Wines and Spirits

A Prosecco Called by Any Other Name....

If there"s one thing I"ve learned from my wine education, it"s the importance of understanding one of my favorite alcoholic beverages - sparkling wines.ч  Specifically, Prosecco. Prosecco is an Italian wine and the grape that it is made with.ч  It is also another wine region pushing for stronger designation of origin laws so that the good stuff that a certain region produces doesn"t go to the wayside while lesser producers from Brazil, California, hell, Alaska,ч  slap (willy-nilly) the word "Prosecco"ч  on the bottles they produce and sell at lesser prices. To be clear, it isn"t that those bubbles produced in California, Brazil, Alaska can"t be as tasty.ч  It"s the principle of it.ч  And some people will hoot and holler that that attitude is old-fashioned.ч  So be it, and call me old-fashioned, but I think it"s only right and proper. Protected designations of origin can be confusing at best.ч  And the highest designation given to a wine (or cheese, or ham) doesn"t necessarily mean one is purchasing the best product for the money spent. The law - notably enforced throughout Italy, Spain, and France - is in place to protect reputations of regional wines, foods, and other agricultural products. But in a world rife with unfair competitors willing to mislead consumers, knowing and understanding these laws can come in handy. Italian Proseccos have fast risen in popularity as a substitute for French Champagnes.ч  They are often just as satisfying while costing a quarter to a third of the price.ч  But just like Champagne, Prosecco producers are currently fighting for the very name "Prosecco" as other sparkling wine makers the world over have begun slapping the name (and many variants) on their bottles; believing, rightly, that their product will sell. In the case of Prosecco - a proper Prosecco - the wines should hail from the Veneto region of Italy.ч  Specifically (and one should look for these names on the bottle), Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.ч  It worth noting, in regards to Proseccos, that the DOC status actually does make a difference.ч  And although they may be a titch more costly than those bubbles that are not produced in the Veneto, they can be just as satisfying and delicious as a fine bottle of Champagne. And for a quarter or a third of the price, one may as well pick up two.

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