Monday, 4 May 2009
Lately, due to a combination of financial constraints and the fact that the local library has a pile of them, I’ve been reading Donna Leon Commissario Brunetti stories. As I finish each volume I pass it on to ‘Er Indoors, who’s becoming a fan as well. Over dinner last night she inquired whether I thought it strange that the equivalent of a police inspector should go home for lunch and a couple of glasses of wine almost every day. After all, he’s going back on duty in the afternoon, and he has important investigations to carry out.
Brunetti grew up in Venice, and consequently never needed to learn to drive, which delivers a degree of alcoholic flexibility that might not be possible in another environment, and in the Brunetti stories, when acquaintances meet in the street there are almost invariable inquiries as to whether the other party feels inclined to indulge in un’ ombra, which apparently translates as a pick-me-up. When the invitation is accepted there’s every chance that the drink involved will be a glass of Prosecco, which Venetians regard as an ideal aperitif or ombrette.
We encountered Prosecco in the King Valley when we called in to Dal Zotto Wines in early 2007, and liked it enough to include a bottle in the mixed dozen we selected from their range.
Dal Zotto produce L'Immigrante Prosecco Sparkling ($36.00) and Pucino Prosecco ($17.50) and were the pioneers of the style in Australia, with plantings going in during the 1990s, sourced from an elderly Italian from Adelaide who’d imported the vines from his homeland.
As noted elsewhere, I’d started to feel pangs of conscience following my failure to follow through with an order for some of the Tarrango from Brown Brothers when the latest issue of the Epicurean arrived in the mail box and I noted the $99 Latest Release Pack comprising Prosecco, Viognier, Albarino, Petit Verdot, Nero d’Avola and Sparkling Shiraz. The Prosecco wasn’t the only factor behind the decision to order a couple of packs but it did provide a substantial contribution.
We’re not big consumers of bubbles here in the Little House of Concrete, but I try to keep at least one bottle in the fridge, and when Madam wanted something to celebrate the first anniversary of her blog, the choice came down to the Jansz Non-Vintage Cuvee or the Brown Brothers Prosecco. The fact that the Jansz ran second gives some indication of our reaction to our previous sampling of Prosecco.
So, what is Prosecco?
Basically, you’re looking at a dry sparkling wine made from a variety of the same name originating in the foothills of the Alps north of Treviso in the Veneto region of Italy. It’s a variety that may date back to Roman times and the name is derived from the village of Prosecco.
Rather than methode champenoise, Prosecco is usually produced using the charmat process, in which the secondary fermentation (the one that produces the bubbles) takes place in pressurised stainless steel tanks rather than in bottles, which would need to be hand-turned and, more than likely, aged for a couple of years to develop complexity. Prosecco is all about the flavour of the grapes and should taste fresh, light and comparatively simple. Given those factors and a relatively low alcohol content (usually 11-12% alc/vol) it’s an ideal everyday drinking or aperitif style, suited as a match for seafood, salad and light pasta dishes.
The Brown Brothers version is a pale gold straw-coloured wine with a delicate bead, citrus and other fruit notes on the nose and a crisp palate with a slight lemony tang. Easy drinking, and an ideal summer style. Cellar Door $18.90/Epicurean Club $17.01), given its status as a new release may not be generally available.