Displaying items by tag: Prosecco

Summary:

In 2009 Prosecco was re-mapped in sweeping changes that created an extensive new zone for the production of Prosecco DOC on the plains of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia and elevated the traditional hillside growing areas of Conegliano Valdobbiadene to DOCG status, Italy's top denomination.

One of the innovations of the revised "Disciplinare di Produzione" ('production norms') of the DOCG was the categorization of the sub-zones called "Rive"  which are the subject of this webinar.  

We will be exploring the soil and climate features of the Prosecco Superiore Rive zones and matching them to wines which give a revealing insight into the subtle diversity and pure class of an Italian sparkler often perceived as a standardized commercial product.  

Presenter: Richard Baudains

Richard Baudains was born and brought up on the Island of Jersey, a formerly French-speaking part of the British Isles, hence the French surname. To satisfy his wanderlust he studied to become an English language teacher, a profession he has had the good fortune to pursue in many of Italy's top wine regions. He published his first article with Decanter in 1989 and has been writing about Italian wine for the same London-based magazine ever since.

He is a regional chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards, on the team of the Slow Wine Guide for Friuli Venezia Giulia and teaches M.A. Courses on Wine Journalism at the Università delle Scienze Gastronomiche. He has previously led webinars for the Wine Scholar Guild on the wines of the Collio and the macerated whites of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Outside of wine, he works as a Cambridge University English language examiner.  He lives in Gorizia.  

The story goes that a couple of years ago, at a high society charity event in Milan a noted British rock star was served a sparkling wine that impressed him so much that he asked to be introduced to its producer who happened to be present at the event, and to whom he is reported to have said “This is the greatest Prosecco I’ve ever tasted”. The wine was in fact a metodo classico riserva made by one of Franciacorta’s top producers. The anecdote may be apocryphal, but it could easily be true. The big wide world (and not only – the misconception is also becoming common in Italy) has started to perceive anything Italian with bubbles as Prosecco, without distinction of origin or refermentation method.

Summary: 

The winegrowing area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, historic birthplace of Prosecco, a wine that has skyrocketed to international popularity in a remarkably short period of time, is currently at a crossroads.

While some producers are happy to ride the huge wave of success by producing just what the market expects and wants, others are re-evaluating who they are and how to best express their long viticultural tradition and complex, multi-faceted terroir.

This webinar will pickup precisely where the previous one: Conegliano Valdobbiadene left off, providing profiles of many of the wines, wineries and producers — big and small, old and new — that exemplify the many aspects that make the winegrowing area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene truly unique.

Presenter: Alan Tardi

Alan Tardi first became interested in wine through food, working as a cook, chef, and chef-owner in New York City.

As a freelance food and wine journalist, Tardi has authored numerous articles for publications including The New York Times, Wine & Spirits Magazine, The Wine Spectator, Decanter, and Sommelier Journal.

In 2003, Alan moved to the village of Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo region of Italy, where he spent several years working in the surrounding vineyards and wineries through all phases of the growing and production process.

This led to his first book, 'Romancing the Vine: Life, Love and Transformation in the Vineyards of Barolo' (St Martins Press, 2006), which won a James Beard Award for Best Wine and Spirits Book of 2006.

In 2015, Tardi became the first-ever US Ambassador of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco.

His new book, “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the World’s Most Celebrated Drink” (Hachette 2016) recently won a Gourmand Best in the World Award.

Summary: 

Sure, everyone knows Prosecco — or at least thinks they do.

But most people are familiar with only the very tip of the iceberg, which also happens to be the simplest, most commercial part of it.

In this webinar we’ll take a close look at the unique winegrowing area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, located in the hills north of Venice where Prosecco was born, to get a clear understanding of what distinguishes it from other sparkling wines, especially Prosecco DOC: of its incredibly complex and diverse terroir; and of the many different typologies, styles and production methods that are utilized to express the extraordinary landscape and long viticultural traditions of this area.

Presenter: Alan Tardi

Glera is the principal grape of Prosecco sparkling wine. Originally the grape was known as Prosecco (more precisely Prosecco Tondo). The variety has an unclear origin and an even more complicated ampelographic history due to the fact that several distinct varieties have been called “Prosecco-something” in northeast Italy since the 18th century. The grape is late-ripening and prone to both fungal diseases and water stress. It is widely planted in the province of Treviso.