Bubbles and Bites: Prosecco and Frittata to Please your Palate

Prosecco is one of Italy’s greatest sparkling wines.  Found in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy, Prosecco is a palate pleaser offering a variety of styles with versatility allowing it to be paired with several cuisines. 

This month the wine writer’s group that I’m a part of, Wine Pairing Weekend, decided to go with a theme of pairing wines with classic summer fare.  The hot days of summer call for easy food preparation with flavorful meals to please the palate and summery wines to match.   

Over the years I have grown increasingly accustomed to appreciating sparkling wines. It’s not so much that I didn’t enjoy the wines, but I’ve never been a fan of bubbles in anything I drink.  This summer I’ve been on a bellini kick on those warm summer days.  If you’re not familiar with Bellinis they are made with Prosecco and peach juice.      

Prosecco comes in a wide array of sweetness levels starting with the driest to sweetest: Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Demi Sec.  The effervescence and the types of bubbles displayed in the glass can also vary allowing for a wide range of options for a wide range of personal preference.  Prosecco tends to be light to medium-bodied with aromas and a flavor profile of apples, pears, citrus, tropical fruits (more towards peach) and floral notes. They may have a yeasty taste as well in some glasses of Prosecco like one of the ones I’m sharing today.   

Pairing with Prosecco 

Prosecco is also fantastic in pairing with a multitude of foods.  It’s high acidity and fruity profile along with its effervescence make it great as an aperitivo, charcuterie boards, salads, seafood dishes, asian cuisine or just pour a glass to sip on its own.   

I've long been a fan of frittatas, but just don’t seem make them enough although they’re quite simple.  You can play around with the recipes and add so many different types of ingredients to frittatas to always keep it interesting. For this frittata I prepared some chopped up broccoli along with swiss cheese.   

I selected a couple of the Prosecco listed below to pair with the frittata that paired very nicely, especially with the swiss cheese flavors.  I have always had frittata for breakfast, but frittata can be enjoyed at any point of the day really.  Especially on those warm summer nights where you want something lighter.  Frittata paired with a nice, refreshing, crisp Prosecco will hit the spot. 

The wines 

I’ve been on a Prosecco tasting splurge since I had so many on hand that I’ve been needing to try.  All of these Prosecco wines hail from the top quality Prosecco appellations of the Veneto: Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo.  Both of these hilly, DOCG appellations have unique terroirs with stricter regulations and are known for their top quality prodution of Prosecco. 

What’s the difference between Asolo and Conegliano Valdobbiadene?  Asolo is much smaller than Conegliano Valdobbiadene covering about 1,783 hectares with an annual production of about 24 million bottles in comparison to the latter which covers 6,860 hectares with an annual production of 100 million bottles.  I’ve enjoyed wines from both appellations equally so the intense wine enthuasist may have a preference one over the other, but in my opinion you can’t go wrong with either for quality Prosecco. 

Sourced from the winery in Asolo, Bele Casel

Let’s take a look at some of the bottles. 

 
Adami Adriano Brut “Bosco di Gica” Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG Prosecco was very pale straw colored with a greenish hue.  Aromas of citrus, peach and a touch of herbal.  Juicy green apple and citrus show nicely on the palate.  This wine had bubbles with finesse, elegance and a nice balance of fruit and acidity with a lingering finish.  ABV 11%. SRP $22 (wine.com) 

Ciodet Brut “Labano” Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG Prosecco was straw colored with aromas of green apple and ctirus that carries onto the palate.  Fresh and crisp acidity with notes of tart green apple and a touch of citrus and peach.  A long, salty finish with fine bubbles. ABV 11%, SRP $25 

2019 Bellenda Brut “San Fermo” Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG Prosecco was pale straw colored with a slight greenish tinge.  Dry, citrus notes with saltiness showing on the lengthy finish. ABV 11.5%, SRP $22 

The Loredan Gaspaparini Brut Asolo Superiore DOCG Prosecco shows certified vegan on the label.  Bright straw yellow with light golden color.  Lemon citrus aromas.  Medium-bodied, dry on the palate with lemon citrus, grapefruit, yeasty notes and some baked apple. Crisp with a salty finish.  ABV 11%, SRP $19 

What are some of your favorite pairings with Prosecco? 

Join our fellow food and wine lovers as they share their personal selections of summer fare with wines to pair.

• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator is opening “2 Arizona Wines for Summer Times: Page Springs Cellars Rose and Caduceus Anubis Red Blend with Fresh Apricot Salad and Burgers”
• Jeff of Food Wine Click! is sharing “A Summer Salad with Muscadet” 
• David of Cooking Chat has  “A Chillable Red for a Summer Spread” 
• Camilla of Culinary Cam cooked up “Albacore Tuna Burgers + Midpoint’s 2024 February’s Bouquet Rosé” 
• Linda of My Full Wine glass was “Inspired by Lillian: Rice Noodle Salad and Sicilian Grillo”
• Our host, Wendy, of A Day in the Life on the Farm writes about “The Wine I Paired with Classic Summer Fare“

You can find many Prosecco wines from Valdobbiadene and Asolo on Wine.com including the Adami Adriano mentioned above.  I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through the affiliate link in support of Vino Travels.

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own. 

 

Torcolato: The Prized Dessert Wine of Breganze with Maculan

Earlier this year I attended a virtual tasting hosted by Studio Cru featuring the wines of the Maculan winery located in the Veneto wine region of northeastern Italy.  Angela Maculan, 4th generation operating the winery today, walked us through several wines that the winery produces with a fantastic overview of the territory.  I want to focus on a special dessert wine, Torcolato, that I had been unfamiliar with prior to the tasting.  Torcolato is not only a special wine that Maculan produces, but it is also unique to this particular area of the Veneto, within the territory of Breganze.   

About the Maculan winery 

The Maculan family’s wine beginnings started with the great grandfather, Gaetano, whom used to sell wine that he made at his little osteria in the 20’s and 40’s. During World War II his son, Giovanni, started to make wine with his father to provide it for the army station.  In 1947 Giovanni decided to start and build the winery we know today, Maculan.   

In 1973 Fausto Maculan took over the winery.  Fausto was encouraged by his father to attend the School of Oenology Conegliano to be a winemaker.  He first started leasing the land to produce wine until he later purchased it. Fausto was joined by his two daughters, Angela that joined in 1997 and Maria Vittoria that joined in 2007.   

Maria Vittoria, Fausto and Angela Maculan

Maculan is located in Breganze, a town in the northern part of the Veneto region about 1 hour northeast of Verona and North of Vicenza.  The winery sits at the base of the Asiago Plateau right in the center of town close to the main piazza. 

Maculan winery

This area is mostly warm with cooling breezes that come down from the Dolomites.  The soils of the area are poor, low in nutrients, and are made up of clay, silt and volcanic rock.  Irrigation isn’t allowed and the soil provides great drainage.   

Maculan vineyards

Maculan works with several native and international grape varietals.  These international varietals were introduced by the noble Venetian families in the 1800’s.  The main grapes that Maculan produces are Vespaiola, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, the white grape Tai, Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Marzemino.  The grapes are hand harvested, and many of the grapes are estate grown, but some are purchased from farmers they have had lasting relationships with for the last 20-25 years.   

What is Torcolato? 

Torcolato is rich dessert wine made 100% from the white grape, Vespaiola.  The name stems from the word vespa, meaning wasps in Italian, that are attracted to the sweetnessof these grapes. This grape has historically been documented as far back as 1754.   

Torcolato is golden in color and is made as a passito style, where the grapes are dried before fermentation creating luscious aromas and mouthfeel with notes of fruits (tropical and stone fruits), including dried fruits and honey.  They’re full-bodied and have sweet, concentrated flavors with high levels of sugar backed by good acidity to prevent these wines from becoming cloying. 

The Vespaiola grapes are traditionally twisted and hung to dry on a string called a rosolo for a number of months concentrating the sugars in the grapes. The twisting of the grapes stems from the word torcere, meaning to twist, hence the name Torcolato. 

rosoli

Torcolato, and the Vespaiola grape, are unique to the Breganze DOC.  The Breganze DOC is a small DOC created in 1969 that covers the areas of the Breganze town as well as the hilly areas between the Astico and Brenta Rivers.  It covers approximately 600 hectares encompassing 17 smaller family-owned wineries with Maculan being the second largest winery with about 50 hectares (120 acres).  Almost all, but 2%, of the grapes vinified come from the hills which accounts for 70% of the territory made up of the volcanic, tuffaceous and basaltic terroir.  The other 30% is made up of plains with gravelly, pebbly soils. 

The Wine 

The Torcolato is the dessert wine that the Maculan treasures.  The 2022 Maculan Torcolato is made from the Vespaiola grape.  Rich golden color with amber hues.  It has an unctuous texture, round on the palate with notes of honey and dried apricots.  A tasty treat that lingers on the finish.  SRP $42 (per wine searcher). 

Maculan is a large producer of Torcolato in the Breganze DOC producing about 17,000 of the 20-25,000 bottles produced in this area.  They make 4 different styles of Vespaiola based wines to explore. 

If you’re a lover of dessert wines this is one you’ll want to explore. 

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own.  

Importer: Massanois Imports 

National Prosecco Week Wraps up with a Look at Asolo Prosecco

As we wrap up National Prosecco Week we get ready to start next week for National Sparkling Wine Week.  Like you needed an excuse to pop open some bubbly!  Recently I attended a virtual event on the wines of Asolo Prosecco sponsored by the Asolo Consorzio and hosted by Studio Cru with an overview of Asolo and a tasting panel led by Alessandro Marchesan.  Such a great opportunity to learn more about this quality wine region in the Veneto and taste a variety of styles of Asolo Prosecco. 

The Asolo Prosecco Wine Region 

Prosecco is so mass produced that it’s important to understand the regions that are making quality Prosecco including Asolo and its neighbor Conegliano Valdobbiadene. Today we focus on the Prosecco wines of Asolo that are named after the town itself within the Treviso province of the Veneto region in northeastern Italy.  

Located only about 1 hour north of Venice, this wine region has a unique geography setting. It sits at the foothills of Monte Grappa and the Dolomite mountain range to the north, but is also not too distant from the Adriatic Sea. These factors influence its climate creating a balance between a continental and Mediterranean climate with winds from both the north and south. 

Copyright of Asolo Prosecco Consorzio

Asolo’s Prosecco wine producing history stems from a production of bulk wines as well as selling the wines locally. Since 2012 the area has increased plantings due to zonation research they conducted that identified the best areas for planting.  That along with producers from the small family run businesses that occupy the region paying strong attention to producing quality wines have changed the vision of Asolo Prosecco wines. Although the market for Prosecco has grown tremendously in recent years, production in Asolo has always been there well before the Prosecco craze. It is actually the fourth biggest DOCG sparkling wine producing region in Italy.  

Asolo Prosecco wines became a DOCG in 2009 and in 2014 was the first to start the Extra Brut category for Prosecco wines that are low in sugar and full of fruit.  The wines of Asolo are defined by their distinct freshness in their bubbles and their salty, mineral finish.  The wines are made from a minimum of 85% Glera along with up to 15% of other local non aromatic grape varieties to include Verdiso, Perera, Glera Lunga and Bianchetta Trevigiana. 

The Wines 

The 2022 LeTerre Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Millesimato Dry was brightly straw coloerd with aromas of apple, pear and citrus.  Crisp with soft bubbles and notes of lemon with a hint of honey ending with a salty finish.  ABV 11% 

The 2022 Bele Casel Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry was a brilliant pale straw color. There were aromas of citrus, apple and wet stone. On the palate the wine was crisp with bubbles tingling the tip of the tongue. It showed nice fruit with juicy tart apple and citrus with a lingering finish. 

The 2022 Case Paolin “Col Fondo” Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Sui Lieviti Brut Nature was an interesting wine to try.  Not my personal preference, but everyone has their own preferred styles.  A great learning experience on col fondo wines though that I’d like to share. 

What is col fondo?  Col fondo is when the wine produced in the traditional or classic method where the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle and it not disgorged.  How does col fondo differ from pet nat (if you are familiar with those wines)?   Pet nat wines are bottled before fermentation is complete.  The sui lieveti on the labels translates to “with the bottom” since the wine is remaining with the natural yeasts or lees and sediment on the bottom of the bottle. 

Back to the wine, this wine is made from organic grapes that are certified organic.  The grapes are grown on the slopes of Montello in their oldest vineyard, about 30 years old.  The wine spends 15-18 hours on the skins and is fermented in steel tanks with secondary fermentation in the bottle. Pale straw colored with a greenish tinge and slight haziness to the wine from the “sui lieviti”.  Floral aromas with citrus and yeasty notes.  Bone dry, light-bodied, crisp and clearn with mouthwatering acidity, citrus pith notes that seemed slightly bitter to me with  minerality on the finish.  Alessandro recommended drinking this wine with asian foods or lobster rolls.

Copyright of Asolo Prosecco Consorzio

There will be more Asolo Prosecco wines to come as well as my feature on this region in the Appetito magazine next week. Stay tuned! 

Have you tried the wines of Asolo and what are some of your favorite Prosecco producers?

You can shop on Wine.com in support of Vino Travels and find a variety of Prosecco wines to try for yourself.

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.