Things to know about Prosecco

Recently I went to a Bisol family Prosecco wine tasting. I haven't had much experience of Prosecco thinking it a cheap alternative to champagne. I was pleasantly surprised and learned a lot. The wines below were what I tried last night and can be bought at Harrods.

What's the difference between Champagne and Prosecco?

Things I learned about Prosecco:

Prosecco wine is a crisp sparkling white wine with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Prosecco is a term applied to a specific type of wine as well as the grape that is used to make it.

Where is Prosecco made?

Prosecco is the area the Glera grapes are grown in. The Glera grape is primarily grown in a region of Italy known as Veneto. It is also grown in the Valdobbiadene and Conegliano wine regions, both north of Venice. The wines above are from the Valdobbiadene region. Prosecco grapes ripen later than most other grapes.

What grapes are used to make Prosecco?

The grapes to make Prosecco are called Glera, there is no such thing as a Prosecco grape. No black grapes are allowed in the Prosecco region.

What's the difference between spumante and frizzante?

Prosecco grapes are used to make two types of sparking wine. They can be used to make spumante, a dry sparkling wine, or frizzante wines, which are semi-sparkling.

Prosecco Cocktail Recipes

There are two specific cocktails that call for Prosecco wine. Bellinis are a favourite cocktail of mine and are made by mixing peach puree with the sparkling wine. Prosecco, vodka, and cranberry juice are the ingredients of the Poinsettia cocktail. Both of these are lovely and refreshing cocktails; with Bellinis lovely during warm weather months and Poinsettas being delicious and perfect for Christmas parties.

Things I learned about other wines, champagne and whiskey

1. Chianti is a food wine.

2. When matching food with wine you need a wine with high acidity. Acidity is not a flavour it's when saliva washes away the food in the mouth.

3. 95% of all wine produced today is not made for ageing - it's made for drinking straight away (excluding fortified wines).

4. Most champagnes are meant to be kept for c.five years.

5. The most expensive bottle of whiskey was a Dalmore 64 Trinitas selling for £100,000 for a bottle. There were three bottles produced blending three vintages, the oldest from 1860 and the youngest from the 1920s. The third bottle was purchased by Harrods and was resold at £120,000

And finally....

Q: How many bubbles are there in a bottle of champagne?

A: 7 million


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White Wines

BEL STAR Prosecco DOC Spumante Brut N/V c.£8

JEIO Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Spumante c.£13

BISOL CRU CREDE Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Spumante Brut 2010 c.£18

BISOL VIGNENTI DEL FOL Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Spumante Extra Dry 2009 c.£25

BISOL CRU CARTIZZE Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore di Cartizze DOCG Spumante 2010 c.£25

JEIO ROSE Spumante Brut N/V (30% pinot noir and 70% merlot)

BISOL Millesimato Talento Metodo Classico Riserva 2001 c.£28

Red Wines

COLLEZIONE di PAOLO Chianti Riserva 2006

AGRICOLA PUNICA BARRUA Sardegna IGT 2007