Wine in Venice
With the global economy in the doldrums, worldwide Champagne sales have lost their sparkle. There’s talk of prices falling to around £15 a bottle – for vintage – but any dip would be short-lived as there are plans to cut the 2010 Champagne harvest by nearly half to shore up prices. At the time of writing, however, this is all speculation, and City traders know where foolhardy speculation gets us, don’t they? That’s right – drinking Prosecco.
At around £7.80 per bottle, this delightful Italian sparkler is a very frugal fizz. It’s certainly cheap but is it cheerful?
Champagne is made from the noble triumvirate of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, while Prosecco is both the name of the wine and the relatively modest grape from which it is made.
The Prosecco vineyards are in two regions to the north of Venice, and the wines have the sparkling, devil-may-care qualities of a Venetian masked ball.
Good sparkling Prosecco – it’s not all fizzy – is light and fresh, perhaps a little aromatic, dry or off-dry and quite low in alcohol (11-12%), with crisp apple and pear flavours. Frizzante on the label means semi-sparkling; Spumante, fully sparkling.
It doesn’t age well; in fact any Prosecco more than two years old should be treated with extreme caution. A bottle I tested stipulated, “Once opened, drink within two hours.”
Not a problem. The Italians serve it as a chilled aperitivo, occasionally straying into the antipasti, and I’m told it’s good with rich seafood such as calamari and crabmeat.
While Champagne’s second fermentation – the one that gives it sparkle – occurs in the bottle, Prosecco is made by the Charmat method, whereby the second fermentation takes place in a large tank. It’s faster, less labour-intensive and much cheaper. The Champagne method produces wines with a yeasty, biscuity complexity, which is highly prized but rather overpowering in the celebratory cocktail for which Prosecco is famous – the Bellini.
Created in Venice between the wars by Giuseppe Cipriani of Harry’s Bar, a proper Bellini comprises one-third white peach purée topped up with two-thirds sparkling Prosecco – stirred and garnished with a slice of peach. It’s named after the Venetian painter Giovani Bellini, whose works are famous for their sumptuous colours, and the original recipe included a dash of raspberry or cherry juice for a rosy-pink glow.
Funkin Purée makes a ready-made White Peach Bellini Cocktail Mixer, available from selected Waitrose, Selfridges, Majestic Wine and TheDrinkShop.com (120g sachets cost around £1 and make four Bellinis; 300g costs about £4 and makes 8-10).
To make a Bellinitini, shake 50ml vodka, 25ml peach purée and 25ml peach schnapps with ice, strain into a cocktail glass and add a lemon twist.
Prosecco Ca’Rosa, Extra Dry
Off-dry, despite the name, with an aromatic nose. Good mousse (stream of bubbles). Light with a fruity, grape-y palate and clean finish (11.5% alcohol). Available from Oddbins.
Villa Cerrina, Special Cuvée Brut Prosecco
Off-dry (the least dry here) with pear-drop aromas. A lively mousse with green apples and pears on the palate (11%). Available from Co-Op.
La Marca Prosecco, Extra Dry
Doesn’t give much away on the nose but it has an ample, juicy apple-and-pear palate with a tiny squeeze of lemon juice and a dry finish (11%). Available from Waitrose.
Asda Extra Special Prosecco Raboso, Extra Dry
Pale pink with a subtle strawberry scent. Fruit-salad palate with sharp acidity. Definitely extra dry – and delicious (12%). Available from Asda.
The article was first published in the January 2010 edition of Saga Magazine. Product availability was correct at the time of going to press. Please check with individual suppliers' websites for up-to-date information.