Prosecco

Just returned from Italy. Our first wine destination was the Veneto, the hills north of Venice. Here, prosecco is found. In the pic I'm with Cinzia Sommariva, at her winery just west of Conegliano. It was very generous of her to visit with us, given all that's going on at the winery and that VinItaly--the world's largest wine festival--was starting just two days thereafter, in Verona.

Her family's vineyards have just been elevated from DOC status to DOCG status; that is a big deal, as only 45 areas in Italy are DOCG.


I believe Sommariva prosecco is the best of all I've tasted (which is a fair number). Maybe it's so good because the Sommariva family manages the entire process, from growing the grapes to winemaking, bottling, marketing and selling. In sharp contrast, most prosecco producers buy their fruit from others.

Prosecco uses the Charmat Method, which involves bottling the wine under pressure by use of a centrifuge. Pretty complex, and totally different from the champagne method. Also, the grape and wine were both called prosecco, but now, due to DOCG regulations, the grape is called again by its medieval name, Glera.

This area (the DOCG) is extremely picturesque and well worth a visit. The prosecco wine trail winds through tiny storybook villages, starting from the old castle atop a hill in Conegliano. I wish I could attach more photos of our trip; it is a pretty place. We stayed in a wonderful small hotel nearby, in the country, where our dinner table overlooked the valley and, in the distance, the snowy Alps.