in Sparkling wine.  You can get very nice bottles like this one for under $15.  Perfect for parties.  Light golden in color.  The nose has slight apples but more about minerals.  On the palate, this is crisp and dry.  Mineral driven.  Juicy acidity.  Flat out enjoyable.