Prosecco on a Boat!

Venetian House Prosecco

This was served as a little "taster." I loved the American-sized wine tastes in Italy 🙂

Well, this is a bit of an odd review.  Having recently returned from Italy, I have many bottles to review.  I’m going to start with a cumulative review of one particular type that I had…. all the time.  When traveling around Italy, more often than not, due to dining in the warm Italian sun, if I was in the mood for alcohol in Italy I ordered Prosecco.  Not a particular Prosecco because you can’t really serve ‘bad’ Prosecco in Italy.  The expectation is just too high to disappoint.  In any event, I shot a few pics of Prosecco around Italy and I’m prepared to make a huge faux pas and review them… all… because 1) they all tasted pretty similar, 2) I was drunk enough whilst drinking them not to notice the few (if ANY) subtle details… 🙂

Nothing like a pitcher of Prosecco whilst on the Grand Canal

Location: Veneto

I traveled the part of Italy that is famous for Prosecco, Veneto.  That’s the part in and around Venice, which is on the eastern coast and from there moving west and a little south.  It’s gorgeous- it’s perched right between two mountain chains making the land incredibly fertile for grapes, olives, and…beautiful people.  Clearly.

Grape: Prosecco

The white grape, Prosecco, from which this delicious beverage is made is a light, dry grape.  Just to note: Prosecco is also known under the name of ghera, glera, grappolo spargolo, prosecco balbi, prosecco bianco, prosecco tondo, proseko, sciorina or serprina.

Taste: Bubbly!

This s a good time to mention that it’s a bubbly! If you can’t tell by the picture…  It’s actually generally a wonderful substitute for Champagne- less expensive and a little more fun to taste- more variety available because Champagnes have pretty strict standards for creation.   Prosecco’s, unlike Champagne, ar permitted to feerment in stainless steel rather than oak.  That makes them much less expensive, a little more carious in taste and texture, possibly not as dry or “aged” depending, but I think their youngness keeps them tasting fresh!  Depending on their sweetness, prosecco’s are labeled “brut” (up to 15 g of residual sugar), “extra dry” (12–20 g) or “dry” (20–35 g).  The Prosecco’s I tried were mostly Dry… and therefore, totally delicious.  I find sweet champagne (brut, spumante, etc.) are just too sweet to drink and be refreshed.  They are more like dessert than a cool beverage for a warm afternoon.  Know what I mean?  No?  Meh… maybe it’s just me.  I swear this stuff is good enough for plastic cups!  On a boat!

I'm on a boat!

Julia Uncorked Says:

I HEART Venetian Prosecco.  The BEST bottles come from “Treviso,” which is a city about 30 minutes West of Venice, so if you’re looking, try to find one of those!  I would drink it chilled on a summer afternoon (or chilled anytime).  Be careful that a spicy dish will kill the bubbles… so I would suggest it with a milder dish, or light appetizers.  Be wary of strong cheeses that might overpower the wine, but fruit is an ideal pairing- specifically peaches, strawberries, and raspberries (in my humble opinion).  It was especially satisfying as a pre-dinner apertif, which is a drink (alcohol)  that is usually served to stimulate the appetite before a meal, contrasting with digestifs, which are served after meals.  Apéritifs are commonly served with something small to eat, in our case this meant olives and various kinds of cheeses. This French word is derived from the Latin verb aperire, which means “to open.”:

Served as an Apertif (to wet appetite, literally....). Delicious!