Sparkling Wines Archives | Crushed Grape Chronicles

Banish me to Mantua, with a glass of Lambrusco Mantovano #ItalianFWT

Jun 4, 2021

Mantua. When I hear the name, I think of a place of banishment, possibly a dusty trailer park in the Mohave Desert. Thanks, Baz Luhrmann! While Shakespeare never traveled to Italy, he chose this place for Romeo’s banishment after killing Tybalt.

Mantua is a city in the region of Lombardy that is closest to both the Veneto and Emilia Romagna. The region around the city is also known as Mantua or Mantova. It is far from being a desert and, hey if you want to banish me there…go right ahead! They have Lambrusco, so I don’t mind!

Susannah of Avvinaire leads The Italian Food Wine & Travel Group on our exploration of Lambrusco this month. She has definite expertise here. You should check out her preview post “June Celebrations with a Glass of Lambrusco”

We will be gathering on Twitter on Saturday, June 5^th to discuss Lambrusco! Join us at 8 am PT following the hashtag #ItalianFWT to add to the conversation. You can scroll to the bottom for links to my colleagues’ pieces.

When I heard that the Italian Food Wine and Travel Group was diving into Lambrusco I was definitely on board. I enjoy Lambrusco, but good Lambrusco can be hard to find. The only place I had been able to locate Lambrusco was the bottle shelf at Trader Joe’s. I wanted to up my Lambrusco Game.

I had met Sheila with Vero online late last year. She imports wine and gourmet foods from Italy and Spain among other places, bringing in products from small producers that might otherwise never be seen outside their immediate area.

The wines I ordered from Vero are not from the region most thought of for Lambrusco. Emilia-Romagna is the typical region for this wine, much of it coming from the Province of Modena. Our wine comes from a little further north, across the border into Lombardy and the Mantova Province, where you find the city of Mantua.

Map of Lombardy, Italy with Mandova in red, (Adobe Stock Vector map By Alex Perazzoli)

Mantua

Settled as early as 2000BC this city on the Mincio River later created lakes to surround the city like a moat.

The Palazzo Ducal is a city-palace and its mirror reflection graces the lakes. The complex was built throughout the centuries and now houses the Ducal Palace Museum, Italy’s biggest architectural museum.

Really, this doesn’t look like such a bad spot to be banished to.

Europe Italy Mantova-Mantua ancient castle at the river reflecting in still waters at sunset highly illuminated by lights (adobe Stock by Taras Vyshnya)

Mantova - San Benedetto Po - Abbazia Polirone (Adobe Stock By Gianluca)

San Benedetto Po and the Polirone Abbey

If you head further south and cross the Po River you come upon the city of San Benedetto Po. The Polirone Abbey here was founded in 1003 taking its name from the Po and Lirone Rivers that met at the Abbey. Matilde di Canossa founded a library at the Abbey and was buried at the monastery.

Wine has been made here since at least the 11^th century. This is the region for Lambrusco Mantovano.

Bugno Martino

South of the city of San Benedetto Po the land opens up and you will find Azienda Agricola Bugno Martino.

Giuseppe and Raffaella together run this family farm and produce Lambrusco Mantovano. They respect the land and farm naturally with biodynamic and organic principles. Farmers first, they see taking care of the land as a privilege.

On their 9 hectares they grow 3 varieties of Lambrusco; Salamino, Ancellotta, and Grappello Ruberti.

“Lambrusco” means “wild grape” in Italian and there are multiple varieties of Lambrusco that were likely all domesticated from wild local vines. Giuseppe and Raffaella love this wine, it’s wildness, intensity, and elegance.

We opened 2 of their Lambruscos, the 2019 Rosso Matilde and the 2018 Essentia, that we ordered from Vero.

Rosso Matilde 2019 Bugno Martino Lambrusco Mantovano IGP

Bugno Martino named this wine as a tribute to Matilde di Canossa, who had such an influence as a female leader in this region in the 12^th century. Sheila wrote a wonderful piece on her history and contributions that you can find here.

This wine is a blend of Lambrusco Salamino and Lambrusco Ancellotta and is made in the Charmant method. It spends 4 months in stainless steel.

The Rosso Matilde pours a deep frothy ruby. On the nose, there was blackberry, black cherry, bramble, dried herb, soy, and a little smoke. It smells “wild”.

On the nose, it was medium intensity, but when you take a sip, the wine explodes with flavor. The fruit notes bursting through with the more subtle savory notes in the background. This wine is dry, don’t confuse it with the semi-sweet Cold Duck of the 70s.

12% abv – $20.99 via Vero

2019 Rosso Matilde Lambrusco Mantovano from Bugno Martini

Essentia 2018 Bugno Martini Lambrusco Mantovano

Essentia 2018 Bugno Martino Lambrusco Mantovano IGP

This Lambrusco is made in the ancestral method with wild yeast. Bugno Martino says this wine is “deeply linked to traditions and origins”.

The ancestral method predates Methode Champenoise. This ancient method stops the initial fermentation before it is complete, typically by chilling the wine. It is then put into bottle where it completes its fermentation trapping the CO2 in the bottle for those bubbles.

Sheila had prepped me for umami with this wine and she was so right. The first thing that hit my nose was bread dough, followed by red cherry and cherry preserves. Fresh green herbs were followed by smoke and soy. In my mouth, the umami hit first with soy and smoke. Behind that came the fruit, which was darker on my palate than on the nose and the herbs here were more savory and dried.

100% Lambrusco Salamino this wine ferments in bottle for 12 months.

11% abv – 24.99 via Vero

Lambrusco Pairings

Riso alla Pilota

What to pair? I contacted Sheila at Vero, who had already put this question to Giuseppe. Without hesitation, he responded Riso alla Pilota. This is a simple dish of rice and sausage, that is traditional for Mantova, where there are more pigs than people. We paired this traditional dish with the traditionally inspired Essentia.

Giuseppe shared his recipe: Rice is carefully cooked to al dente and mixed with sausage cooked in butter and garlic, then it is tossed with grated parmesan. This dish is simple, hearty, delicious, and pairs perfectly with the wines. It was especially delicious with the umami notes in the Essentia.

You can find the recipe on the Vero site.

Pizza with Lambrusco, you can’t go wrong

Sheila had also suggested pizza with sausage, so I made homemade pizza, making my own pizza dough. We topped our pizzas with a mixture of tomato sauce, tomato paste, and a little fig jam for sweetness. Dabs of ricotta came next, sausage (which I partially pre-cooked), chopped sage, a four-cheese pizza blend, and more sage.

We paired our pizza with the Rosso Matilde and the sweetness of the fig jam played nicely off the bright fruit in the wine.

If you want to taste these wines, Sheila has offered a discount code for 10% off! Drop me a message for the code!!

Grab a bottle and banish yourself “virtually” to Mantua.

#ItalianFWT and wines to celebrate Lambrusco Day on June 21^st!

As I mentioned, there are many types of Lambrusco and I am sure that the Italian Food Wine and Travel group has covered many of them. Read on for more great Lambrusco, then grab a bottle to celebrate Lambrusco Day on June 21^st!

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Cantina Paltrinieri Radice Lambrusco di Sorbara 2018 for #WorldLambruscoDay”
Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm posts “A Dry Lambrusco?! Well, yes please”
Nicole Ruiz Hudson from Somms Table adds “The Lighter Side of Lambrusco”
Pinny Tam from Chinese Food and Wine Pairings brings “A Dry Lambrusco from Riunite with One-Person Shabu-shabu Dinner“
Jeff Burrows from Food Wine Click! writes “Classic Aperitivo from Emilia-Romagna”
Lynn Gowdy from Savor the Harvest says “Time for Lambrusco”
Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley from Wine Predator suggests “Celebrate Summer with a Dry RED Sparkling Wine: Lambrusco to the Rescue!“
Deanna Kang from Asian Test Kitchen showcases, “A Gluten-Free Brunch Paired with Lini Labrusca Wines”
Terri Oliver Steffes from Our Good Life joins with “5 Things I Learned about Lambrusco and the Best Food Pairings “
Susannah at Avvinare will showcase “Versatile Lambrusco, A Wine For Every Mood”

Sources and Resources

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Robin Bell Renken I have always loved people’s stories. I spent a career in Theatre helping to tell stories, as a Stage Manager. Daily enabling artists to freely and safely tell stories through their art. Then I fell in love with wine. There are so many details, so many nuances, not just in the glass, but in the vineyard, the region and the people. As I met winemakers and vineyard owners and even the people in the tasting room excited to pour me a glass and tell me the story of this wine, I knew these were stories I wanted to share. I completed my study and became a Certified Specialist of Wine and continue learning daily as I meet and interview people in this industry.

Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Sokol Blosser Celebrating 50 years – an inside peek at the family behind this pioneering winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

May 4, 2021

“I remember that story just slightly differently…”.

A family gathered, reminiscing, telling stories. It’s a joyful place to be, as a guest listening as a family shares their stories, with joy and fondness. It’s especially joyful when the family sharing the stories is one of the pioneers of wine in the Willamette Valley.

I was lucky enough to attend a virtual tasting with the Sokol Blosser family. Susan, Bill, Alex, and Alison (assisted by the wonderful Liz Barret), invited a group of wine writers to taste through 4 of their wines as they shared stories of the history of their winery and celebrated 50 years in the Willamette Valley.

When I first became interested in wine, we planned a trip to the Willamette Valley. Before going, I had picked up the book, “At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life” by Susan Sokol Blosser. She shared both the trials and tribulations of being one of the first handful of winemaking families to plant in what is now such a well-known region. I was completely taken in by her story.

The family at Sokol Blosser, Susan, Alex, Alison and Bill (photo courtesy Sokol Blosser)

The story of Sokol-Blosser

The Sokol-Blosser story begins as Bill says with “Dreamers who loved wine.”

Susan’s father had a cellar and many amazing bottles of Burgundy, that the two were lucky enough to experience. Bill spent a year in France. When the two graduated from Stanford and married, both with liberal arts degrees they had the feeling that they could do anything. What they decided to do was move to Oregon and grow Pinot Noir. They began planting in 1971 in the Dundee Hills, 34 years before the area became its own AVA.

In 1977 they had their first vintage. There was no wine industry in the region at that time. As to sustainability? Well, they were farmers first, so sustainability just seemed common sense. You take care of the land if you want it to produce well, and you avoid chemicals because you are raising kids on this land!

The property they found in the Dundee Hills, was the closest thing to a Burgundian climate in the new world. It was an abandoned prune orchard and they bought it just 2 weeks after the birth of their son Nik.

They got in at the right time for land prices. The family joked that while they would love to buy more property to expand the vineyard now, they are priced out of their own backyard. The Dundee Hills when they started had a handful of growers, today there are close to 65.

Not only did they get in at the right time for land prices, but they were also starting as the local Oregon bean farms were converting to bush beans! This meant a plethora of leftover wire and posts were available for grape trellising!

As they shared vintage photos with us Bill was teased about his beret, which he brought back from France. Susan said he would only take it off to shower or sleep. Bill claims

Bill Blosser in his beret (photo courtesy Sokol-Blosser)

“I had to wear it in the vineyard because the vines demanded it!”

They pushed forward, planting vines, welcoming Alex to the family, building a winery, opening a tasting room (the first in Oregon), gaining international recognition, and then having Alison join the family!

Susan became the President of the winery in 1991 and Bill returned to using his Stanford degree for urban planning.

The 2nd Generation of Sokol Blosser

The children were raised to choose their own path and of course, none of them thought that included working at the family winery. Bill and Susan knew first-hand how tough this business was and wanted their kids to have a life! They had not planned the business as one to hand down, they were just doing their thing. Nik really did escape, and Alex with his BS in Philosophy (don’t laugh it is a Bachelor of Science degree from Portland State) and Alison were determined not to come back.

Nonetheless, the vineyard drew them back in. (Really, where can you find a cooler job?) In 1998 Alex returned, and in 2004 Alison did also. Finally, in 2008 the two took over the daily operations. They joke that their mom always says it took two of them to replace the one of her!

The Historic Accolades and Firsts

But that’s just the short story, of course, they skipped many of the accolades, so I’ll give you a quick list here:

1979 International recognition at the International Wine & Spirits Competition in London.
1983 honored by the US Soil and Water Conservation District for Susan’s work with experimental cover crops to control erosion on hillside vineyards.
1996 The first winery to be certified “Salmon-Safe”
1997 joins LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) through Oregon State University
2002 their underground barrel cellar is the first winery building in the country to be LEED-certified and they start to transition to organic farming.
2007 they add solar which provides 1/3 of their total energy needs.
2015 they become B Corp Certified

Of course, there is more. Bill was active in the Development of the Oregon Winegrowers Association, the Oregon Wine Board, the Yamhill County Wineries Association, the International Pinot Noir Festival, and the Yamhill County Tourism board.

Susan led on the environmental front with her work on cover crops and leading the business into the triple bottom line concept of people, planet, and profit.

Okay, you get the idea…they have been leaders in the wine industry in Oregon, a state that leads the nation when it comes to wine industry standards for quality and sustainability.

Alex is now the winemaker, a position he took over in 2013 when their previous winemaker Russ Rosner retired after 15 years with Sokol Blosser. Alex was also involved in the process of submitting the 6 sub-AVAs Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Yamhill-Carlton, Chehalem Mountains, and Ribbon Ridge, beginning in 2002.

Alison is the person guiding the winery strategically. She puts to use her knowledge of PR and marketing. She led our tasting as only a little sister could, sharing photos of Alex asleep in the sandbox as a child and commenting on his numerous baseball analogies. We left feeling like we had been sitting around with the family for a bit of nostalgic storytime, and what a story it is.

Of course, there were also the wines!

As if enjoying the stories of the history of Sokol Blosser, straight from the mouths of the people who lived it was not enough, we were also sent 4 wines from the vineyard. Their Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvee Sparkling Wines, the 2018 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, the 2018 Old Vineyard Block Pinot Noir and the 2012 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir. So we were able to taste a bit of the history with them.

(*These wines were received as media samples, but all opinions remain our own)

Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée Sparkling Wine 2018

We toasted with this traditional method sparkling wine at the top of the session. Sokol Blosser has long supported the Prescott Western Bluebird Recovery Project. The Western Bluebird artwork on the label was designed by Jared Tuttle. If you visit Sokol Blosser you might see the 15 bird houses around the property providing shelter and a breeding habitat for these beautiful birds.

The wine is a blend of grapes from Oregon and Washington including Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of course, but also, Müller Thurgau and Riesling as well as a bit of Early Muscat.

Alex told us that the idea is to blend the best of Germany and France and then the Early muscat is added to lift the aromatics (just 2 to 3 %). They like freshness in this wine, with purity of fruit.

The wine is definitely aromatic, those notes of Riesling and Early Muscat giving the sparkling wine fruit notes. We paired this with an early dinner of spring rolls, fried chicken, and mac & cheese (all great pairings for sparkling wine.)

1,000 cases produced, SRP $32

Pairings for the Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvee

Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée Sparkling Wine 2018

Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2018

This wine is sourced from the 90 acres around the winery in the Dundee Hills, all certified organic. They did a lot of ambient yeast in 2018 because the fruit was so clean. They do punch downs for cap management and ferment in open-top fermenters then press off into barrel for about 16 months.

It is is a blend of Pinot Noir clones including 115, 667, 777, Pommard UCD4, Wadenswil 2A, and Gamay Beaujolais (which is a weird name for a type of Pinot Noir). This saw about 20% New Oak. 2018 was a great vintage with a balanced of ripe fruit, good acid, and good tannins. 2012 was similar.

This wine has notes of black cherry and cranberry and wonderful notes of mushroom and forest floor.

4,798 cases produced, SRP $42.

Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2018

Sokol Bosser 2018 Old Vineyard Block Estate Pinot Noir 2018

This 50^th Anniversary wine has a retro label, an ode to the original Sokol Blosser label from the 70s.

The vineyard was replanted on to new rootstock in the mid-90s, due to phylloxera (they were the 2^nd to get it in the region).

After replanting, they looked at the blocks which had been producing stand-alone wines. This the Old Vineyard block which was their first planting. It is a combination of Wadenwil 1A (the Lett clone)& 2A, Pommard and Pinot Droit. Pinot Droit is an upright clone of Pinot Noir. This has a bit more weight and intensity with more color from the Pinot Droit, red fruit from Pommard, and density and spice from the Wadenswil, when it gets ripe.

You’ll find notes of cherry, pomegranate, spice, and leather.

There were just 496 cases made of this wine, and the celebration bottling retails at $60.

Sokol Bosser 2018 Old Vineyard Block Estate Pinot Noir 2018

Sokol Blosser 2012 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir

2012 was like 2018 in that it was an amazing vintage. It was also Alex’s first vintage as winemaker and he didn’t think he would see another like it.

Alex had a baseball analogy (Alison teases him about these analogies, but she also does give him props, that they are all unique, he doesn’t repeat them!)

“The winemaker, he or she, they are the batter and Mother Nature is the pitcher…as a batter, you have to make adjustments every year, because you are never going to see the same pitch twice. And if you see the same pitch, you make the pitcher pay. In a vintage like 2012 and 2018, that’s a pitch we’ve seen before, so you hit it out of the park.”

One sip of this wine…it is complex and you can taste the age, but there are still plenty of fresh primary fruit notes. In 2012 they went without rain for a month. From the end of September, they were dry and could pick whenever they wanted. Alex says it was like being in California! They had the ability in this vintage to ripen the grapes as much as they wanted to, there was no rushing to pick to avoid the rain.

The Big Tree Block is 5.27 acres at 450-500 ft elevation in Jory soil. The clones are 115, 777, and Pommard. Just 300 cases were produced. It spent 17 months in 42% new French oak.

$70 upon release, this library wine now retails at $95, and it is worth every penny. This is a magical wine. Tart cherries, blueberries, baking spice, and those beautiful notes of wet leaves…I savored this glass.

Sokol Blosser 2012 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir

The next 50 years at Sokol Blosser

Now they get ready for the next 50 years. The goal is to keep Sokol Blosser family-owned and operated and that means continuing to make wines that consumers seek out.

Quality and sustainability are at the forefront. Last year they started distributing the Evolution wines in box! These are more sustainable than glass., and they can share this at an accessible price point! Recently, they were recertified by B Corp for the 3^rd time and their score went up 25%. (Congrats!)

They are experimenting with new varieties for them, like Gamay and Sav Blanc, and continue to move forward with their Sparkling wine program.

As they plant they are looking at new rootstocks which will be helpful with climate change. They planted a test block this spring, putting the same Pinot Noir clone on a bunch of different rootstocks that they do not already use, to see how it does. They want to set the next generation up for success as they will deal with more of the effects of climate change than we are currently.

As they slowly reopen they look forward to increasing the quality of the wine/food/hospitality experience. So if you find yourself able to travel, you might consider a trip to the Willamette. Stop in for a glass of sparkling and stay to enjoy the Pinot!

Currently they are open Thursday to Monday 10 am to 4 pm by reservation only. Call ahead or visit the website to see what their current hours are for tastings and if you need a reservation, as these things are changing as things reopen.

Sokol Blosser Winery

5000 NE Sokol Blosser Lane
Dayton, OR 97114 USA
503-864-2282

Sokol Blosser Vineyard Fall 2018 (photo courtesy Sokol Blosser)

More on Oregon wine Country from Crushed Grape Chronicles

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When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore and Venetian Inspired Pairings

Dec 28, 2020

Ahh, bubbles. Such a joyful way to end/begin a year. But why wait for a big celebration? There are affordable bubbles to celebrate all through the year! Celebrate Tuesday! Why not?

There are Prosecco DOC wines like the Val d’Oca or the Terre di Bacco, that wrote about earlier this month (it has been quite the sparkling month!). But then you take a step up the quality ladder to the wines of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, which is what we do today!

Let’s start with some of the basics

Prosecco

Prosecco is a sparkling wine from Northern Italy. This DOC is for a sparkling wine made with a minimum of 85% Glera. The remainder may be Bianchetta, Chardonnay, Glera Lunga, Perera, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, or Verdiso.

Until 2021, the Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) would need to be vinified as a white wine to be included and still call the wine Prosecco. As of January of 2021, the Prosecco DOC Consortium will allow Prosecco Rosé, where the Pinot Nero could be vinified as a rosé. Many producers already make a sparkling rosé. We in fact had one that we enjoyed with Thanksgiving.

The Prosecco DOC spans nine Provinces in Veneto and Fruili Venezia Giulia. Within it, you find two DOCGs, Prosecco Superiore di Asolo DOCG and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.

Map of the Prosecco Production Area courtesty Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

You won’t however find any Prosecco Rosé in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. They hold to their vision of Prosecco and it doesn’t include the pink craze.

This DOCG is a small zone in Veneto within the Province of Treviso, is made up on 15 communes; Cison di Valmarino, Colle Umberto, Conegliano, Farra di Soligo, Follina, Miane, Pieve di Soligo, Refrontolo, San Pietro di Feletto, San Vendemiano, Susegana, Tarzo, Valdobbiadene, Vidor and Vittorio Veneto.

Two additional DOCG for higher quality exist within the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, those include; Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive DOCG made up of 43 Rive and Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG which is a subzone of 108 hectares.

“Heroic” Viticulture

Slopes around Valdobbiadene have grades up to 70% requiring most work to be completed by hand. During Harvest … this becomes visually apparent as workers climb up and down the steep vineyards with buckets to harvest the grape. That’ll build your quads!

This denomination is known for its care of the environment and was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 as a cultural landscape to be protected.

Over the centuries the people of this region adapted ciglione – a type of terrace that rather than relying on stones, uses grassy soil which reduces erosion as it reinforces the slope. It looks like the shapes on a topographical map.

Ecologically the area is kept diverse because the vineyard plots are many and small and are separated by wooded areas.

So viticulture here is “heroic” in two senses, the steep slopes requiring nerves of steel to farm and working as a protector for the environment and our planet.

Out of the Vineyard into the Winery

Here the main variety is again Glera at 85% of the blend. Of the other varieties allowed; Bianchetta Trevigiana tends to mellow the wine, Perera adds aroma and fruit notes, and Verdiso adds salinity. Glera Lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Nero may also be added.

Picked by hand and pressed only for free-run juice, the rules provide that 100 kg of grapes can only make 70 liters of wine. All the lots from the various vineyards are kept separately and only blended into the cuvée after their initial fermentation into base wine.

The typical method in the region is the Italian Method (also called the Charmant Method, the Tank Method, or the Martinotti Method). In this method, the fermented juice does its second fermentation in large tanks or Autoclaves rather than in bottle.

The styles

There are 3 overall styles of wine made in the region

Spumante – sparkling
Frizzante – semi-sparkling
Tranquillo – still

The styles of Spumante are dictated by the amount of residual sugar (rs) left in the finished wine. These range from the driest at Extra Brut (0-6 g/l rs), to Brut (0-12 g/l rs), Extra Dry (12-17 g/l rs), and Dry (17-32 g/l rs). Ironically, the Dry style is the sweetest of these styles, it is also the least common. The most traditional style is Extra Dry, with Extra Brut, the driest version being the newest as palates worldwide lean toward dryer wines.

A new addition to the Spumante style was added in 2019. Sui Lieviti means “on the lees”. Traditionally known as “col fondo” or “with sediment” these echo back to the original wines made in the ancient method where the second fermentation occurs in the bottle and the yeast falls to the bottom. We received a bottle of wine in this style, the Bianca Vigna, that you will read about below.

We received three samples from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG via Charles Communications for December’s #ItalianFWT group. Unfortunately, these wines arrived too late to do proper pairings with them in time for the post.

*These wines were received as media samples. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.*

So, here we are now, just before the New Year, the perfect time for Prosecco! Let me tell you a bit about each of the wineries and wines from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG and then we will get into the pairings.

Valdo

The history of this winery began in 1926 when a group of winemakers from Valdobbiadene got together to create a company devoted to making sparkling wine in Valdobbiadene and Cartizze. The company was bought by a Verona family with the name Bolla. They renamed the winery Valdo Spumanti.

Sergio Bolla was the 1^st President of the company. Today his son Pierluigi is the Chairman.

Valdo Prosecco Superiore DOCG – Cuvee 1926 – Extra Dry

This wine was created to honor the founding year of the winery and is part of their prestige line. 90% Glera and 10% Chardonnay it has 16 g/l residual sugar and extra-fine bubbles. It has 5 months Charmant aging and another 3 months in the bottle before release.

My notes: Notes of lemon zest and yellow apple. Bright but soft. On the palate, Meyer lemon, pear, and yellow apple.

11% abv 16 g/l rs $20 SRP

Mongarda

In 1978 Bruno and Marinella started their vineyard, Mongarda, in Col San Martino. Their son Martino now runs the business. They do not use herbicides or chemical fertilizers.

They produce 50,000 bottles annually in the Martinotti method and refermentation in the bottle.

Mongarda Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut

This wine hails from the San Gallo Vineyard and is Glera with old indigenous grapes. San Gallo sits at an average of 367 meters (1200 feet), the average slope is 38% and the soil is calcareous with iron and aluminum silicates.

These vines are hand-harvested into small crates.

My notes: The first thing that hit my nose was bread, followed by notes of pear and a bit of dust. The tartness swims around in your mouth, fades briefly then returns making your teeth tingle.

11% abv 3 g/l RS $16 SRP

Mongarda Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut

Bianca Vigna

Bianca Vigna is the youngest of these Conegliano Valdobbiadene wineries, founded in 2004 by 2 siblings Elena and Enrico. The vineyard however had been in the family since 1958 when their grandfather Genesio and his son (their father) Luigi farmed and sold grapes to a cooperative winery in Soligo.

Genesio and Luigi dreamed of having their own winery, and a generation later Enrico and Elena brought this dream to life, founding Bianca Vigna.

They are guided by the practice of sustainability. The winery is certified Casaclimawine and they have SQNPI certification for their product chain.

Their new winery has a photovoltaic system that provides 80% of their energy needs and they use eco-friendly and recycled material.

They farm 32 hectares, with 4 vineyards in the DOC area: Soligo, Borgo Breda, Busa Schiratti, and Campolongo, 4 in the DOCG: Soligo, Fornaci, Crevada, and Monticella. And 3 Rive: San Gallo, Collalto, and Ogliano. They produce 600,000 bottles annually.

Bianca Vigna Sui Lieviti Spumante Brut Nature 2019

This is the “sui lieviti” that I mentioned earlier. This is traditional Prosecco, on the lees with sediment in the bottle. This sparkling process takes place in the bottle, as in the method champenoise, but without disgorgement, so the wine stays on the yeast giving it its unique character.

The vineyards for this wine are within Conegliano with rocky-clay soil.

My notes: The first thing that hit me was the smell of biscuit dough. It brightens on my palate with bright lemon notes and a lovely creaminess.

100% Glera 11.5% abv 1 g/l rs $20 SRP

Bianca Vigna Sui Lieviti Spumante Brut Nature 2019

Our Venetian inspired pairings

As I looked for pairings, I wanted to include dishes of the region. We began with a cheese plate with gruyere cheese, dried figs, Marcona almonds, sardines, Prosciutto Panino (prosciutto wrapped around Mozzarella), pear, walnuts, and dried apricots. Not all of which are Venetian elements, but the sardines, almonds, figs and pears are all inspired by the region.

Polenta and rice are the grains of this region overtaking the typical Italian pasta. So we ran with that!

Baccalà mantecato

We made Baccalà mantecato which is a fluffy Venetian spread of fish and olive oil. While typically made of salt cod, we used pollock as that was what was available. The fish cooks in milk with peppercorns and a bay leaf, before draining and mashing and whipping with olive oil. We served it, as is traditional in Venice with toasted polenta.

Pear, Walnut, Radicchio Salad

We did a salad with radicchio which is prevalent in the area. This mixed the radicchio with red leaf lettuce, pear, toasted walnuts, and croutons with a dressing of honey, white wine, mustard, and olive oil.

Pea and Bacon Risotto

Finally, we had to do a risotto. I created a simple pea and bacon risotto. It was perhaps not as creamy as it should have been (I might have been Chopped), but it was delicious.

How did they pair?

All 3 Conegliano Valdobbiadene wines paired beautifully with the food. With the risotto, they lifted the notes of lemon zest and complimented the richness of the dish.

With the Baccalà mantecato, the Valdo elevated the fish and brought out a nutty note. The Mongarda rounded the dish and pulled up more mineral and savory notes. The Bianca Vigna was good with this dish, but was my least favorite, pulling forward the bay leaf notes in the dish.

The salad, with its radicchio and honey, was different with each wine, the Valdo melded with the pear pulling forth the sweetness and accentuated the char on the croutons. The Mongarda made the sweetness of the dressing more serious and the Bianca Vigna popped the honey and the toasted walnuts in the dish.

All in all, these were glorious pairings for these wines.

These delicious Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG wines and are so affordable, that you can enjoy them on more than just a special occasion, say Tuesday! They are perfect for the holidays and for ringing in the New Year!

Sources & Resources

Endings

It’s been a year of endings and beginnings for Bonny Doon also. After closing the iconic Bonny Doon tasting room in Davenport Ca in December of last year, he announced in January that he had sold Bonny Doon to WarRoom Ventures.

Randall stays as chief winemaker and business partner, but the label will now pare down to just a few of the plethora of wines that Randall used to create.

If you don’t know the name “Randall Grahm” you certainly will recognize some of his labels. He was the original Rhone Ranger and created the brands Big House and Pacific Rim Riesling. He was the king of marketing! Creating witty labels and then having them designed by amazing artists. The back labels are often a litany of clever and philosophical puns.

He was a darling to the media, always available for comment. He’s also a real human and if you find him on Twitter, he shares his views, his day and is always ready to answer comments and engage.

He’s a regular guy! Well, a regular guy who is a little eccentric, a bit of a geek, passionate, philosophical…I could go on. He is a character, but a very approachable character. His newsletters for Bonny Doon were a joy to read, often with many footnotes.

Beginnings

So, no longer is there a tasting room with a Cigare Volant (flying cigar – the French term for a spaceship yes there is a story there, here’s a link), no longer a club for the Dewnsters, or a wide variety of eclectic wines from small vineyards to look forward to receiving. So an ending.

But there is also a beginning. It began a while ago actually, in 2010 when Randall bought a piece of property near San Juan Bautista, which is inland from Monterey Bay. He calls the 400-acre property Popelouchum (it means “paradise” in the Mutsun tongue, the language of the Ohlone people who lived in this area).

Here he is propagating new varieties, looking to create “wines of place”. These grapes are growing in soil that has not seen grapes before. They will try to breed new grapes. He is obsessed with creating wines that are unique and without all the responsibility of running Bonny Doon, I hope that he will have the time to focus on this passion. I don’t know what will come of it, but the prospect is very exciting and I look forward to following his journey.

Bonny Doon 2018 Riesling to Live

This wine comes from the Wirz Vineyard in the Cienega Valley, which is maybe 20 miles southeast of Popelouchum. It is a Riesling, as I mentioned made in the traditional champenoise method and finished with no dosage (no added sugar). The back label “The felicity of the pairing of this wine with Asian or fusion cuisine creates its own raison (or raisin) d’étre, indeed almost Sektual in nature.”

Ah, the puns, “Sekt” is the name for German Sparkling wine and as Germany is known for Riesling…

The Wirz Vineyard vines are old and ungrafted. To circle back even further with our tale, these are some of the very same vines that produced Riesling for Randall’s Pacific Rim Riesling, back in the day. This vineyard sits on a border so 52% of the fruit is from San Benito County and 48% from Monterey County. Dry farmed organically, the fruit is intense with bright acid. It was whole-cluster pressed and does 16 months en tirage (aged on the lees or dead yeast cells in the bottle).

100% Riesling 13.5% abv $35 SRP

(If you want some, Bonny Doon has offered a discount code! Scroll to the bottom of this piece for the link and the code!)

This wine was finished with a crown cap. I had chilled it and jokingly said to Michael “Stand back” as I started to pull the bottle cap off. Much to my surprise, the bottle erupted, covering the table and floor with fizzy juice that I so had wanted in my mouth! Luckily we only lost a bit of the bottle, a good ¾ left to enjoy.

My notes

Notes of citrus, tart yellow apple, and white pepper. Dry with notes of wet stone, lemon, tart yellow fruit, and a bit of apple cider.

What to pair?

Butternut Squash and black bean tostadas

While it wasn’t Asian, it was a style of fusion. We paired it with Butternut Squash and black bean tostadas, topped with pickled onions, and soft-cooked eggs.

It was lovely with the butternut and beans, it pulled up the pickled onion notes and the acid cut through the fat in the soft-cooked eggs.

It was a joyful lunch as I sat in my somewhat sticky (from the bottle eruption) dining room seat with the sun bouncing through the room.

For Dessert? Pavlovas

I have been wanting to make a Pavlova for the longest time. My pandemic binging of Zumbo’s Just Desserts, made me crave doing this even more. I found a stunning recipe for these magical clouds on Pinterest, but the massive, stunning Pavolova would need to rest overnight and I didn’t allow enough time. So…I found a recipe to make slightly smaller Pavlovas.

We topped our 6 inch Pavlova’s with an Apricot crème and then dressed it in berries, sliced dried apricot, and mint.

They were every bit as magical as I had hoped and were the perfect celebratory pairing with this luscious sparkling wine.

You can find the recipe here.

Need a “Riesling to Live”?

When I reached out to Bonny Doon, to let them know that we would be featuring this wine, Christi contacted us to say that they would love to offer our readers a special…

We are happy to offer 20% off (and $10 shipping*) on a purchase of 6 or more bottles of the 2018 Riesling to Live.
Use CODE 12Days at checkout. Not combinable with any other offer.
Offer expires 1/31/2021 or while supplies last.
*Ground shipping to participating states.

Head to the Bonny Doon site to find this before it runs out!

So, Happy Holidays! Go stock up on this! It’s delicious!

Thank you all for joining us on this journey of the 12 Days of Wine 2020. It has been a joy to put together! We wish all of you a wonderful end to this challenging (look how good I was there! That wasn’t the first word that I typed.) year and here is to a much better, much brighter 2021.

If you missed any of our #12DaysofWine2020 posts you can find them all here!

Indeed, here is to Endings and Beginnings!

Happy-holidays from Crushed Grape Chronicles

Sources and Resources

More from Crushed Grape Chronicles on Bonny Doon and Randall Grahm

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Terre di Bacco Prosecco – Day 1 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020

Dec 13, 2020

Beginnings and Endings

The year 2020.

Unexpected, unpredictable, a year of endings and beginnings.

This Terre di Bacco Prosecco brings up a story of endings and beginnings – a chapter in my life.

In 2008 after having a successful business for 10 years, the economy crashed and my business was no longer viable. A Warm Wish was a gift basket business in Las Vegas. We created gifts for conventions and conferences.

With the crash, Las Vegas went through a year with very few conventions or conferences, and I re-re-invented myself, returning to my career as a Theatrical Stage Manager.

This was a career I had left 10 years before to start my business. Another chapter, another cycle. I returned to an extreme version of this career joining Cirque du Soleil, grateful for recommendations from friends from my theatrical touring days. And so, in 2008 I joined the SM team at Zumanity.

The Zumanity team was small, so we employed interns to assist with the workload. They were able to have first-hand experience working with a large theatrical circus show. The first intern that joined us after I became a part of the team, was Robby.

He was with us for just a few months, but he and I stayed in touch, and periodically he would be in town. He would see the show and we would catch up over drinks. His career took him to theme parks and cruise lines and he had been traveling the world with his work.

In 2020 we caught up via Facebook, as Robby posted about him and his partner, who was very involved in wine. One thing led to another and I found a box arriving from Robby’s partner Francesco for a label he represents, Terre di Bacco.

*This wine was recieved as a sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

Terre di Bacco

Terre di Bacco means “land of Bacchus”. The label is inspired by the Roman God of Wine.

Created as a “by the glass” style wine for restaurants, Terre di Bacco has found vineyards and wineries across Italy to create quality wines that are elegant, simple and genuine.

Terre di Bacco Prosecco DOC Treviso

This wine from Veneto is pale lemon in color with a nose of citrus, pith and lemon. There are apple notes as well. It tastes of bright lemon and citrus. The mouthfeel is lively and dry.

It is, of course, primarily made from the grape Glera.

It sits at 11% abv and is $13.99 so you can buy a case and enjoy a bottle every evening if you like!

Terre di Bacco Prosecco Paired with Chinese Long-Life noodles with stir-fried vegetables

As our COVID numbers went up, our Governor encouraged us to stay in if possible and order groceries for delivery. So, we returned to weekly orders from Sun Basket. These are meal kits that are Organic and Healthy. We paired this with the Chinese long-life noodles we received. It is a delicious dish that had me cutting vegetables for a bit, with shiitake mushrooms, scallions, bok choy, and carrots, cooked with fresh ramen and eggs in an oyster sauce.

Chinese Long life Noodles with bok choy, carrots topped with green onions, sambal oelek and flowering Thai basil

Terre di Bacco Prosecco with long life noodles

The umami in this dish was lovely with the Prosecco. Stir-fry dishes can have a bit of fattiness and can get heavy as you eat them, but the Prosecco cleaned my palate after every bite (I soooo love bubbles).

Dessert Pairing – Hungarian Nut Cake with Caramelized Apples and Crème Anglaise

I had made walnut cake for another recipe (you will see that soon enough), and thought this would be great with this pairing. I caramelized apple slices in butter and brown sugar, laid them across the top of the cake and drizzled it with crème anglaise.

Now I have been watching The Great British Baking Show for a while, but I have never, myself, made a crème anglaise. I read several recipes and watched a few videos and prepared myself for potential failure (there is a trick, if you scramble your eggs that I learned, to save your crème anglaise). I worked slowly and patiently and it came out perfect. Oh, and delicious! Where has this been all my life?

The bit of apple note in the wine came forward with this pairing and again, the Terre di Bacco Prosecco made each bite with that luscious crème anglaise as good as the first!

Check out the recipe here!

Walnut Cake, carmelized apples and creme anglaise

Endings and Beginnings

So here we are in 2020. Zumanity, after 8 months of being on hold, is now officially closed, and I am on to another chapter, another cycle in life. The connections here were not lost on me. Another cycle has started, paying homage to the previous cycle. The endings make us nostalgic, and their connections to the beginnings give us comfort and hope.

So we celebrate our 12 Days of Wine this year and look to the future. It’s uncertain. It always is. But it is also filled with endless possibilities. So I raise a glass of Terre di Bacco Prosecco to you, to the end of 2020 and to the beginning of so many things! Saluti!

Want to find some?

Terre di Bacco Prosecco di Treviso is available currently in 31 states. You can find more information on their distribution on their website https://www.terrebacco.com/shop-now

Sources and Resources

For more on Prosecco

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Prosecco – joyful bubbles to “wring” out 2020 #ItalianFWT

Dec 4, 2020

Wait. My title may lead you to believe that I’m encouraging you to enjoy Prosecco for New Years’. Well, I am, but it’s 2020, my friends, I say we start “wringing out” this year right now! Prosecco for all of December!

This December we join the Italian Food Wine & Travel group of writers (#ItalianFWT) as they explore sparkling Italian Wines. Our leader on this adventure is Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. You can read her invitation post here.

Scroll to the bottom to see all the posts by my colleagues about the delicious bubbles from Italy that they explored. If you happen to be reading this early enough, you can join us on Twitter on Saturday, December 5^th at 8 am Pacific Time to chat about Italian sparkling wines. Just follow and use the hashtag #ItalianFWT to join the conversation.

You might remember that beautiful bottle of sparkling rosé that I had at Thanksgiving? Well, we also received a Prosecco from Val d’Oca and as the Italian Food Wine and Travel Group has decided to swim in Italian bubbles this December, we thought we would pop this beautiful sample from Vigneto Communications and tell you about it.

*This wine was received as a sample. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.*

Prosecco

Let’s start with the basics. This wine is Prosecco. A while ago the grape was also called Prosecco, it is now known (to save us all from confusion) by the name Glera, a synonym for the grape that has always been around. Prosecco is also the name of a town just outside Trieste where this wine is first said to have been made.

The Prosecco DOC region

The Prosecco DOC region lies in the North Eastern part of Italy within the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.

It encompasses 9 provinces.

5 in the Veneto:

Belluno
Padova
Treviso
Venezia
Vicenza

and 4 in Friuli Venezia Giulia:

Gorizia
Pordenone
Trieste
Udine

Glera the grape of Prosecco

A late-ripening, relatively high-yield white grape variety, it has long large bunches of grapes on its nut-brown vines. It is fairly neutral in flavor but holds acid pretty well, and is perfect for sparkling wine.

If you find a bottle labeled “Prosecco” it will be at least 85% Glera. The remaining 10-15% can be Bianchetta, Chardonnay, Glera Lunga, Perera, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, or Verdiso.

Golden Glera berries for Prosecco Vendemmia Val D’Oca 2019 – 008 – Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Long Elegant Bunches of Glera in the Prosecco DOC Vendemmia Val D'Oca 2019 - 019 - Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Long Elegant Bunches of Glera Vendemmia Val D’Oca 2019 – 019 – Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Glera on the vine in the Prosecco DOC – Vendemmia Val D’Oca 2019 – 007 – Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Types of Prosecco

There are 3 overall styles of wine made in the region

Spumate – sparkling
Frizzante – semi-sparkling
Tranquillo – still

Spumante Style

Spumante is the style most often made. The other styles are a bit rarer to find.

In addition the Spumante style may be made in 6 different levels of sweetness from driest to sweetest, these are: Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry and Demi-sec.

The Martinotti method of winemaking for Prosecco

You will hear this method called by many names, (the tank method, Charmant, the Italian method) but here we will call it the Martinotti Method. It is named for Federico Martinotti who patented the method in 1895. The method takes the fermented base wine and places it in a large pressurized container, where the additional yeast and sugar are added to do the second fermentation.

So how does this differ from say…Champagne or other sparkling wines made in the Traditional Method? Well, this method takes its flavors from the grape and the wine, whereas doing the second fermentation in the bottle gives you more flavor and aroma notes from the yeast.

The pressure is different also. This method typically has atmospheres of pressure of around 3, which Champagne has 5-6 atmospheres of pressure. So, you would likely lose the bubbles in a glass of Prosecco faster than in a glass of Champagne, but not as quick as your beer would go flat!

Val d’Oca – History and the future

In 1952, following the Second World War, this area was struggling to rebuild itself. 129 farmers came together to create this cooperative the Cantina Produttori di Valdobbiadene. The organization now includes 600 members.

They look to the future as they hold onto the heritage of the past. With the area now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the group wanted to solidify the actions that this group is taking to preserve & protect this region.

Santo Stefano 2019 AM1C8835 - Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

The Village of Santo Stefano Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Santo Stefano 2019 - 010 - Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Santo Stefano – Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Views of the villages in the Prosecco DOC – Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Vendemmia Prosecco DOC Val D'Oca 2019 - 001 - Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Vineyards at Harvest in the Prosecco DOC Val D’Oca 2019 – 001 – Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Col San Martino 2019 - 151 - Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Col San Martino 2019 – Photo ©Mattia Mionetto courtesy Val DOca

Sustainability at Val d’Oca

On September 5^th of 2020 the Cantina Produttori di Valdobbiadene – Val d’Oca Group presented its first sustainability report. They looked at the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set out in the UN 2030 Agenda, and reported on those goals that they had taken concrete action on which include:

Decent work and economic growth
- They have always guaranteed fair prices to the growers, this is a grower’s organization after all. In addition, they have incentives for members for using the best agricultural practices and bonuses for certified organic grapes as well as DOCG Storico wines, which contain local grapes varieties of Perera, Bianchetta, and Verdiso in addition to Glera.
Zero Hunger
- Devoted to conserving the ecosystems as they adapt to climate change and working to improve the soil quality, they have promoted the SQNPI certification for sustainability. 80 members (in the Asolo DOCG) obtained this certification last year. An additional 300 members in Valdobbiadene became involved in 2020.
Affordable and clean energy
- The group has two solar plants as well as a geothermal plant underground at Val d’Oca to provide air conditioning. They plan to move onto an energy and water-efficient system for the Cantina that will allow them to re-use “the heat generated by the temperature control plant used for the musts and wines during fermentation.”

Industry, Innovation, and infrastructure
- They renovated two of their bottling lines with an automated program that allows them to make the system more efficient.
- They also built a new logistics facility in 2018 to keep the winemaking and bottling together saving transport and reducing CO2 emissions.
Quality Education
- Weather stations have been put up around the region allowing the Cantina to share the data collected with the growers as to when is the best time to do certain tasks in the vineyard. As these records are made available digitally, this will provide a handbook for information specific to each vineyard that can be passed down through the generations.
Clean Water
- Audits are done to check the quality and quantity of wastewater. They are working on a method to reuse the water used to wash bottles in the production process. They also look to conserve water in the vineyard employing micro-irrigation only in a case of emergency.

Reduced Inequalities
- They support organizations that assist with rehabilitation for people with disabilities, as well as an organization that researches genetic diseases. Their support includes fundraising through events like “Tiramisu Day” and the “Valdobbiadene Jazz Festival”.
Responsible Consumption and Production
- They are looking for alternatives to things like plastic and other winemaking materials that cannot be recycled during the bottling phase.
- They find suppliers that offer certified or recyclable materials.
- They look to reuse and recycle all waste materials, including vine canes after pruning, pomace, broken glass, corks, plastic, paper, cardboard as well as tartrates.
Action against climate change
- Focusing on the ability of their members to deal with the risks of climate and natural disasters.

So we have a winery that is doing more than just making wine. They are preserving and protecting a region and people and looking to make the planet better.

Val d’Oca Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry

This Prosecco is from the province of Treviso. As always with Prosecco it is driven by Glera at 85% it also includes Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay which make up the other 15%.

This is another extremely affordable sparkling wine. At $13.99 you can buy a case! Maybe mix it with the beautiful sparkling rosé we tasted at Thanksgiving!

Or perhaps, make a gift! Share the joy of this wine widely! It’s inexpensive enough!

Val d’Oca Prosecco

Prosecco from Val d’Oca with Roman orecchiette and chickpeas with spinach

We enjoyed this with a Roman Orecchiette with chickpeas and spinach. This was another quick, healthy, and delicious meal from Sun Basket. The bubbles and acid in the wine, make it good to pair with a wide range of foods. Try it with a simple cheese platter. You can enjoy it with anything!

More Prosecco to come!

We will be writing more on Prosecco! Watch for more on a Prosecco from Terre di Bacco as well as 3 stunning Prosecco DOCG wines that we just received! Oh and don’t forget the rosé style. This style will soon be labeled as Prosecco Rosé, as it was approved in the DOC this past year!

I mean, it’s 2020 and I intend to enjoy watching this year-end and I’ll do it sipping bubbles!

3 Wines from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Terre di Bacco Prosecco from Treviso

Val D’Oca Sparkling Rosé

#ItalianFWT

There is more than just Prosecco that sparkles in Italy, check out the wide variety of sparkling Italian wines that my writing colleagues have dipped into!

Terri of Our Good Life says Beviamo alla nostra! Prosecco Superiore and Happy Christmas!
Marcia of Joy of Wine is Celebrating the Season with sparkling Freisa.
Cindy of Grape Experiences writes about Pure Trentodoc – Sparkling Wines from the Mountains.
Jill of L’Occasion encourages us to Be in Italy for the Holidays with This Bubbly Wine Lineup.
Gwendolyn of Wine Predator pushes Beyond Prosecco? Try These Sustainable Sparkling Wines from Italy’s Erbaluce, Franciacorta, Lambrusco, Pignoletto.
Lynn of Savor the Harvest gives us Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco to Make Your Holiday Sparkle – La Tordera Rive Di Guia.
Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm says Cheers to 2021…2020 Don’t Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out.
Susannah of Avvinare pours Versatile Lambrusco for the Holidays.
Deanna of Asian Test Kitchen serves Val D’Oca Prosecco Paired with Party Starters.
Payal of Keep the Peas offers A ‘SeeYaNever2020’ Toast with Italian Bubbly.
Linda of My Full Wine Glass says Hello Again, Lambrusco – Everyone Deserves a Second Chance.
Jane of Always Ravenous pairs a Frizzante with Holiday Sweet Treats.
Jen of Vino Travels is ready to Sparkle up the Holidays with Prosecco Superiore.
Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog offers A Taste of 21st Century Lambrusco; Paltrinieri Lambrusco di Sorbara Radice.
Nicole of Somm’s Table shares The Wide World of Italian Sparkling Wines.
Katarina of Grapevine Adventures posts A Year in Need of Sparkling Wine Surprises.
Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla is Celebrating with Prosecco Superiore Amidst the Pandemic.

Sources & Resources

More on Prosecco on Crushed Grape Chronicles

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Swift – Delicious Traditional Method Sparkling Wines from Printhie and the High Altitude Vineyards in Orange Australia

Oct 30, 2020

It’s no secret, I like bubbles, so I was excited for our visit to Printhie while we were in Orange, NSW Australia. Printhie has a second label, called Swift, for their passion project under which they bottle traditional method sparkling wines.

Ed Swift of Printhie Wines and Swift Sparkling Wines speaking to us at their Nashdale Cellar Door in Orange NSW Australia — Ed Swift of Printhie Wines and Swift Sparkling Wines

Swift happens to be the family name of the owners of Printhie Wines. Ed Swift, who manages the business with his brother Dave, met us with winemaker Drew Tuckwell at the Packing Shed that has become their tasting room in Orange.

The Printhie winery, where their cellar door has been located, is a 30-minute drive from here. This new property in Orange, allowed them to move their cellar door, closer to town, and this location has great elevation for growing grapes for sparkling wines.

Located in the foothills of Mt. Canobolas at between 920 and 1000 meters (2600 to 3200 feet) this area is ideal for growing grapes for sparkling wine.

Drew Tuckwell, the winemaker for Printhie and Swift, pouring a Swift Sparkling wine. In Orange NSW Australia — Drew Tuckwell, the winemaker for Printhie and Swift, pouring a Swift Sparkling wine.

Orange, historically has been an orchard region. At its peak, there were 268 orchards within a 12 km radius of the city. Today there are just 40 in the same area. The area is known for hail, which can damage the fruit and requires netting. Insurance companies won’t insure for hail here and supermarkets only want to buy perfect fruit, so it’s been tough for the orchards.

When they bought this 56-acre property it was an apple orchard. While they took out some of the trees to plant the vineyards of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, they wanted to keep sections of the orchards. They won’t make money off of them, but they can preserve the history and heritage of the region as well as add a bit of biodiversity. They cherish the view from the ridge with the dappled farmland of vineyards and orchards.

New Vines at the Millwood Vineyard at the Printhie Packing Shed Cellar Door in Orange NSW Australia — New Vines at the Millwood Vineyard at the Printhie Packing Shed Cellar Door

The cellar door here is the old packing shed for the apple orchard. They have hung a chandelier and brought in tables next to the apple packing equipment, giving the place a shabby chic feel. There is a platter of fruit and cheese on the table and a wine barrel whose top is covered in ice and is full of Sydney Rock Oysters.

We get a little education on the oysters while we are here. The flavor and size change depending on the tributary the oyster beds are on. These are Clyde River oysters that Ed had shucked just before our arrival. What could be better with sparkling wine?

They began Swift in 2010, with the intent to make premium sparkling wine from Orange. They sent Drew to Champagne to soak up as much information as he could over the 2-week harvest in France. He spent time with Rodolphe Peters of Champagne Pierre Peters. Rodolphe’s advice to him was to blend for structure.

“If you have the structure, you have the freshness, and you have the backbone to build complexity. “
Drew Tuckwell October 2019

They currently produce 5 sparkling wines: a Non-Vintage Cuveé, a Non-Vintage Rosé, a 2012 Vintage wine, a Blanc de Blanc, as well as a Blanc de Noirs which had yet to be released at the time but is available now.

The Swift Sparkling Wines

Swift NV Cuveé

This wine was based on the 2013 vintage with some reserve wine from earlier vintages. It spent 5 ½ years on tirage lees. It is chardonnay dominant with 60% and then 40% pinot noir. Dosage is 7.0 g/L and abv is 12.7%. This is their entry point sparkling wine.

It has white fruit, with a bit of red fruit (think strawberries) from the Pinot Noir. There are florals and yeast and a wonderful nuttiness.

This entry-level wine is $40 AU and took the Best of the Best Award in the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards as well as a 96 pt score. It is a consistent award-winning wine.

Swift NV Rosé

The pink version of their NV is 65% chardonnay and 35% pinot noir. The color is given by pinot noir added at disgorgement which gives them a bit more control. The dosage here is 5.0 g/L and 11.5% abv. It spends 60 months on lees.

Another value at $40 AU which garnered a 95 rating from the 2021 Halliday Wine Companion.

Swift 2012 Vintage

The vintage blend is 72/28 (chardonnay/pinot noir). Chardonnay is the strength of this region. The wine we were drinking had been disgorged 12 months prior and spent 6 years on lees. Dosage is 5.0 g/L and abv is 12%. This again got 95 points in the 2012 Halliday Wine Companion.

It’s a bit more expensive at $50 AU, but for this wine, it is still a steal.

Swift 2010 Blanc de Blancs

100% Chardonnay, this wine is their flagship. It spent 8 years (that’s 96 months!) on lees. With low dosage at 4.0 g/L, it sits at 11.5% abv.

Drew speaks about blending for structure and how that allows these wines to age so beautifully and stay so fresh. It also is why they evolve so slowly. Drew tells us that this wine as a young wine had such sharp acidity it was almost undrinkable. Now it is rounder and richer, still with amazing acid.

This pinnacle of their wines runs $85.00 AU per bottle.

We discussed gyropalettes and disgorging machines. While Ed dreams of having a riddling and disgorging line, they currently send the wines out for this. The wines leave the “above ground cellar” for 2 weeks total for this. 7 days in the gyropalette does what months in a riddling rack would do.

We continued chatting, sipping on these tasty bubbles, rescuing the oysters from the melting ice, and storing them away in our stomachs, as the sun started to set. We emerged from the Shack in time to witness the sun going over the ridge in the vineyard.

The sun setting over the orchard on the ridge at Printhie's Nashdale Cellar door just outside Orange NSW Australia — The sun setting over the orchard on the ridge at Printhie's Nashdale Cellar door

These were delicious wines and fascinating people to speak with. They are passionate about creating quality sparkling wine and that’s not an easy task. Champagne has had a couple of centuries to figure out this process and Swift has only been making it in Orange for 10 years.

They know that they are not making Champagne, but the goal is to make a glass of wine, from Orange, that can stand on its own next to a glass of Champagne. That, I think, they’ve done.

How To Find Them!

The Printhie Cellar door is located in the Packing Shed at 208 Nancarrow Lane in Nashdale, just 10 minutes from Orange. Check the website in advance for hours and to schedule a booking. https://printhiewines.com.au/

More on Orange, Australia!

Want more information on the Orange Wine Region in Australia? Check out these other pieces we’ve written on the region!

Our visit to Printhie occurred during our post-conference tour at the 2019 Wine Media Conference, This media trip was arranged by Orange360 who provided accommodations and internal travel. No other compensation was received. All opinions are our own.

Resources for planning a trip to Orange

More on Australia

We visited a bit of New South Wales while we were in Australia. Here are some more pieces on the regions we visited.

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Champagne Day 2020 – The wonderful Holiday we all really needed! #champagneDay

Oct 23, 2020

It’s Champagne Day! If you are like me, this is a welcome respite from the universe for the moment. Find a bottle and celebrate!

You realize, Champagne Day should be everyday. You don’t need a holiday to pop a bottle of bubbly from this esteemed region of France. Pop one for lunch mid-week. This year we all deserve a break for a little self-care and Champagne, IMHO is self care.

We settled for an afternoon lunch with an elevated grilled cheese and tomato soup and a couple of junk food snacks. (Junk food goes surprisingly well with Champagne).

First, the Champagne.

While I encourage you to celebrate with whatever is within your budget, if you can, look for an RM Champagne. What is that? Well “RM stands for “Récoltant-Manipulant”. These are Grower Champagnes. This indicates a grower who also makes their own Champagne. These tend to have more personality and you are supporting a grower. This runs in line with our “from dirt to glass” idea.

Map of the regions within the Champagne AOC

Our Champagne came from Champagne Franck Bonville Grand Cru in Avize. Located in the Côte des Blancs.

A bit of history

In 1900 Alfred Bonville bout plot of land in vineyards that had been destroyed by phylloxera. In 1937 despite the not so great economy, Alfred purchase a wine grower’s house in Avize and started making wine. This was soon after the birth of his son Franck. Today the fourth generation of this family continues to make Champagnes, from 77 plots covering 15 hectares in 3 Grand Cru Villages.

Since 2011 they have worked to stop using herbicides and insecticides, preserve biodiversity and work on efficiency for water use. They strive to work with nature.

Champagne Franck Bonville Brut – Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc

Franck Bonville Champagne cork, muselet and foil

This wine is a Brut – Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc (or made from only white grapes. Here, Chardonnay).

The details:

100% Chardonnay
From the Avize Grand Cru – Oger Grand Cru
Blending: 2017 (50%) – 2016 (30%) – 2009 (20%)
Bottled February 2018
Dosage (that’s how much sugar was added) 8.83 g/L

See their video on YouTube

The nose had citrus fruit, lemon, lime zest and apple with light notes of bread and white flowers. The bubbles and finish were both persistent.

Grilled Cheese with Gouda, apple, bacon & honey

Gourmet Grilled Cheese, tomato roasted pepper soup and potato chips

Sliced Gouda Grilled Cheese sandwich with bacon, apple, honey & thyme — Gourmet Grilled Cheese, tomato roasted pepper soup and potato chips

Okay…with Champagne, we decided to kick our grilled cheese up a notch. We chose Gouda because it works well with champagne with its buttery notes. We added apple to match the apple notes in this Champagne and bacon…well, any excuse to add bacon is a good one.

But really, bacon with it’s salt and fat is perfect with Champagne. You may have heard me say this before, I say it whenever I speak of bubbly, bubbles love fat. You take a bite of something fatty and salty and it is delicious. You take another bite and it’s still good, but never as good as that first bite. That’s because that delicious fat is coating your palate. Bubbles to the Rescue! The bubbles in sparkling wine and Champagne will clean that fat from your palate, so that every bite tastes as good as the first!

Lastly, we drizzled in a little honey. This went on Rosemary Olive Oil Bread, buttered on both sides and cooked it low and slow in the pan with the bacon grease.

(and some guilty pleasure sides and dessert)

What to serve as a side? Well, grilled cheese and tomato soup are a match made in heaven, and we had some tomato and roasted red pepper soup on hand, plus potato chips (yes, more fat and salt). Then for a decadent low-brow deserve (this is a big cheat!) glazed donuts!

Delicious all around! I found that the doughnut brought out light sweet floral notes in my mouth. (I’m picturing petals drifting slowing down landing in butter cream frosting.)

3 glazed donuts on a plate — Glazed Donuts

Champagne Franck Bonville with glazed donuts — Glazed Donuts

All right! What Champagne are you popping and what delicious treats are you munching?

The Recipe! Grilled Cheese with Gouda, apple, bacon & honey

Ingredients:

Bread (we used Rosemary Olive Oil bread)
butter
gouda sliced
bacon
apple (sliced)
fresh thyme
honey

cook the bacon to your desired crispness
while that’s cooking (keep track of it though, don’t let it burn) butter the bread, on both sides.
Build the sandwich! Bread, gouda, apples, honey, thyme, gouda, bacon, bread!
Now stick in in the pan on med-low, so it can brown and the cheese can get gooey. Check it after 2 minutes. If it’s brown to your liking, flip it. If not, continue to cook and monitor.
When done, slice and serve immediately!

Ingredients for Grilled cheese with Gouda, apple and honey
Butter the bread on both sides
Cook the bacon to your own preferred crispness level
Sliced Gouda Grilled Cheese sandwich with bacon, apple, honey & thyme

This is grilled cheese my friends, feel free to mix it up! Use a different bread, a different cheese, different herbs or fruit, maybe add mushrooms (that would go great with the champagne, and I would have, but Michael hates mushrooms), grill up some onions to add, maybe drizzle on balsamic reduction or add a jam or chutney! The sky is the limit!

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

Robin Renken CSW (photo credit RuBen Permel)

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

3 regions 3 Exciting sparkling wines to try – Exploring bubbles on the fringe

Aug 19, 2020

It’s no secret, I love bubbles, from classic Champagne, to Cava, to Prosecco. I even dive into some Cremant from various regions in France, sparkling wines from Washington, Oregon, and of course California. I’ve sipped a few bottles of bubbles from down under in Australia as well as a pet-nat from Austria.

Recently I had the opportunity to dig a little deeper into some regions that I had heard of but had not yet tasted. These were wines to accompany a wonderful online session with Alan Tardi author of “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the Worlds Most Celebrated Drink”. His session was the kickoff to the Society of Wine Educators 2020 Conference, which was held online last week. They were exciting, delicious, and relatively affordable so I wanted to share them with you!.

The first bubbles!

Today we will begin with where historically bubbles first began. No, not Champagne and no not England either. The first recorded sparkling wine, that was intentional, not just an accident, actually came from the south of France in Limoux which sits within the Languedoc region.

Map of the Languedoc-Rousillon Wine Region in France — The Languedoc-Roussillon Wine Region in France

Blanquette de Limoux the orignal sparkling wine

It was at the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire where monks, rational monks, (not those silly monks who thought bubbles meant the wine was possessed by the devil, lol), discovered or invented sparkling wine. Records of this wine date back to 1531. This, my friends was before Champagne. Rumour has it that Dom Perignon was a monk here before moving to the Champagne region.

Galerie du cloître de l'Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire Photo By olivierguerinphoto Adobe Stock

These bubbles were light and were made in the Method Ancestral. In this method the wine is bottled before the fermentation is complete and completes it’s fermentation in the bottle, which traps the CO2 bubbles which incorporate into the wine. Likely this first happened accidentally. When it got cold the fermentation stopped, but was not complete. The wine was bottled and then when it warmed again in the spring, those little yeasties got back to work in the bottle.

Blanquette became very popular in the 19^th century and is was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, who kept quite a bit on hand at Monticello.

Thomas Jefferson, fan of Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux, image courtesy of Jack Poust Co

Thomas Jefferson’s record of his cellar stash of Blanquette de Limoux, image courtesy of Jack Poust Co JEFFERSON AND WINE’ Published by the Vinifera Wine Growers Association Edited by R. de Treville Lawrence Sr.

Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux 2018 outdoors on a bench

My bottle sadly, was not made in the Ancestral Method, but…it was from Saint-Hilaire! The 2018 Blanquette de Limoux Saint-Hilaire was 90% Mauzac, 5% Chenin Blanc and 5% Chardonnay. Mauzac is a very old white grape that you don’t see much outside this region. It was made in the Traditional method in a Brut style, so it has residual sugar of 12 grams per liter.

This sparkling wine was dry, but flavorful with citrus and apple, lemon curd and ginger with yeasty notes. It sits at 12.5% abv and runs just $12.99. This is bottled by Jack Poust and Company.

We paired this with lobster pate, apple, citrus, almond nougat, pear, crystallized ginger and lemon curd for our cheese plate and later enjoyed it with Tuna steaks and fries.

Tasting platter to pair with sparkling wines with sourdough, lobster pate, bleu cheese, lime, honey, peach, nectarine, mandarin orange, pear, crystallized ginger, apple, lemon curd orange, mozzarella, almond nougat, waffle cookies, sourdough bread, thyme, lemon, almonds and apple.

The next region, you have likely heard of but may not have sipped on in a while.

Moscato d’Asti DOCG

This wine hails from Italy’s Piemonte region and is made of Moscato Bianco, also known as Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains.

It was 1993 when Moscato d’Asti became a DOCG.

Map of Italy (map by Albachiaraa, Adobe Stock)

Piedmont regional map with Asti (image By luisrftc Adobe Stock)

Castiglione Tinella town, Langhe monferrato wine region, Piemonte Italy (photo by photomaticstudio Adobe Stock)

Our wine came from Saracco, whose primary vineyards are in Castiglione Tinella. The soil here is layered with sand, silt and limestone which enhances the wines aromas. The Saracco family has produced wines since the early 1900s. In the 1950 they sold their wines to the makers of Asti Spumante. In 1988 Paulo Saracco decided to start bottling their Moscato making a balanced and beautiful Moscato d’Asti.

From the winery

“After harvesting, the bunches are gently pressed to extract the most flavourful juice from the outermost part of the grapes. The must is kept in stainless steel containers at -3°C, where it can be kept for months. When there is market demand, it is then transferred into autoclaves for temperature-controlled fermentation, microfiltered for purity and then bottled to keep the freshness and flavours intact.”

From the winery https://paolosaracco.it/en/wines-saracco-piedmont/moscato-d-asti-docg-saracco

Saracco 2019 Moscato d'Asti from Asti Italy photoed in front of a vivid wine painting

Ingredients for stone fruit panzanella, lemon, sourdough bread, peach, plum, nectarine, cherry, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Stone fruit panzanella with plum, peach, nectarine, cherry, basil, mint, cherry tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella.

This is a sweet wine with 26 g/l of residual sugar, that is frizzante or lightly bubbled. If you want more bubbles, that’s where you head for Asti Spumante.

The nose had orange blossom, peach & tangerine and on the palate, it was balanced with acid to counter the sweetness. It sits at just 6% abv and was $14.99.

On their website, they suggested pairing this with a stone fruit panzanella and I couldn’t resist. I had peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, cherry tomatoes, sourdough bread, basil, fresh mozzarella and mint to meld with a lemon vinaigrette. It was delicious and beautiful.

Finally we travel further south, into the Southern Hemisphere to South Africa for some Cap Classique.

Cap Classique the South African Sparkling Wine

Cap Classique is the term for a traditional method sparkling wine from South Africa. The first wine of this kind was made in Stellenbosch in 1968. The regulations require whole-cluster fermentations and 9 months on the lees. But the Cap Classique Producers Association is working to increase that to 12 months. Standards are the same as with most sparkling wines for residual sugar levels, so you can pick your sweetness just as you would with a Champagne. Here all grapes are welcome. Many producers do stick with the Champagne varieties, but Chenin Blanc is also popular, and was the case for the wine that we tasted.

Wine Growing Areas of South Africa - map credit Wines of South Africa

Man Family Wines Method Cap Classique Brut

The grapes for this 100% Chenin Blanc Man Family Wines Cap Classique come from the Agter-Paarl region where they are head trained (bush-vine) and dry farmed.

The seal that you see on the cap, certifies that the wine has been produced in an earth-friendly manner. In addition to verifying the variety, vintage and origin.

After a cold ferment, 30% of the wine goes into French oak for 4 months. After secondary fermentation in bottle is complete, the wine stays on the lees for another 14 months before being disgorged and then gets another 3 months aging in bottle before release.

It sits at 12.5% abv, has 4.4 g/l of residual sugar. This wine ran me $23.99.

Bottle Man Family Wines Methode Cap Classique Brut bottle on a blue velvet background

The nose is bright with stone fruit like white peach, green apple (think Granny Smith), lime and pear. You get sourdough from the lees. The bubbles are fine and pervasive.

Our cheese plate included pear, peach, lobster pate, granny smith apples, sourdough bread to pair. For something more substantial, think oysters, lobster or go back the the tuna steak and fries we did before for a pairing.

There is so much more to the world of bubbles!

There are bubbles being made all over the globe, good bubbles, unique bubbles! Get out there and try them, ask for them. Don’t settle for the same stuff all the time. Variety is the spice of life my friends! Explore those sparkling wines!

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If you need more on sparkling wines…we’ve actually been tasting quite a few lately check out these pieces

Other great resources

After his fascinating session I am looking to pick up Alan Tardi’s book “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the Worlds Most Celebrated Drink”. You can visit his website to see details on his studies and writing.

Alan’s session, as I mentioned, was the kickoff to the Society of Wine Educators Virtual Conference this year. The Society has been around for 44 years and has wonderful programs for wine professionals who want to increase their knowledge. I went through the CSW program last year and became a Certified Wine Specialist. Visit their site if you are interested in pursuing more wine knowledge.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You might also want to check out our YouTube channel where we have tons of videos on wines & pairings, wine regions as well as interviews with vineyard owners and winemakers.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Montlouis-sur-Loire – 2 Rivers, 3 Zeros and some delicious sparkling wine #Winophiles

Aug 14, 2020

Montlouis-sur-Loire sits in the middle of the Loire Valley. The Loire Valley is a region in France, that stretches 600 miles along the Loire River. It is divided into 4 basic regions, The Pay Nantais which sits closest to the Atlantic Ocean, Anjou-Saumur, considered the Central Loire, Touraine which is east of Anjou-Saumur and the Upper Loire, which is the furthest east.

Loire Valley Wines Map (courtesy Loire Valley Wines)

Over this immense distance is should be unsurprising that you find a wide variety of wines as you move from the ocean through the lush green valley and then curve around to head south into the foothills of the Massif Central, where the summers are hot and the winters very cold.

The area is in the north of France sitting near the 47^th parallel. The city of Nantes, where the name Pays Nantais comes from has Seattle Washington as it’s sister city. Seattle is also on the 47^th Parallel, to give you a bit of perspective on its northerliness. This is why the vineyards follow the river. The rive moderates the climate, keeping the areas nearby cooler in summer and warmer in winter than areas further away.

This vast region is where you will find the French #Winophiles virtually traveling this month. Jill Barth leads us from L’Occasion. She wrote a wonderful invitation piece on the region that you can read here. Scroll to the bottom of this post to find the other wonderful pieces on this region written by my colleagues in the French #Winophiles.

Touraine – The Garden of France

As I searched for a wine in this expansive and diverse region, I did my usual check at Garagiste, my favorite wine shop. They had quite a selection of Loire Valley wines. One caught my eye and it happened to be from Touraine.

This region has been called the “Garden of France”. The chateaux along the river here attest to the fact that it was a favorite idealic spot for kings and nobleman.

Montlouis-sur-Loire sitting between 2 Rivers

Within the Touraine, our wine comes from Montlouis-sur-Loire which sits between the Loire and Cher rivers. It tends to be overshadowed by its famous cousin across the Loire to the north, Vouvray. If you look at the map above, it is the area in orange just below Tours.

Here, as in Vouvray, the primary grape is Chenin Blanc often known locally as Pineau de Loire. A significant portion (around 1/3) of the Chenin Blanc here is used to make sparkling wines.

Sparkling Chenin Blanc and Vins Mousseaux a Fermentation Unique

Chenin Blanc has been used for Fine Bulles (sparkling wine) in the Loire Valley and Montlouis-sur-Loire for quite a while, but the regulations did not allow for wine made in the method ancestral. This is the method used to create Pet-nats, the Petillant Naturel wines that have become very popular recently. The idea is to bottle the wines before all the sugar has been fermented into alcohol, which causes carbon dioxide to be trapped in the bottle, giving us that fizz.

In June, 2020 the Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC updated their regulations to include “Vins Mousseaux a Fermentation Unique” (source) While these wines have been described as pét-nat, you will notice a difference if you are familiar with pét-nats. These wines, according to the rules of the Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC must be disgorged, so you will see no settled lees in the bottom of your bottle.

Our wine, which has been made in this method since the early 1990s, is now included in the Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC.

Domaine de la Taille aux Loups & Jacky Blot

Jacky Blot created Domaine de la Taille aux Loups in Montlouis-sur-Loire, in 1989. He tends to be meticulous and precise which has earned him the name “The watchman of Montlouis”. He is a fascinating individual. Skurnik Wines and Spirits, imports his wines and shared this wonderful video on their site that is well worth a watch.

Triple Zero

Our wine is called Triple Zero. What does the name mean? It means: Zero chapitalization, Zero liqueur de tirage, and Zero dosage. Jacky Blot named this wine after spending 10 years labeling it “sparkling, natural, without sugar”. It’s kind of hard to market that on a label. Soon others started to make wines in this style. Some were good, some not so much. So to set his wine apart he registered the trademark Triple Zero in 2002.

Back label of Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Triple Zero — La Taille aux Loups Triple Zero

Domaine de la Taille can make this Triple zero because Chenin blanc on this chalky soil in this climate can ripen enough to not need the addition of sugar and at the same time keep the freshness. They continue to refine this winemaking changes each vintage to make the wine better. Of course, they can’t see how that worked out for several years, when the wine is ready to drink.

The wine is 100% Chenin Blanc from 40+-year-old vines that are farmed organically. It is fermented and aged in 5-10 year oak barrels (so neutral), does not go through malolactic fermentation and is aged on the lees for 24 months. It is 12.5% abv and I picked it up for $45.

Tasting the Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Triple Zero

This poured sparkling with bubbles that settled after a bit. It is pale lemon in color and clear (remember it has been disgorged). On the nose, I found white peach, biscuit, lime zest, and pear with subtle floral notes. Medium in body it had pronounce flavors of citrus, tart yellow apple, sourdough, and almond.

Sparkling Chenin and Cheese souffle

In looking for a pairing, I settled on a souffle. It’s warm out and the idea of “brunch for dinner” was appealing. It seemed so elegant and bright and perfect to go with a sparkling wine. I adapted a recipe to fit the ramekins I had. I substituted bacon for the mushrooms in her recipe, because I love my husband and he does not love mushrooms.

First unsuccessful attempt at a soufflé.

Sadly, it failed spectacularly. Some of this was my fault. Souffles are intimidating and I was a bit nervous. My roux was tight, I forgot to add the cheese, and I had the oven on convection bake. We ate them anyway and they were delicious, if not beautiful.

I had more ingredients so we decided to make a second attempt.

I did some extra research and found my recipe was also a little off, my bechamel proportions had been wrong. The thing to remember is equal amounts of butter and flour. My first recipe had less butter than flour and had me cooking it 3 minutes, this left me with a dry crumbly roux which is not at all what you want. In addition, my first recipe had me adding less milk, which meant the whole mixture seized up.

Second time around, more butter and milk, less cooking, and a smoother bechamel. I added my egg yolks to this then the grated gruyere, a mixture of crisped bacon and shallots and chopped sage. Now it was time to whip the egg whites into those firm peaks. A dollop of the whipped egg whites goes into the bechamel etc mixture to loosen it, then you take that and gently put it in the bowl with the egg whites. Now it is time to gently fold this together, so you don’t lose the air! This is what makes your souffle rise. The air pockets expand in the oven making your souffle tall, light, and fluffy.

2nd batch of soufflés ready for the oven. — Batch #2 ready for the oven and the finished souffle

Bacon, sage & cheese soufflé — Batch #2 ready for the oven and the finished souffle

Toss the mixture in your buttered and parmesan dusted ramekin(s) and bake, just not on Convection bake! I set mine at 375 degrees and baked for about 18 minutes. When they come out eat them immediately! I had Michael prep everything so we could quickly pour the wine and catch the bubbles in the wine with the soufflé. Within 5 minutes, your soufflé will collapse.

We added a simple arugula, almond and white peach salad on the side.

Taille aux Loups Triple Zero from Montlouis-sur-Loire and cheese soufflé

All over the Loire with the French #Winophiles

As I mentioned earlier, the French #Winophiles are gathering on Saturday August 15^th to discuss wines from across the Loire Vallley. If you would like to join the conversation, find us at 8 am Pacific time or 11 am Eastern time on twitter by following the hashtage #Winophiles.

While I focused just on Montlouis-sur-Loire AOC and one specific wine, the rest of the Winophiles have traveled the entire span of the Loire Valley and will have some amazing regions and wines of the Loire to share.

More on the Loire Valley and its wines

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Unexpected Sparkling Wines from around the world

Jul 7, 2020

I anticipated enjoying Sparkling Wine Week. Who doesn’t like bubbles? I was ready for the education sessions, for the interviews, but I was not prepared for the variety of sparkling wines that would be presented.

Yes, there were Champagnes, Proseccos and Cavas. But I had not expected sparkling red wines, sparkling wines from Nebbiolo, Barbera or Grignolino, or traditional method sparkling wines from Argentina.

Allow me to share with you some of the unique wines I discovered.

Hic et Nunc from Piemonte, Italy

Hic et Nunc, Latin for “here and now” is in Vignale Monferrato in Italy’s Piemonte. These hills are home to Barbera and Grignolino. The Rosolen family bought 100 hectares of this land in 2012 with 20 hectares dedicated to vines. In 2016 they released their first wine, from the indigenous grapes on this property. Some of their Barbera vines are over 80 years old. They presented 2 wines both made in the Charmant method.

Stefano Gervasoni of Hic et Nunc with his Brut Roses of 100% Barbera and Grigolino during Wine Pleasures Sparkling Wine Week July 2020

Màrsia is a Brut Rosé made of 100% Barbera. It sees 9 months fermentation and has fruity full aromas. The color is pink with a bit of orange.

Mète is 100% Grignolino. This wine is lighter with more bronze tone. It carries more floral notes with berries and citrus.

While both wines are sparkling rosé, Stephano Gervasoni, from Hic et Nunc tells us that the wines each have a different nature. The Mète is good with light cheese, chicken, or vegetables, whereas the Màrsia has a stronger personality with berry and spice notes making it suitable with dinner.

They have a stunning website with beautiful video of their hilltop vineyard.

Wessman One from Maison Wessman, Champagne France

Robert Wessman is the owner of a large pharmaceutical company. A few years ago, he purchased Château Saint-Cernin near Bergerac. He wanted his own Champagne Brand, so he brought in experts to create an unusual champagne, one of strong character.

Myriam Carrere from Maison Wessman One, speaking on their saturated Pinot Noir Champagne during Wine Pleasures Sparkling Wine Week July 2020

This wine is a rosé, but more than the style that you typically think of with Champagne. Myriam Carrere explained that the pinot noir is vinified like a red wine. It is destemmed and has a long maceration followed by malolactic fermentation to avoid bitter notes. To this, they blend Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs to create their base wine. It ferments in the bottle on lees for at least 15 months.

This is a high-end luxury brand currently served on private jets and in some high-end restaurants. It was described: “refined bubbles, with a softness from the Pinot Noir. Surprising aromas of red fruits, rose, with citrus and orange peed on the finish, keeping it balanced.” They produce just 6000 bottles of Champagne with Pinot Noir from Aÿ and Chardonnay from the Côte de Blancs (a 55/45 blend). This wine sits at 6 to 9 g/L of residual sugar (so at a Brut level).

Jasmine Monet Organic Sparkling wine in Mendoza, Argentina

Fernando Cardinali & Julien Mendoza of Jasmine Monet in Argentina, pouring their sparkling wine during Wine Pleasures Sparkling Wine Week

Yes, you read that right, Mendoza, Argentina. The vineyards sit at 1200 meters in the foothills of the Andes. They have 44 hectares of French varieties with some vines up to 50 years old. The vineyards are in the Valle de Uco near Tupungato. The wines they produce are certified organic.

The wines are traditional method and the two that Fernando Cardinali and Julien Mendoza presented were classic Chardonnay, Pinot Noir blends. These wines do have a bit of Argentinian flare. The altitude, soil and microclimates give a unique personality to the wine. If that doesn’t set them apart enough, their name packaging will.

Jasmine Monet Organic Dry Rose Sparking wine from Argentina

Julien Mendoza is one of the vineyard owners. His wife, a fashion designer, does the marketing. They produce 200,000 bottles per year, across their 3 varieties.

Their Organic Brut is 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir. Decked in Black and Gold with a bit of reptile skin texture on the label. This wine has notes of green apple, citrus and coconut.

The Rosé is 65% chardonnay and 35% Pinot Noir. This bottle is dressed out in pink w/leopard print. This wine is sweeter, sitting in the Demi-Sec range. They note white peaches, red fruits, and almonds on the nose.

They have full scale gift sets complete with flutes, ice buckets and sparkling wine all coordinated with their theme. Quality of wine aside, this packaging has a certain demographic dialed in.

460 Casina Bric – Piemonte, Italy

Casina Bric is Piedmontese for “Hilltop Farm. 460 Casina Bric is the most elevated property in the village of Barolo at 460 meters. After working for 20 years in the family vineyards, vigneron Gianluca Viberti created this independent project.

They have 2 vineyards, one facing Barolo and one facing the Alba Region, between Barolo & Barbaresco in the Langhe Valley. This is the Nebbiolo d’Alba Spumante DOC created in 1970.

Gianluca presented 2 100% Nebbiolo Rosé sparkling wines made in two styles and methods.

Gianluca Viberti of 460 Casina Bric of Barolo with his sparkling Nebbiolo Wines during Wine Pleasures Sparkling Wine Week July 2020

Nebbiolo Origo Ginis Cuvee 970 is the more accessible of the two wines. 970 is for 1970, the year the Nebbiolo d’Alba Spumante DOC was created. This is made in the Methodo Martinotti. Martinotti himself was from Piemonte. It spends 8-18 months on lees and is a non-vintage sparkling wine.

Origo Ginis Mellesimator Brut Nature 2014 is bottled by vintage in magnums. This wine is made in the traditional method spending 24-36 months in bottle on the lees. This wine is kept in cellar 1-year post disgorgement. They note floral aromas on this wine of wild rose and peach flowers. This is their higher-end wine, meant for special occasions.

La Pamelita – Vino Espumoso de Calidad, Spain

Pamela Geddes of La Pamelita and her Sparkling rose and red wines from Spain. Photo Courtesy of Wine Pleasures

Sparkling red wine and a winemaker with a story. Pamela Geddes is a Scottish Microbiologist who shifted from hospital work to whiskey to wine. She went to Penfolds to study wine and took over for their microbiologist. After some time making sparkling Shiraz in Victoria’s Great Western. She spent time in Chile and created a sparkling Monastrell. While in Chile, they called her La Pamelita. The name stuck and when she returned to Spain to make a red sparkling wine, it became the name of her label.

She is the smallest legal sparkling wine producer in Spain with an annual production of 6000 bottles. Located outside Sant Sadurni, she sources Syrah and Garnacha for her sparkling red wines, which cannot be listed as Cava, as Cava cannot be red.

She shared with us 2 wines, both fall under the labeling DO Vino Espumoso de Calidad.

The La Pamelita is 95% Syrah and 5% Garnacha. It is. This wine she describes as elegant, chocolatey, and spicy.

The La Rosita is a sparkling rosé of 100% Garnacha. She describes it as “Summer Fresh, with a creamy mousse and wild strawberries”.

Sparkling Wine Week 2020 in the Books!

This was just a sampling of the most unique sparkling wines showcased. I was sad that there we no British Sparkling wines represented. There were other wonderful wines as well of course, as the 50 Great Sparkling Wines 2020 and the 50 Great Cavas 2020 were presented.

If you are interested, the recordings are still available. I’ll include the link with the other resources below.

If you are an importer and are interested in contacting these wineries, I suggest contacting Anthony with Wine Pleasures. He can put you in touch with them.

Take me to the vines: Wine tourism 2020 and beyond

Coming up soon on July Thursday July 9th the IWINETC (The International Wine and Tourism Conference) will hold the “Take me to the vines: Wine tourism 2020 and beyond” seminar. This will include 2 one hour sessions. The first will discuss the safety precautions being put in place for the upcoming IWINETC conference scheduled in November in Italy and the second “What’s next for wine and culinary tourism”. Here is the link to their site if you are interested in details and signing up.

Sources & Resources

Wine Pleasures
Sparkling Wine Week Replays
Hic et Nunc
Wessman One
Jasmine Monet
460 Casina Bric
La Pamelita does not have a website, sadly.

And be sure to check out the 50 Great Sparkling Wines as well as the 50 Great Cavas of 2020. (links in the photos below!)

50 Great Sparkling Wines 2020 courtesy Wine Pleasures

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Champagne & BBQ, Chartogne-Taillet meets Rollin’ Smoke (#Winophiles)

Jun 19, 2020

Champagne. Possibly the most enchanting liquid on the planet. Joie de vivre in a glass. Is there anything better? Well, perhaps…if it is Champagne with a story and a great pairing.

This month the French #Winophiles are diving into the “Unexpected Pleasures of Champagne”. We are led for this discussion by Gwendolyn Alley of Wine Predator. You can read her invitation post here.

So “Unexpected Pleasures”. What does that mean? I think you will find a variety of interpretations in the pieces by the #Winophiles. It will definitely be an fun and interesting conversation when we gather on Saturday, June 20th, on twitter to discuss! Join us that morning (8am PST/ 11am EST) by following the hashtag #Winophiles on twitter and join in the conversation. It’s a Saturday morning, so sipping bubbles will be appropriate!

Garagiste LV

I went in search of a wine that would suit this topic. I have newly discovered a wine bar/shop in our Las Vegas downtown Arts District called “Garagiste LV“. Owned by Somms Mario Enriquez and Eric Prato, who are carrying so many wines that are outside the box that I really want to taste. You may have heard me rant before of the Vegas wine desert and how the only 2 local wine shops are all the way on the other side of the valley. Well, now I have a go to shop, with a really fantastic list.

Garagiste LV Wine Bar does wine sales by the bottle for pickup

Garagiste LV Downtown Las Vegas interior shot

I pulled up their online list and ran through each of the Champagnes and researching for the story. I settled on the Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne from Merfy.

Merfy in Montagne de Reims

This village is northwest of Reims in the Marne department and is known for it’s clay and sand soils. (This is in the yellow section of the map below in Montagne de Reims) The region has been making amazing wines since the Middle Ages as far back as the monks of the Saint-Thierry monastery in the village next door. Vineyards are south of the village between Merfy and Chenay. Vineyards here are flat with a slight southern exposure. These slopes were planted soon after the Romans arrived. In the 9th century, the vines around the Abbey of Saint-Thierry were the largest concentration of vines in Champagne. Chartogne-Taillet is the only RM winery in the region.

Chartogne-Taillet

The winery has Cru sites in the Montagne de Reims region, which is the Northernmost region in Champagne. They have cru sites in Merfy, Chenay and Saint Thierry.

Wines here are made by Alexandre Chartogne, who makes wines from his 12 ha family estate. While the vineyard does not hold a certification, he uses organic practices. There are no chemicals here. He uses cover crops and often ploughs by horse. He uses indigenous yeast and chooses his fermenting containers depending on the wine. These might be oak, stainless steel, amphorae or concrete eggs.

He is trying to convey a feeling of the place in his wines. He works with Claude and Lydia Bourguignon the renowned microbiologists to analyze his soils. 1/2 of his site is ploughed by horses and most of the work is done by hand.

Jancis Robinson tells us that there is a Commonwealth War Grave cemetery near by. These cemeteries were mass graves for soldiers or perhaps the bodies were buried where they fell in the battle. This brings a somber note and a bit of risk to any ploughing nearby. It reminds us that the history of Champagne is not all joyful.

Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne from Merfy

Sainte Anne Cuveé from Chartogne-Taillet in Merfy within Montagne de Reims in Champagne

Chartogne-Taillet has been in Merfy in the Champagne Region since 1683

Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne Cuveé Champagne back label

Anticipation...waiting to pop open this bottle. The top of the bottle, cork still under the foil of Champagne Chartogne-Taillet

This is a village wine that is non-vintage, but it is based on the 2016 vintage. The idea is to express the different terroirs of Merfy. This is his introductory wine and shows how wonderful a village wine can be if made with expertise.

The total hectares for the estate is 12. With the amount of this wine available, it obviously is not all from the estate. The wine is well distributed in the US.

The blend is determined, not by formula but on the vintage. This wine is 50% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier and is made from parcels within Merfy that average 25 years old. It spends 10 months in stainless steel and 3 years on it lees and has a low dosage of 4-5 g/l. This particular wine was bottled on July 26, 2017 and disgorged in December of 2018. Most of this fabulous information can be found easily on the back label.

My tasting notes

In the glass this was a medium intensity, with a lemon color that seemed almost a bit rosy to me. On the nose I got white flowers, almond, yellow apple and just a hint of bread. It was a very integrated and comforting nose. It was brighter on the palate with Green apple, starfruit and citrus. Over all this was a wine that I found it difficult to pick out individual notes, because everything was so well integrated and harmonious. It had a medium to long finish.

This wine was 12.5 abv and ran $49.99.

As if this wine was not in itself, enough of an unexpected pleasure, we went searching for a pairing that we had not tried before.

Pairing with Champagne

We had a wonderful pairing the other evening, where the weight and balance of the wine matched perfectly with the weight and balance of the dish. Michael suggested we do something similar for our Champagne pairing. On a side note, we were watching Food Network and started binging Michael Symon and Bobby Flay’s “BBQ Brawl”. In the middle of this, I thought “Champagne & BBQ!” This low brow, meets highbrow pairing seemed just right. Now, on to find a local BBQ spot to support (NO, I am not doing my own BBQ. There are experts for this!)

Rollin Smoke BBQ

Pit Special from Rollin' Smoke Barbeque in Las Vegas

We googled local BBQ and found Rollin’ Smoke BBQ. They had a Pit Special that was perfect with Brisket, Pulled Port, 1/4 chicken, Spare Ribs and Hot Links with 3 sides and bread. We added burnt ends and chose Bacon Potato Salad, Collard Greens with Brisket and Corn nuggets. There were also 3 sauces, a honey mustard (heavy on the mustard), a mild sauce and a spicy sauce.

How did it pair?

The blowout best pairing, strangely enough was the bacon potato salad. Something with the eggs and the bacon mixing with the wine was just comforting and spectacular. Michael doesn’t like the texture of potato salad and had to be convinced to try it. He agrees. While many of the pairings were really delicious, this was the best of them.

Chartogne-Taillet Champagne with Rollin' Smoke BBQ

Don’t bother with the greens. I love these greens, but eat them separate from the Champagne. It’s not a match.

The wine elevated the sweetness in the corn nuggets, it highlighted the char on the burnt ends. It was also good with the sauces. The hot links and hotter sauce were amped up a little heat wise by the alcohol. Really, this was a great match all around.

I think the depth of fruit in this wine helped the pairing. If it had been a Blanc de Blanc it might not have worked. The mixture of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier (have I mentioned that I am a sucker for a Pinot Munier?) helped to blend with the mix of sweet and tart in the BBQ sauces. Of course it is a given that the Champagne would cut through the fat in the meats and clean your palate for the next bit. The wine just seemed to blend and accentuate the smokey flavors.

The French #Winophiles

As I mentioned before, the French #Winophiles will gather on twitter on Saturday June 20th at 11 am EST or 8 am PST to talk about Champagne and its “Unexpected Pleasures”. Join in the conversation! Share your story! Just follow #Winophiles.

Be sure to check out all the pieces below and discover more of Champagne’s Unexpected Pleasures!

From Martin: “Champagne Drappier’s Blanc de Quatre Blancs; A Taste of Champagne’s White Heirloom Grape Varieties” www.enofylzwineblog.com aka @martindredmond
Cam gives us: “Pour un Pique-Nique Sur le Patio: Roasted Citrus Tart + Jacquart Brut Mosaique” on Culinary Adventures with Camilla https://culinary-adventures-with-cam.blogspot.com/ aka @Culinary_Cam
From Cindy: “A Stroke of Serendipity – Discovering Champagne Louis Brochet Brut 1er Cru in London” aka @GrapeExp_Cindy on grape-experiences.com
Nicole shares: “A Super Fancy Pants Grilled Cheese Pairing: Salmon Caviar Croque-Monsieur with Charles Dufour Bulles de Comptoir 6 La Benjamine 2.0 Champagne” on SommsTable.com
From Terry: “Champagne and Sticky Asian Chicken Thighs: Whoa!” on Our Good Life Www.terristeffes.com
Jeff gives us: “The Polar Opposite of House Style at Champagne Coessens” on “Food Wine Click!” https://foodwineclick.com/ aka @Foodwineclick
From Katrina: “Seven is a Charm with Laherte Freres Les 7 Champagne” on https://thecorkscrewconcierge.com/ aka @corksconcierge
Susannah shares: “Falling In Love with Champagne: My First Visit to a Wine region” on avvinare
From Gwendolyn and Sue: “10 of Champagne’s Unexpected Pleasures: 24 Hours in and around Reims, France for #Winophiles” and “Tasting Biodynamic Champagne with Philippe Lancelot” on winepredator.com aka @artpredator

Sources & Resources

We have written about Champagne before…

As always be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up to date on all of our posts.

When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.

Sparkling Wines

Mantua

San Benedetto Po and the Polirone Abbey

Bugno Martino

Rosso Matilde 2019 Bugno Martino Lambrusco Mantovano IGP

Essentia 2018 Bugno Martino Lambrusco Mantovano IGP

Lambrusco Pairings

Riso alla Pilota

Pizza with Lambrusco, you can’t go wrong

#ItalianFWT and wines to celebrate Lambrusco Day on June 21st!

Sources and Resources

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The story of Sokol-Blosser

The 2nd Generation of Sokol Blosser

The Historic Accolades and Firsts

Of course, there were also the wines!

Sokol Blosser Bluebird Cuvée Sparkling Wine 2018

Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Estate Pinot Noir 2018

Sokol Bosser 2018 Old Vineyard Block Estate Pinot Noir 2018

Sokol Blosser 2012 Big Tree Block Pinot Noir

The next 50 years at Sokol Blosser

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Prosecco

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

“Heroic” Viticulture

Out of the Vineyard into the Winery

The styles

Valdo Prosecco Superiore DOCG – Cuvee 1926 – Extra Dry

Mongarda Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut

Bianca Vigna Sui Lieviti Spumante Brut Nature 2019

Our Venetian inspired pairings

Baccalà mantecato

Pear, Walnut, Radicchio Salad

Pea and Bacon Risotto

How did they pair?

Sources & Resources

More on Prosecco from Crushed Grape Chronicles

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Endings

Beginnings

Bonny Doon 2018 Riesling to Live

What to pair?

Butternut Squash and black bean tostadas

For Dessert? Pavlovas

Need a “Riesling to Live”?

Head to the Bonny Doon site to find this before it runs out!

Sources and Resources

More from Crushed Grape Chronicles on Bonny Doon and Randall Grahm

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Beginnings and Endings

Terre di Bacco

Terre di Bacco Prosecco DOC Treviso

Terre di Bacco Prosecco Paired with Chinese Long-Life noodles with stir-fried vegetables

Dessert Pairing – Hungarian Nut Cake with Caramelized Apples and Crème Anglaise

Endings and Beginnings

Want to find some?

Sources and Resources

For more on Prosecco

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Prosecco

The Prosecco DOC region

Glera the grape of Prosecco

Types of Prosecco

Spumante Style

The Martinotti method of winemaking for Prosecco

Val d’Oca – History and the future

Sustainability at Val d’Oca

Val d’Oca Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry

More Prosecco to come!

#ItalianFWT

Sources & Resources

More on Prosecco on Crushed Grape Chronicles

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“If you have the structure, you have the freshness, and you have the backbone to build complexity. “

#ItalianFWT and wines to celebrate Lambrusco Day on June 21^st!