Prosecco isn't Champagne
I can't believe it's Easter. It has come very early this year, and instead of nice warm springtime weather, it has been freezing, with a biting wind. Despite the weather, though, I've had a couple of nice walks - this morning in Richmond Park (my favourite dog walking location at the moment, especially now that RTL has stopped mauling joggers and young children), and then this afternoon in Osterley Park (pictured).My parents are staying for the weekend, so tonight I enlisted their help in an impromptu tasting for my Sunday Express column, where I have been given the topic of Prosecco for April 27th. We tried six examples, ranging from one that's currently in Lidl at £2.49 (a bit cidery, but - miraculously - drinkable) to a Sainsbury Taste the Difference Prosecco di Conegliano (which was quite nice and apricotty). Too few samples to draw a firm conclusion, but my impression is that Prosecco is a useful situation wine but it's rarely serious. And I don't like it all that much. Having said this, I'll wager that some readers know of biodynamic artisanal Prosecco producers who make seriously funky unsulfured wines...
Question: when RTL dies, shall I turn her into a jumper? (Only in Newcastle!)
posted by Jamie @ 6:40 PM
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8 Comments:
You would think there would be a bunch, but nah, just one biodynamic Persecco (well, that comes up via Google), and very recently released: Perlage's Col di Manza. And I'm not sure it qualifies for the triumvate of "biodynamic artisanal Prosecco".
Jamie..with so many good wines around..I can never understand anyone wanting to even try Prosecco..let alone drink it...unless it's their job!
When I have sipped it..it has always been bland..short....a mode drink..no more
Barry
Scathing! Not only did the first response not even spell it correctly but they have clearly not experienced the purity of prosecco, it is not champangne I don't think anyone ever proposes it to be so! Buck up and enjoy the freshness and delight of a little Italian bubble in a glass, it is so good!
Prosecco is fantastic so long as one doesn't assume it is trying to be Champagne. Light, refreshing and amazingly affordable. I have had some serious Prosecco that could compete with some mid-range Champagnes in terms of quality (and I have had several horrendous bottles of Champagne). I won't say my favorite bubbly will ever be anything but certain Champagnes (Bollinger, Krug, Henri Billiot to name a few) but I will never turn down a glass of that delicious Prosecco.
Most decent Champagnes are 4-5 times the price of an average Prosecco, so they should be a lot better.
Oh, and anonymous, if you're going to pick someone up on their spelling, make sure your own is perfect...
"champangne", FFS...
Slight tangent, but this discussion reminds me of a recent song by German singer-songwriter Annett Louisan. The single is called "Das alles wär nie passiert (ohne Prosecco)" [roughly translated as "None of this would have happened (if I hadn't been quaffing prosecco..."]. Bit of a long title, and of course the lyrics are in German, but I'm sure the message is fairly clear.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QXs3GzsDb2U
Of course it is not champagne, that is stating the obvious and I am sure a scientific writer like yourself, would be aware of the fact that prosecco is produced in a totally different manner than champagne. To not define the Prosecco DOC zone and comparatively taste and review the wines from that region is a shame. Producers within this delinated zone have produced award winning Proseccos. Why "to few samples to draw a firm conclusion"? Is it responsible journalism to review a wine style for your column without exploring the possibilities adequately? It is not that difficult to get samples, and there are some excellent proseccos imported into the UK.
ps Prosecco is not meant to be "serious", it is wine to be enjoyed, I think you have missed the whole point entirely. Robert Parker, Hugh Johnson, the Gambero Rosso Guide, Wine Advocate, Decanter, and many other magazines and journalists have taken the time to explore this wine and all have been pleasantly surprised and written the quotes to prove it.
Not without a wish to rock that too-high horse there in condemning this 'narrow study', but did you note that this was for a Sunday Express tabloid wine article, rather than a Sunday broadsheet or Decanter? The complexities of the Prosecco region wouldn't be appropriate to the publication in question. Getting any serious mention of wine into the Sunday Express is actually a wonderful advance in the paper's culture.
Kind regards,
JMac
PS - you also seem to be adressing a poster named 'Jeremy' as though he were 'Jamie'.
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