Varietal: Prosecco (100% Glera grapes)
Region: Italy
Cost: $9-$12
Winemaker’s Notes: Light and refreshing with a nose that shows hints of white peach, grapefruit, and honey-dew melon. The fine effervescence gives way to creamy flavors of ripe lemons and refined citrus notes with a toasted brioche finish. Medium froth, our Prosecco is reminiscent of lemon meringue pie. Pair with gorgonzola crostini and prosciutto wrapped melon.
My Review: Bubbles are one of those things I find in my fridge more and more often. It’s not that I’d had anything against sparkling wines in the past, just that I hadn’t made a point of keeping them on hand. However, a few really good experiences with sparkling wines, and a good friend that drinks them almost exclusively, has lead to me at least always perusing the sparkling aisle at whatever wine shop at happen to be in.
On a recent trip to a new grocery store with my wife, I came across an end-cap featuring a smattering of Cupcake Vineyards wines. I’d tried (and reviewed) several of them, but was interested to see they had recently added a Prosecco to their offerings. Not one to pass on something to write about, I grabbed a bottle to be enjoyed later. Later just happened to be last night.
Since Wednesdays deserve all the celebration they can get, my wife and I decided to pair the Cupcake Vineyards Prosecco with a pasta dish we had prepared a few nights before and had sitting in the fridge just waiting to go in the oven. Now, before I talk about the wine in great depth, I feel obliged to speak on the dinner. There is a chain of Italian restaurants called The Macaroni Grill where my wife and worked at some years ago (and in fact met at), which features a dish, their signature dish mind you, known as the Penne Rustica. It’s a mix of penne pasta, chicken, shrimp, prosciutto, and seasoning all in a gratinata sauce and baked with cheese on the top. It’s very delicious and I do recommend it. Ok, on to the wine.
The Prosecco was very light in the glass, nearly clear, and I caught hints of a green color when it was in just the right light. On the nose I got a fairly generic citrus aroma, and not much of one to be honest. In the mouth I picked up notes of peach and a hint of a toasted bread on the finish. All in all, it was fairly middle of the road with nothing to really make it stand out. However, I’d still recommend giving it a try. Why you ask? Because this wine very much fell into the category of “table bubbles” for me – it wasn’t spectacular or earth shaking, but it also wasn’t a disappointment, especially for around $10.
If you want to give it a try yourself and can’t find a bottle at your local shop, you can always follow this link and have some sent directly to your home or office.
