Spaghetti with Clams and a Flight of Adami Prosecco

This month our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group is leading into the holidays with Italian sparkling wines. Italy doesn’t get enough recognition for the quality sparkling wines that are produced throughout the country.  Some of your main sparkling wine producing regions include: 

• Franciacorta and Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico (Lombardy) 
• Trento DOC (Trentino-Alto Adige)
• Alta Langa, Moscato d'Asti & Brachetto d'Acqui (Piedmont)
• Lambrusco (Emilia Romagna)
• Prosecco (Veneto) 

The Land 

This week I dug into prosecco from the Adami winery located in the Valdobbiadene area of the Veneto.  Prosecco in my opinion can be overlooked for producing high quality wines since the market is saturated with wines that aren’t showcasing what this region can truly produce.  I always recommend to folks that if you want to see what prosecco is really all about one must seek those from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area, two towns located just north of Treviso.   

To take it a step further there is an area that is considered the “cru” of prosecco which is the subzone of Cartizze.  When I took my Italian wine certification awhile back I was informed that Cartizze is a small production area (about 2.5 acres) and the land is estimated to be worth over a million dollars.  Yowzers!  I wish my acreage at my own home was worth that.  Maybe I need to start growing some prosecco! 

The Grape 

When one says prosecco what you might not realize is that it isn’t an actual type of wine as it is the grape prosecco, also known as glera.  Prosecco is produced via the charmat method in which the secondary fermentation is produced within stainless tanks.  This produces wines that are lighter and more delicate.  The area of Conegliano typically has a warmer climate than that of the Valdobbiadene so the wines have more structure where those of the Valdobbiadene are more delicate and elegant. 

What one may not understand is that a sparkling wine labeled dry is not dry at all.  Here are the levels of sweetness defined from driest to sweetest:  

• Extra brut 
• Brut
• Secco
• Extra Dry
• Amabile
• Dolce

The Winery 

The Adami winery has been around for 90 years and is now in the 3rd generation operating the winery.  It started in 1920 when the grandfather, Abel, purchased a vineyard where he worked with his son Adriano to begin producing wines.  In 1933 Abel did something that was new to the area where he broke off his vineyard from others and created the 1st single vineyard of the Valdobbiadene with his Riva Giardino Asciutto.  In the 80’s the oenologists that took over in the family were Armando and Franco.  They took the winery to the next level making them more international and developing a new facility.   

Today the winery produces about 750,000 bottles and sources their grapes from 50 hectacres where 12 of them are theirs and the others they purchase the grapes from and work closely with the owners of the land.      

The Wines 

My pick of the 3 wines was the Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore Dry Vigneto Giardino Rive di Colbertaldo. DOCG.  For those that follow my blog regularly you’ll know I’m not a huge of sparkling wine, so I’ll tend to lean towards the dry level of sparkling wines, but I always appreciate a well made wine when I try them. 

Adami Prosecco Treviso Brut “Garbel” DOC 

Locally Garbel means freshness and lightness.   This was a pale straw colored wine that was crisp, with refreshing flavors of lemon and apple.  ABV 11% SRP $15 

Adami Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore Brut “Bosco di Gica” DOCG NV 

The old name of the area was called Bosco di Gica, named after the Gica wood.  A pale straw colored wine with stone fruit on the nose.  On the palate notes of pears with rather creamy bubbles.  The wine finishes strong with a minerally, bright finish.  It’s hard to believe the SRP is only $19.  ABV 11%  

2015 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore Dry “Vigneto Giardino” Rive di Colbertaldo DOCG 

Rive stands for the steep hillside where the grapes are grown and are further defined by the particular site with the village name, in this case Colbertaldo.  The Giardino vineyard used to be an oak forest in the 400-500's and got replaced by vines and trees.  It was a pale straw color.  When I tried this wine I got a sense of ambrosia with some apple.  It had good body and an overall nice mouthfeel.  Rather elegant and balanced with a salty, lengthy finish.  ABV 11% SRP $22

The Pairing
I tried these wines with a spaghetti and clams dish I prepared, also know as spaghetti alle vongole.  It's one of my favorite dishes I enjoy ordering in Italy.  The saltiness of the clams and the clam sauce paired really nicely with the wines, especially the Brut style prosecco wines.  I typically don't pair sparkling wines with a dinner, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Sometimes you need to break outside the norm.

Join the rest of our Italian food and wine lovers articles and if you catch us in time you can chat live on Saturday Dec 1st at 11am EST on Twitter at #ItalianFWT.

• Lynn Gowdy of Savor the Harvest suggests Italian Sparkling Wines To Try #ItalianFWT
• Jeff of foodwineclick want us to add some “Sparkle Your Dessert with Moscato d’Asti #ItalianFWT
• Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be dishing up Italian Bubbles + Lasagna Bianca #ItalianFWT.
• Wendy of A Day In the Life on a Farm will be Celebrating Leftovers #ItalianFWT
• Kat of Bacchus Travel and Tours show us how Italian Sparklers to Light Up Your Holidays #ItalianFWT
• Lauren of the The Swirling Dervish gives us A Trio of Italian Sparkling Wines for Your Holiday Table #ItalianFWT
• Gwendolyn of the Wine Predator serves up Bellavista! Shrimp Pasta with Italian Sparkling Wine From Franciacorta #ItalianFWT
• Susannah of Avvinare extolls the virtures of Lambrusco in Lambrusco - Perfect for the Holidays #ItalianFWT
• Katarina of Grapevine Adventures offers A Superior Sparkling Christmas With Bele Casel #ItalianFWT
• Nicole of Somm’s Table shares Classically Contratto: Beautiful Wines from Italy’s Oldest Sparkling Wine House
• Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog shares A Distinctive Duo of Italian Sparkling Wines #ItalianFWT

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*All wines were provided by samples, but opinions are my own.

There is Prosecco and then there is Valdobbiadene Prosecco

This month our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group is highlighting sparkling wines of Italy. The most widely known sparkling wine of Italy is prosecco, but there are many others that are worth recognizing, especially those of Franciacorta in Lombardy and those of Trento in the region of Trentino. Then you have those sparkling wines that are on the sweeter side like moscato d'asti and brachetto d'acqui. I've written about many of these in the past, but with prosecco being so widely produced and there being many inexpensive styles on the market it's important folks are aware of some of the best prosecco to seek out if you're desiring some Italian bubbly on your next visit to the wine store.

There is prosecco and then there is Conegliano Valdobbiadene also known as just Valdobbiadene. The area of prosecco production is located in northeastern Italy within the Veneto region, but some of the top quality prosecco come from the hillside areas of Conegliano Valdobbiadene. To be labeled as a Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G the grapes must exclusively be grown here from the 15 communes. Prosecco is produced from the glera grape.The area became classified as a D.O.C.G in 2009, but was initially recognized in 1969. This area is also known for the first winemaking school of Italy that started in 1876 in the town of Conegliano. There are also frizzante and still versions, but they can't bear the superiore label.

To take it even further there is also the Rive DOCG, which consist of only 43 sites and has stricter regulations and very steep hills of high quality grapes that are picked by hand, and Superiore di Cartizze DOCG, the top cru site of the area.

I was able to sample a number of bottles from this area and shared some brief notes below. I'm not a huge sparkling wine lover, but I can appreciate quality when I taste it.

 

Carpene Malvotti 1868 Extra Dry Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore – This was was straw yellow in color with fine, lively bubbles. It showed soft fruits including pears and apples with a dry, good finish. SRP $18.99.

2015 Adriano Adami Vigneto Giardino Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore - This is a single vineyard cru from Colbertaldo di Vino. It's pale yellow in color with a fruity nose of apples and peaches. It had a rich mouthfeel with creaminess. Fresh and elegant. SRP $19.

2015 Ruggeri Vecchie Viti Prosecco Superiore Brut - As the name dictates, vecchie viti meaning old vines, these grapes come from about 80-100 year old vines. This wine is floraly with a creamy texture and lengthy finish. SRP $22

Borgoluce Rive di Collalto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut – Straw yellow in color this is dry with good acid combined with notes of peach and pear. Lively bubbles that play on your tongue. SRP $25

 

If you have doubted the quality of prosecco based on the ones you have tried that flood the markets, but haven't tried prosecco from this area I strongly recommend you try some and let me know what you think.

Here are the rest of my fellow bloggers look into sparkling Italian wines.  Check them out!

David Crowley of Cooking Chat  finds for us examples of “Italian Sparkling Wine Beyond Prosecco”

Lauren Walsh the Swirling Dervish will teach “Why You Should Learn to Love Lambrusco”

“Pink Bubbles, Paté, and Pecorino” is the topic from Camilla Mann of  Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mike Madaio of   Undiscovered Italy   offers up “One Great Bottle: Fiamberti Oltrepò Pavese 2012”

Jennifer Martin of Vino Travels says “There is Prosecco and then there is Valdobbiadene Prosecco”

Italian Producers Beef Up Sparkling Offering is the offering from Susannah Gold of avvinare.

Here at Wine Predator we have “Three Trento Sparklers with Seafood Risotto for #ItalianFWT”

Please join us for the twitter chat (#ItalianFWT) about Italian sparkling wine on Saturday May 6 from 11-12pm EST and check out our blogs!

These bottles were received as samples, but opinions are my own.

Information sourced from Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG.

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*all wines were received as samples, but opinions are my own. Pictures were sourced from Balzac Communications and Locations Wine.

Top 6 Italian wines at Cru Artisan of Banfi

Lately I've been finding myself immersed in lots of wonderful wines. Such wine problems in the life of a wine blogger. The more the merrier and the more great wines to share with you. I was invited to an all Italian wine tasting hosted by Cru Artisan wines in downtown Boston and I was there with bells on. A tasting of over 25 Italian wines with many that were enjoyable, but I tried to pick some of the highlights for myself to share with you. Here were my favorites for all different reasons that I'll explain:

• 2012 Maschio dei Cavalieri Rive di Colbertaldo Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG
• 2011 Fontana Candida Luna Mater Frascati Superiore DOCG
• 2011 Banfi Cuvee Aurora Rose Alta Langhe DOC
• 2008 Sartori Corte Bra Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG
• 2009 Palari Faro DOC
• 2009 Cantine Florio Malvasia delle Lipari DOC

Cru Artisan wines are the luxury selections of the Banfi portfolio of wines. The wines I selected to share with you today I chose because they were some firsts for me and I appreciated their quality and characteristics from the areas of Italy that they represent. I think it's always important to share different wines throughout Italy and to get folks to think outside the box and realize the variety and potential of different Italian wine offerings throughout Italy.

2012 Cantine Maschio: Maschio dei Cavalieri “Rive de

Colbertaldo” Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Yes that's a mouthful for one wine. I've never been a big fan of sparkling, but I have found certain ones that have pleasing to drink and this one in particular was very satisfying. This wine originates from the DOCG of the Veneto in the areas of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. Known for producing some of the top quality prosecco of Italy. It's made of 100% of the glera grape, aka prosecco. This is considered the “Grand Cru” of Cantina Maschio. My favorite aspect of this wine was the elegance and creaminess of the bubbles. Very soft with nice citrus fruit.

2011 Fontana Candida Luna Mater Frascati Superiore DOCG

I've discussed frascati in the past when discussing the wines of the Lazio wine region. It's typically known as a more simple, white wine, but this particular Frascati, Luna Mater, is not your average frascati. Meaning “mother moon”, this wine was very aromatic with lush fruit and a smooth, balanced medium bodied wine. It's a blend of 50% malvasia di candia, 30% malvadia del lazio, 10 %greco and 10% bombino. The vineyards where these grapes grow are 50 yaers old and it's within the Frascati Superiore DOCG designation in the areaa of Frascati and Monteporzio Catone.

2011 Banfi “Vigne Regali” Cuvee Aurora Rose Alta Langa DOC

Alright not a fan of sparkling, but 2 favorite sparklings at the same tasting? This is why you never judge wines until you've had a variety as quality can change so much from producer to producer. The Alta Langa is located in southern Piedmont and known as the sparkling wine area of Piedmont. This wine is made of 100% pinot noir grapes that are produced using the classic method. This wine is 90% from the current vintage and 10% of the previous vintage that is also aged in French oak and is in contact with the yeast for 2 years. Pale pink in color it had a silkiness with notes of apple and vanilla. A fun and different sparkling rose to try.

2008 Sartori Corte Bra Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG

Reminiscing back to my trip over to Italy earlier this year to visit the Valpolicella region of the Veneto it was nice to revisit an Amarone and this single vineyard was definitely pleasing to my palate. This wine is produced with 50% corvina veronese, 30% corvinone, 15% rondinella and 5% oseleta. These grapes were dried for about 3-4 months, further fermented in stainless for 30 days and finished in Slavonian and French tonneaux for 4 years and 6 months in the bottle. As you can imagine with the appasimento, drying of the grapes, it produces concentrated fruit and this was a full bodied, powerful wine that is well structured, velvety with loads of ripe red fruit. This is Sartori's crown jewel of their wines and it's no wonder why after having tasting it.

2009 Palari Faro DOC 

I just shared this wine in a recent article hosted by Snooth sharing summer fall transitional wines under $20. I was more excited to talk about the wines I was excited to switch over to from summer to fall that I forgot it must be under $20. None-the-less you can read about wine that is grown at Mt. Etna in Sicily with the nerello mascalese and nerello cappuccio grapes combined with nocera.

2009 Florio Malvasia delle Lipari DOC 

This was my first time having a Malvasia delle Lipari and it was a unique experience. This wine is part of the Aeolian Islands just off the coast of Sicily. Lipari is largest of the Aeolian Islands and the terrain here made of volcanic soil and sand. The grapes that make up this wine are Malvasia delle Lipari and Corinto Nero are dried on mats after being harvested for about 15-20 days. Golden in color with notes of honey and dried apricots, this is a full bodied, high alcohol but smooth, sweet way to end your meal. A unique dessert wine indeed.

I hope you enjoyed my unique selections of wines. There were others that were notable and I'm happy to share those with you also if you're interested. Drop a comment and I'll provide the others. If you've had any of these I'd love to hear your thoughts or if you've tried others of the same variety that you prefer more. I'm always open to hearing about other producers that I maybe haven't had exposure to yet.

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