Tag: Prosecco

Tasting

Amarone in the streets, Recioto in the sheets, Raboso if you cancel on me.

Posted on by Josh

I can now cross Utah off the list of places I’ve been, y’all. Apparently the aggressive snowfall stopped for the 24 hours a colleague and I went to Park City for a work thing, so the snowy mountains were a nice distraction from the frigid air I sometimes despise. Anyways, I got sick when I got back, because the elevations of Park City actually can allegedly fuck you up. I didn’t believe our driver from the airport, but there you go.

I always recall a particular Veneto 2014 wine sesh (damn, was it 2014?!) where we did the typical run of Veneto wines along with a wine made from the relatively obscure Raboso grape, which basically means “angry” – maybe due to its big tannic bite.… read more

Tasting

Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri 2017: On Prosecco, Italy’s power bottom

Posted on by Josh

I have no real desire to flesh out this (very real) analogy to fruition, but should it end up inadvertently educating you, my job here is done!

I have even less desire to write another several paragraphs about how much I think people should ditch the tank method Italian sparkling for something yeastier and Maillard-esque. Sorry, guys: sometimes Prosecco is exactly what you need when you’re recording a drag podcast at 11AM on a Monday with your friend who’s in Barcelona (his clock: 8PM). Stop telling me to ditch pears for dough, and soft padding for the sting of overinflated volleyballs. Which were never passed to me in high school gym class, anyways.

It’s obvious that the suited sommeliers don’t flock to bottles of Prosecco at events like San Francisco’s Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri tasting, and instead, place all focus on Italy’s rightly famed reds.… read more

Quaffing · Tasting

The good, the bad, and the bubbly: 9 bottles to bathe in

Posted on by Josh

Okay – not literally, obviously, but I’m waiting for Gwyneth Paltrow’s new beauty regime that involves using a specific wines as exfoliants and face mask ingredients. Chardonnay from Puligny-Montrachet? Fuck that, she would say, with the flick of a finger. Chassagne-Montrachet is where it’s at. Or blanc de blancs Champagne, only from the 1996 vintage. And, of course, cucumber slices. Maybe an avocado.

Anyways, here’s a random collection of bub. I’ve finally tried a legit sparkling Nebbiolo after having joked about it for so long, and then there’s also a birth year bottle of Dom Pérignon, a stunningly electric sparkling British Columbian Riesling, and a collection of other cool and uncool bottles. It’s become suddenly warm in Vancouver, and I broke the summer hiking seal on the last day of March.… read more

Tasting

20 Prosecchi because Champagne is hella expensive and it’s only Tuesday

Posted on by Josh

The thing is that Prosecco can be like a Top 40 pop star whose songs all start sounding the same, which isn’t a bad thing – because I will literally dance to 80s Madonna even if it starts to play during a formal speech by the Prime Minister – in the same way that I’d down Prosecco regardless of the occasion. But yes: like Champagne, Prosecco seems to be all in the branding, but unlike the French bubbly, I feel that the Italian counterpart lacks a depth of individualism within its style. Of course, there exists the distinction between the higher-quality Conegliano and Valdobbiadene regions, the former that yields fruitier wines with some bitterness, and the latter being a bit more floral and subtle.… read more

Tasting

12 other white Italian grapes for when you’re over Pinot Grigio

Posted on by Josh

It’s clear that we’ve taken a departure from the experimental seminars of 2015’s Australia to the tacit themes of longevity and traditionalism of 2016’s theme of Italy for the Vancouver International Wine Festival. It’s expected that the colossal tasting room is skewed towards the stars of Tuscany, Piedmont, and Veneto, so this leaves the underdogs few and far between. There is not one Dolcetto (yeah I know: who cares) nor one pearl-clutching Franciacorta being poured during the whole festival, nor are there enough Montepulciano for me to make a terrible d’Ab(ruzzo) joke, so last year’s boner for Australian Touriga Nacional would have to be partially satiated by a seminar on all things white and distinctively not Pinot Grigio. I often find the whites of Italy frustratingly subtle – which probably says more about my taste above anything else – but this’ll be a nice opportunity to break things down past this pigeonhole.… read more

Tasting

“Il Veneto In Un Bicchiere”

Posted on by Josh

A late post from December 30, 2014. I’m the worst.

ilvenetoinunbicchiere

Even in the winter, I shave my head every four days. I’m used to the brisk air and I sort of enjoy it, but there’s the unfortunate coincidence when Shave Day collides with a wine event, because that means I have to be judicious with how much I moisturize my head. The first rule of any wine event is to skip the cologne or perfume entirely – and I don’t wear cologne anyways – but sometimes I secretly break that rule, all in the name of male pattern baldness. Why are there no slow-motion hair commercials for guys like me with Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten playing in the background?

Thankfully, the wines of the Veneto are generally lively enough to pair with the subtle flowery scents of my head, and brisk enough to pair with a sunny winter day.… read more

WSET Diploma

“What I Like About You” – The Romantics: NV Adami “Vigneto Giardino” Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Dry

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon-green, bubbles
Nose: clean, med intensity, youthful, mineral, candied green fruit, green apple, pear, hint citrus, sprite/7-up
Mouth: off-dry, creamy mousse, med acid, med- body, med- alcohol, med+ flavour intensity, med length, mineral, candied green apple, pear
All in all: Good (to very good) quality: this unmistakable Prosecco is intense in its Prosecco-y characteristics, has a creamy mousse, and a balanced mouthfeel. Though wholly fresh, the acid could be a tad higher. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced Non-Vintage Prosecco from Italy.
Is really: High-priced Non-Vintage Prosecco from Italy.

NV Adami "Vigneto Giardino" Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Dry[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 5]

Prosecco – Its intrinsic liveliness at its best always reminds me of the music that you find yourself jamming to no matter who you are.… read more

WSET Diploma

That one song you secretly like but aren’t supposed to: NV Valdo “Marca Oro” Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon-green, bubbles
Nose: clean, med intensity, youthful, mineral, green apple, pear, citrus, hint herbaceous, flint, floral
Mouth: off-dry, aggressive mousse, med acid, med- body, med- alcohol, med flavour intensity, green apple, mineral, citrus, pear, hint herbaceous, med+ finish
All in all: Good quality: the wine has structural balance and a relatively long finish, though the flavours are a bit simple and delicate. Drink now; not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Inexpensive Non-Vintage Sekt from Germany.
Is really: Mid-priced Non-Vintage Prosecco from Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG, Veneto, Italy.

NV Valdo "Marca Oro" Valdobbiadene Prosecco Extra Dry[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 3]

Okay so for some reason I flat out thought this was lower quality than it was. I would like to go ahead and apologize to this wine, who did nothing but try to please me with its bubbly goodness.… read more

WSET Advanced

NV Mionetto Treviso Brut Prosecco

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Notes:

Eyes: clear, pale lemon, large bubbles
Nose: clean, med intensity, youthful, bubble gum, cotton candy, pear drops
Mouth: dry with a sweet impression, med bodied, low to med- acid, med length, low alcohol
All in all: Good quality; drink now.

Prosecco is one of those bubblys that I feel has a bad reputation. More than often people assume that it’ll be sweet – which isn’t entirely false, but its unpopularity might be due to the fact that it has that less serious personality – especially if it has fun packaging like this (but that being said, it’s not so hard to find more serious Prosecchi. Usually.). 

And ironically enough, this was like sparkling white Beaujolais Nouveau and happened to get a solid 2.5… read more