To Ring in The New Year
Saturday December 27, 2008
There's no getting around it; New Year's Eve is an occasion for sparkling wines. Champagne, you think, but wait. There are some excellent Italian options as well.
To begin with the dry, if you prefer light, zesty sparkling wines, it's hard to beat Prosecco, an extremely fresh sparkling wine with wonderful crisp apple scents and flavors. When purchasing Prosecco, make certain the label says which town it's from -- Conegliano or Valdobbiàdene -- because plain Prosecco with no town specified can be from the lowlands.
Want the best? Look for Cartizze, which is a specific hillside, on the label.
The other important option is Franciacorta, Italy's answer to, well, Champagne. Unlike Champagne, it's made primarily from Chardonnay, and with respect to its French cousin it tends to be a little richer. It ranges from Dosage Zero (extra dry) through Demisec, which is fairly sweet, and there's also a softer version, called Satèn. More about Franciacorta, and some of my favorite producers.
If you instead want a sweeter sparkling wine, it's very hard to beat Asti and its cousin Moscato D'Asti: Rich, sweet, low alcohol (usually 5-7%) wines made from Moscato grapes in the section of Piemonte between Alba and Asti. About the only wine that can match them is Brachetto, a sweet red sparkling wine from the area around Acqui, also in Piemonte. Asti and Moscato D'Asti smell of luscious peaches and honey, whereas Brachetto brings to mind raspberries and very ripe strawberries.
Sweet or Dry, the choice is up to you.
Auguri!
To begin with the dry, if you prefer light, zesty sparkling wines, it's hard to beat Prosecco, an extremely fresh sparkling wine with wonderful crisp apple scents and flavors. When purchasing Prosecco, make certain the label says which town it's from -- Conegliano or Valdobbiàdene -- because plain Prosecco with no town specified can be from the lowlands.
Want the best? Look for Cartizze, which is a specific hillside, on the label.
The other important option is Franciacorta, Italy's answer to, well, Champagne. Unlike Champagne, it's made primarily from Chardonnay, and with respect to its French cousin it tends to be a little richer. It ranges from Dosage Zero (extra dry) through Demisec, which is fairly sweet, and there's also a softer version, called Satèn. More about Franciacorta, and some of my favorite producers.
If you instead want a sweeter sparkling wine, it's very hard to beat Asti and its cousin Moscato D'Asti: Rich, sweet, low alcohol (usually 5-7%) wines made from Moscato grapes in the section of Piemonte between Alba and Asti. About the only wine that can match them is Brachetto, a sweet red sparkling wine from the area around Acqui, also in Piemonte. Asti and Moscato D'Asti smell of luscious peaches and honey, whereas Brachetto brings to mind raspberries and very ripe strawberries.
Sweet or Dry, the choice is up to you.
Auguri!
Comments
I just bought some Proseco today and it is from Gamberella. Wonder if it will be any good?
I looked up Gamberella on the web and though Maps.Virgilio.It says it doesn’t know of any such place, another site ties it with Zonin, which is one of Italy’s largest winemakers, and usually makes decent wines.
In any case, there’s one way to find out… Cheers, and Happy New Year!
Kyle