Still new to Prosecco, especially Prosecco with as high-quality standards as Nino Franco, I was delighted to take part in a #WineStudio chat with an up-close look at various expressions of the Glera grape from a family-run winery from Valdobbiadene — one of the oldest wine-producing families in the area. Though the business is now in the hands of the third generation, there’s still an old-world style and certainly an old-world respect for the traditional Prosecco-making tradition.
Tag: sparkling wine
Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco
If you’re new to Prosecco, like I basically am, then one of the best ways to start is with a family-run winery whose sole focus is the Glera grape and the production of Prosecco. Say hello to Nino Franco, who will be the star of my first few posts as we study Prosecco. Make sure you’ve read Sparkling Wine 101: Piecing together Prosecco to learn a bit of the bubbly basics, and then let’s move on to some wine reviews…
Sparkling Wine 101: Piecing Together Prosecco
Prosecco – it’s not just for breakfast anymore. I’m here to smash the (predominately American) stereotype that the bubbly drink is too light-bodied or sweet to drink on its own and tell you, much like drinking Champagne from the eponymous wine region, drinking a “serious” Prosecco will change the pre-conceived notions that one must make a rosé-ecco, bellini, or sbagliato to enjoy this wine. Indeed, a Prosecco from a well-established Italian winery is a Prosecco not only worthy of drinking on its own — it’s a Prosecco that must be enjoyed on its own.
So let’s learn what makes Prosecco so special…
Rotari 2013 Brut Trento DOC
Rotari — for those familiar with wine, specifically sparkling wine, you are no stranger to the Rotari name. It is, in fact, part of the larger Mezzacorona group (responsible for other such “name brands” as Stemmari, Nota, Tolloy, and of course Mezzacorona). But sometimes the fun thing about reviewing larger names like Rotari is finding out a bit about the roots of the product, the people behind the bottle, and how even a wine as common-place as Rotari, celebrates an ancient sparkling wine tradition…
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Parigot Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé
Warning: This introduction contains a bit of personal information. I was never a huge fans of rosés until I started writing about wine. Through my studies and various opportunities to taste rosés made from different varietals, made in different styles, and — of course — from different regions, I can now edit that fact to state that I am quite picky about rosés. Similar are my feelings about bubbles. I rarely had opportunity in the past to have them; when I did, they all pretty much tasted the same. I’ve hesitated to write about them because they are, in fact, a whole different wine-making game.
But here I am working an a sparkling wine series, and lo, here is a wine that combines two things I’ve been iffy about in the past — a sparkling rosé. Spoiler alert: the Parigot Crémant Rosé past this skeptics taste test…