Prosecco oh Prosecco… How do I even start to describe this fresh bubbling goodness that neutralizes a good slurp of oyster, or even a Demi-sec Prosecco with the sweetness of a caramel pudding… You won’t have a need for a sugar daddy to solve all your problems! Now, before I get too carried away from my sugar high, here are some tips on why you should get a Prosecco on New Years!
Prosecco 101
If I’d had to describe Prosecco with just a word, it would be semi-aromatic. Its floral/fruity fragrance and high acidity makes it a great weekend drink to help drive the Monday blues away and before you know it, it’s the weekends again. So, what makes a Prosecco a great afternoon go to? Simply put, its simple tonality makes it an easy pairing with ALL KINDS of tea break snacks. If you like a flaky almond croissant, grab that Dry Prosecco. If you like a few pieces of oysters, go help yourself to a bottle of Brut.
Prosecco, like its bigger family of Sparkling Wines, can be classified by its sweetness and is often categorized into four versions: Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, and Demi-Sec. The difference between these versions are its residual sugar per litre = how sweet or dry the wine is.
How much sugar that remains in the Prosecco depends on how long the wine has been fermented. What happens is the yeasts eat the sugar during the fermentation process, converting them into alcohol. The longer the fermentation period, the drier the Prosecco is.
This is definitely worth paying more attention to, because by knowing how much sugar a Prosecco contains, you will be able to find the most suitable food pairing for the best tasting Prosecco. The good folks at Terre Dei Buth have done a great job at illustrating what kinds of Prosecco goes well with the all-time classic oysters and pastries for our sweet tooth cravings.
TALES OF PROSECCO: ORIGINS & HISTORY
In the past, the good ol’ Prosecco was grown in the region of northern Italy for hundreds of years. As time gradually passed and the New World plantings came in, the Italian authorities decided to declare legal protection for their Prosecco by terming it “Glera”. Why Glera? Well, the grape that is used for Prosecco has two names: Prosecco and Glera. And just like how the French won steady custody over their Champagnes, the Italians had their Glera.
Now, Prosecco refers to wines made within three specific designated appellations produced with at least 85% Glera.
THE BATTLE OF THE SPARKLES: PROSECCO VS CHAMPAGNE
The makings of the Bubbles
A key difference between these bubblies is how the bubbles are made. Champagne is typically made using the Traditional Method – which requires the winemaker to fill up bottles with still, dry wine, and then adding yeast and sugar into the mix before sealing it up. As the yeast eats the sugar, carbon dioxide is released. This causes the second fermentation which happens in the bottle.
As for Prosecco, its youthful and fresh characteristic requires a different mode of care. The second fermentation happens in a large tank, a.k.a. Charmat-Martinotti/Tank method, which is much cheaper and labor intensive than the Traditional method. What happens is the base wine is added into a pressure tank, where yeast and sugar will join in before the wine is being cooled to obtain the desired atmospheric pressure.
PROSECCO FUN FACT: BECAUSE WHY NOT!
It’s time to kill that awkward silence in the room and answer that question everyone has been dying to ask (or not): NOT ALL PROSECCOS ARE SPARKLING.
You heard that right. Though most commercial Proescco are sparkling, they still have a good range from still (tranquillo), frizzante (fizzy) or spumante (fully sparkling). Frizzantes have lower atmospheric pressure (1-2.5 bar) as compared to a spumante (5 bars).
Ending 2019...
As I end off this post, the team at Bound would like to thank everyone for tuning in for our rants and for trusting us in serving up only the most badass wines in the house! We couldn't have done it without your support and we'll be sure to serve you with even more goodness in 2020 - so stay tune!
With that, here is us wishing you a Happy New Year!
**MIC DROP**