This is a sponsored post written in collaboration with Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG.
Not all Sparkling wines are created equal. It’s one of my favourite lines from Wayne’s World is when Benjamin explains to Wayne that Champagne comes from a specific region in France but most Americans don’t know the difference and just call all Sparkling wine Champagne. I would like to think that thanks to this scene in this movie – and a more educated average consumer we now recognize that Sparkling wines comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. We have great bottles that come from our own backyards in Canada from Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia, Sparkling wine from France is not only Champagne but some exception wallet friendly crémants. But I think the cornerstone of anybody’s sparkling wine arsenal is the economical Prosecco. I don’t think there’s a brunch joint in the city of Toronto that doesn’t have a prosecco on their menu. Even the Indian restaurant below my home in midtown Toronto sells a lot of Prosecco thanks to its food friendly nature.
I’m here to tell you that not all Prosecco is created equal. There is a king that sits a top of the Prosecco pyramid and it’s called Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. – okay – so that’s a bit of a mouthful – let’s refer to is as Prosecco Superiore.
When you are talking about wines from Italy – producers from all regions have to follow a certain set of rules to be able to put certain things on the bottle. In the 1960s Italy created the DOC designation which creates a set of parameters that winemakers in must follow. It can limit the types of grapes being used, the minimum or maximum alcohol level, the specific production area, as well as a few other things that have to do with the ins and outs of making wine. DOC wines are already set to a very high standard. But in 1980 the Italians decided this wasn’t enough, and created a new designation for the highest quality bottles in the country. The rules are even more strict than with DOC designation. For a wine to be designated DOCG it must pass a tasting panel, the crop yields are lower (if your vineyards have each vine produce less fruit it tends to be of higher quality). For Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco the DOC rules were recognized in 1969, and DOCG is relatively new established in 2009. So it’s clear that for these bubbly wines ensuring the highest quality has been important from the birth of DOC to now. For the most part expect to pay a little more for DOCG wines, but the quality of these wines are usually worth the extra dollars.
When it comes to Prosecco Superiore the intense growing conditions could be referred to as “heroic”. The hillsides on which the vineyards are situated are extremely steep – and these conditions make it so that vineyard management and harvest all need to be done by hand. The Rive of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG refers to the very steep hillsides and individual sites have been identified for their terroir. There are 43 named regions in total – they are kind of like the named crus of Beaujolais – but to be able to put the name of each individual riva on the bottle the grapes must be picked by hand. Dealing with your fruit from vine to bottle by hand ensures the highest quality when making these wines.
It should be no surprise that in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region the wines are at the pinnacle of quality when it comes to Prosecco. The winemaking history of this region goes back over three centuries. It is also home to Italy’s first winemaking school. The winemaking is truly part of the fabric of this region and part of the culture. You won’t find many wineries owned by large corporations or foreign entities – this region has managed to resist foreign investment. Should you visit the region you will find the wineries run by families born and raised in the region. The history runs deep and the historic architecture that exist among the sweeping landscape made this one of the first regions to be included among the national register of historic rural landscapes, agricultural practices, and traditional knowledge. The region is located only 50km away from Venice.
When it comes to the wines themselves Prosecco Superiore DOCG is made up of 85% Glera grapes and can include no more than 15% of a handful of other varieties. There is an independent agency that monitors the production of these wines from vineyard to bottle to ensure that the regulations are being followed so the consumer can be assured that they are getting a quality product.
In spite of all the controls put in place, and the strict regulations that need to be followed Prosecco Superiore still offers great value when it comes to Sparkling wines. You can find some of these bottles at the LCBO hovering around the twenty dollar mark. So next time you have hankering for a bottle of Italian bubble just look for the DOCG label on the bottle and the name of the area where the wine is made – Conegliano Valdobbiadene. So as we enter the holiday season and are more inclined to reach for a bottle of bubbly grab a bottle and discover why this legendary Italian sparkling wine is the modern benchmark for affordable luxury.
