Wine Sediments

By Andrew Barrow
Spittoon

Disparaging may be too strong a word; dismissive may be a better descriptive of most wine guides’ comments on Prosecco.

It is, of course, just one wine of many from the Veneto regon of Italy. Plying for attention against the more familar names of Valpolicella, Soave and Merlot del Veneto. At the same time it is highly popular in the bars, restaurants, hotels and homes of its native region. In my opinion it could do with greater exposure.

I am of course biased, having just returned from a trip to the Veneto, but before, my knowledge was similarily dismissve, placing the semi-sweet sparklers down as little more than a poor man’s Spumante. As is so often the case with wine, look a little beneath the surface and there is so much more to discover.

Thanks to my hosts, the top producer in the region Bisol (ponounced bee-zol), I returned with a greater understanding and appreciation of the wines, the styles, the region as a whole and how they all fit together in terms of culture, the food, the people and the dramatic landscape.

Bisol could have been insular in their attitude to the subject, but they went a lot further than discussing solely their own products. During my few days with them, I managed to experience a variety of restaurants and bars, a visit to another winery and the chance to sample a host of other Proseccos at a Consorzio-organised tasting. A more perfect introduction to the world of Prosecco you couldn’t hope to experience.

Prosecco is a sparkling wine made using the tank method of production. Where, in Champagne, the second fermentation that produces the fizz is undertaken in bottle, using the tank method it is done in tanks. A majority of producers make their wines from 100% Prosecco — prosecco being the name of the grape as well as the wine. Others experiment by adding a little Chardonnay or the native Vidiso to the mix. Bisol goes a step further and produces several single-vineyard wines — each subtly different. They do make Champagne method wines, and jolly decent they are too, but they are distinctly different to Prosecco, being more yeasty, complex and “serious.”

Prosecco is a vigerous grape that quickly runs wild even in the cooler spots. The landscape is dramatically rugged with such steep hillsides that only hand-harvesting can be undertaken (unless you go to the low-lying plains outside of the DOC).

The hill of Cartezze — described to me as the cru of the region — appears on many bottles. The conditions here are cooler than the surrounding area, leading to longer, slower ripening and thus superior wines.

Many producers have to buy in grapes from the region’s myriad small landowners; Bisol is fortunate enough to have substantial vineyard holdings of its own, the Cartezze hill included.

Perhaps my palate is not predisposed to recognise the “bitter” angle that the wines are often described as having. But it is not something I ever detected during my extensive tastings. Prosecco is naturally high in acidity — the various levels of residual sugar are needed to balance this and perhaps goes some way to hide the “bitter” finish.

Prosecco-based wines are available in dry, still versions and at the other extreme in richly textured sweet styles too. They are incredibly versatile when it comes to matching them with food. Serve as an aperitif, with nibbles or with a host of dishes ranging from asparagus to seafood and baked fish. They seldom come with more than 12% alcohol.

Three of my favourites:

Scandolera AnticatoProsecco di Valdobbiadene — designed for food — seafood mainly and oily fish — and is superb, so they tell me, as a base for cocktails such as the Bellini.

San Giuseppe Prosecco di Conegliano Spumante — widely available in the US but not in the UK sadly. Neatly demonstrates the baked apple and pear flavours of the variety but with more delicacy than most.

Bisol Cartizze Prosecco Superiore — top notch (available in the UK from Bibendum at 14.56 a bottle) — elegant, subtle, balanced. Best without food although I drank this with a wide selection of foods and it was delicious throughout the meal.