Prosecco Goes Uptown
Prosecco started out as an unsung local wine in the Italian provinces of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Upon entering a restaurant or private home, guests would commonly be presented with a small glass of Prosecco as a gesture of welcome or hospitality. It was introduced into the American market in 2000 by Mionetto, and within a decade U.S. consumption had exploded.
Why? Well, it was cheap, for one thing—about $10 per bottle back then, and roughly $15 now. It was easy to drink and probably viewed by many consumers as an alternative to Champagne, which can be not only pricey but also complicated. Instead of inducing the second fermentation in the bottle, Prosecco is made by the Charmat method, in which the bubbles are produced in a tank.
Mionetto remains the largest U.S. importer. Their saga began in 1887, when Francesco Mionetto opened his winery in Valdobbiadene. While their product line offers something for everyone, the Cartizze DOCG Dry ($30) stands at the top of the pyramid. Made entirely from the Glera grape in the Charmat method, it is a textbook example of what Prosecco should be.
It has a light straw color with green tints, along with streams of tiny bubbles unusually focused for Prosecco. The slightly yeasty nose gives off restrained whiffs of citrus. The wine is more expressive in the mouth than the nose might suggest: plump, ripe and medium-bodied, it displays pleasant flavors of lemon, lime, melon and vanilla. The mouth feel is nicely balanced between acidity and sweetness (Mionetto pegs the sugar at 24-26 grams per liter), and the wine overall is clean and fresh, inviting you to take another sip and another glass. The flavors expand on the palate and linger on the finish. This classy Prosecco is a good match for the usual suspects (finger foods, charcuterie), and could easily accompany a substantial fish course. Don’t let the price put you off: it might be nearly double the going rate, but there’s twice as much quality here.
Much smaller in production and nearly approaching cult status, Altaneve is a Prosecco built for connoisseurs. When David Noto founded the brand in 2013 and dedicated himself to making the planet’s finest Prosecco, his timing was impeccable: global sales of Prosecco had just surpassed Champagne for the first time, and they remain higher today. Even so, Noto had a steep mountain to climb. Underlying his quest was an interesting proposition: if you could make a wine with the freshness, richness and approachability of Prosecco and the price of Champagne, would Americans buy it?
The verdict is not yet in, but Noto’s wines are on the market, and they are stunning. In fairness, he comes from a family with ten generations of winemaking tradition, so it wasn’t farfetched when he abandoned the world of finance to make Prosecco. His vineyard sites are carefully selected and his grapes are hand-harvested. He readily admits that two years’ worth of R & D went into creating the packaging, which is remarkably sleek and elegant. Thus far the wines are available in upscale restaurants and retail stores; production is low, so Altaneve will likely remain a niche item. And as difficult as the challenges are, Noto appears to have the entrepreneurial spirit to stick it out.
Altaneve produces three wines. The Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG ($30) is the color of green-tinted straw with persistent streams of tiny bubbles. The fetching nose exudes whiffs of Meyer lemon, brioche and minerals. Fresh and clean on entry, the wine expands in the midpalate with considerable depth and charm. The texture is rich, yielding flavors of stone fruits, vanilla and citrus balanced by good acidity. While dry, the palate presence is generous and the finish is long and opulent, with a core of tropical fruit flavors that invite you to take another sip. It is unlike any other Prosecco on the market, and it’s nearly impossible to stop drinking it.
Their Rosé ($30) is technically not a Prosecco and is not labeled as such. The wine is a blend of 70% Pinot Nero from Northwestern Italy’s Oltrepo Pavese region and 30% Glera from the Valdobbiadene hills. It has a very pale salmon color and a foaming, delicate mousse, along with just the faintest hint of red fruits on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is compact and ripe, with good acidity and charming flavors of wild strawberry and red raspberry. The finish is on the short side, but this rosé is delightful while it’s on the palate.
If you want to find out exactly how good Prosecco can get, open a bottle of Altaneve Z ($45). Both the sources and methods for this wine are impeccable. The grapes come from an ancient, tiny hillside vineyard in Valdobbiadene, yielding enough for 1500 bottles each year. The wine goes through a seven-month extended secondary fermentation (compared to several weeks for the average Prosecco). It has a light straw color and a nose redolent of limestone and minerals. Dry yet luscious in the mouth, with flavors of citrus and stone fruits buoyed by good acidity, it makes an elegant and memorable statement on the palate. The finish is long and mouthwatering. An excellent match for fish, shellfish, poultry and other white meats, it would be a graceful addition to anyone’s table.
