Displaying items by tag: Prosecco

Prosecco Brut

Marca Oro Rosé Brut

 

Valdo Spumanti

Valdobbiadene, Italy

Alcohol: 12%

Suggested Retail: $13

 

“Who among us doesn’t appreciate a bargain? But if something doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t matter how little you paid for it. Fortunately, in the case of this week’s selection, the Valdo Rosé Brut, we were delighted by both the taste and  the price.

“From the attractive packaging of the Valdo Rosé Brut, you might think ‘Champagne,’ though it is not. Champagne is a geographic area in France that is home to an undeniably wonderful product, but using ‘champagne’ as a catch-all term for any sparkling wine has fallen out of favor for most of the world’s wine businesses.  (French Champagne houses feel that the term of identity should be exclusive to them and that appropriations of that name by other areas would be something like a winery in Argentina bottling a Cabernet Sauvignon, then putting the word ‘Napa’ on the label. The liquid inside might make a fine red wine, but it wouldn’t be from Napa.)  There are some very worthy sparkling wines that come from places beyond Champagne, to include Cremant  from other parts of France, Sekt  from Germany, Cava  from Spain and Prosecco  from Italy, as well as many good sparklers from California.

“Valdo is a firm in the northeast of Italy that traces its sparkling wine production back to 1926. Their Rosé Brut is a blend of two varieties; Nerello Mascalese, a red wine grape grown in the Agrigento province of Sicily and Glera, a white wine grape traditionally called Prosecco that comes from the Veneto region in Italy’s north.

“This rose’s label references both ‘Brut’ and ‘Spumante.’  Spumante doesn’t necessarily mean a sweeter wine, but in this case is used like the Italian term Frizzante, meaning sparkling or fizzy. When seen on a Champagne bottle, the term Brut  indicates a certain level of dryness of the wine. Regardless of whether the presentation on the label seems a bit contradictory, the liquid inside it appeals to us and we think it will please a lot of other palates, too.  The wine pours with a fine mousse that settles to a deep rose color.  The aroma seems primarily of strawberries or, perhaps, some fresh raspberries. There is more of these fruits in the flavor, along with a hint of that ‘biscuity’ quality we appreciate in Champagne. This Italian sparkler produced via the Charmat method retails in the $10 to $15 dollar range and delivers way more than we would have expected."

Food Affinity: “Sparkling wine is usually associated with celebration and the Valdo Rosé Brut puts us in an upbeat, festive mood. We suggest you declare an impromptu party and serve with crackers and deviled crab spread, salted almonds, melon wrapped in prosciutto . . . maybe even with hot wings.”