We are in the dog days of August 2023 in Chicago, it’s hot, humid and the time, when an ice cold drink hits the spot, like an Aperol Spritz ( Aperol, Prosecco, Soda water). When it comes to Prosecco, most consumers think of the low priced, sugary, fizzy wine that comes in the La Marca light blue box or the orange Mionetto, whose grapes are sourced across the region of Friuli, and the Veneto and grown on flat plains. However, there is a small hilly wine region, tucked into northeastern Italy that is producing elevated, delicate, superior Proseccos, that are more in line with the highest quality Champagnes than the Prosecco used for spritzes. This wine growing area, the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superior DOCG zone, is located between the 2 towns of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano and the wines can be a good friend to sommeliers looking for a diner/food/budget friendly, unique, sparkling wine for a wine list. I was introduced to these wines at a dinner at Avec last month, here in Chicago, sponsored by the Consorzio.
June/July 2023 was sparkling wine time for me. I had won the Ruinart blind tasting competition in Chicago in May, and was invited on a week long trip in June, with other sommeliers from around the world to learn about the Champagne region, Ruinart, and their vineyards. One key element of the trip I took back, was the importance of the terroir, soil, aspect to the sun, elevation, and climate, on the quality of grapes grown. At the Valdobbiadene dinner, we were given a comprehensive book, based on 10+ years of in-depth study on “The Terroirs of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Wines, A Study of the Origins of Quality in the Hills of the Unesco Heritage Site” edited by Diego Tomasi, who was present at the dinner and Federica Gaiotti. The uniqueness of the terroir and the attention to detail in the vineyard and cellar, that I saw and learned about in the Champagne region, ensured the high quality of the grapes grown there. All these elements that go into the production of fine wines that I witnessed in Champagne, i learned were present and practiced in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region to produce superior Proseccos, a completely different wine than the mass produced Proseccos used for spritzes. Fine wines are made due to superior product, the grapes, and the attention to detail in the winery. The quality of grapes are determined by the specific place and vineyard practices where they are grown. The wine region of Conegliano Valdobbiadene is unique and a Unesco heritage site, the main grape grown is the native glera grape, which gives the wines their own specific aromas and flavors. Below, I will outline the attributes of the region that make it so unique and majestic, the distinct aromas and flavors of the glera grape and the “must know” and “must sip” Rive Proseccos, produced from specific, historical vineyard plots, known overtime for producing the highest quality fruits. We need more of these Rive Proseccos in Chicago, and I will explain why below.
The Specialness of the Place, the Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco
Zeroing in on where the wine regions lies, it is found in the northeast corner of the Veneto region, 50 km from Venice to the south and 100km from the Dolomite mountains in the north. The DOCG area includes 15 communes: Cison di Valmarino, Colle Umberto, Conegliano, Farra di Soligo, Follina, Miane, Pieve di Soligo, Refrontolo, San Pietro di Feletto, San Vendemiano, Susegana, Tarzo, Valdobbiadene, Vidor and Vittorio Veneto. The growing area is 8710 hectares compared to the larger Prosecco DOC of 23,300 hectares. The Prosecco DOC was established in 1969 and grew to such proportions, that the higher quality subregion of Conegliano Valdobbiadene finally gained its own DOCG status in 2009 to distinguish the quality difference and to recognize the historical growing and wine-making practices in the region.
m
The Treviso hills of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region were declared a Unesco World heritage site in 2019. When the African plate collided with the pre-Alps, layers of rock were pushed up, over time the rock eroded into a series of parallel hills called hogbacks. Historically, on these hills which are very steep, growers created terraces of grass, rather than rock like they used in the Douro for their socalcos. These grassy terraces are called ciglioni. The traditional vine training system used is called the bellusera or ray system to fight downy mildew. All these elements, tiny vineyard plots, walking tracks connecting the vineyards, forests, olive groves, combined to create a checkerboard landscape that makes this area unique. The soil structure is a combination of sedimentary soils from glacial flows and ancient marine sediments of marl and sandstone. Given the diversity of soils, slopes and sun exposures, many different microclimates exist within the region giving each vineyard a slightly different character. In his extensive study on the terroirs of the region, Diego Tommasi divides the area into an eastern and western segment and then does a scientific deep dive into the 8 growing zones (terroirs) of the eastern section and the 11 zones (terroirs) of the western sector.
The Rive Wines
Within these growing zones exist the 43 Rives, which are specific vineyard sites, the name derives from riverbank, historically the best wines were made from grapes grown on the steep banks of the rivers. You could equate Rives somewhat to the French ‘lieu-dit”, historical spots known for growing the highest quality grapes. Some of the Rives are named after communes, some are place names or historical names. You could also equate them to grower champagnes because they are Prosecco Superior made from specific plots. We tasted them at the Avec dinner and they are delicious. The issue in Chicago is, that not many are imported and distributed at the moment, but they are worth seeking out!!!! The ones I tasted at dinner are listed below.
Glera, the Grape and Its Attributes
The glera grape, formally known as the prosecco grape, most likely originated in the town of Prosecco in the region of Friuli and then was brought to the Treviso region which is the epicenter of top quality prosecco (D’Agata). The glera grape is a white, semi-aromatic grape that has many biotypes and Tomasi goes into the relationships and characteristics of the different biotypes in his book. However, the main attributes are floral notes from benzenoids and terpenes, rose, geranium, spice, citrus, exotic fruit. Since the winemaking in general is the tank aka charmat/martinotti method, where the second fermentation takes place in the tank, the focus of the wines are on freshness. Tomasi goes into great length on how the different terroirs bring out more or less of these characteristics and they are most distinctive in the Rive wines which represent these specific places. Unlike champagne which always undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle, lees ageing and a dosage after disgorgement determining the sweetness of the wine, the DOCG Proseccos are about freshness, floral, fruit and mineral notes although some do undergo lees ageing in bottle or the tank.
All the wines paired well with the Mediterranean Meets the Midwest cuisine which had proteins, meat and fish but vegetables and lots of middle eastern spices incorporated into the plates. The wines had nice but not ultra high acidity like champagne so in fact, were a bit more versatile in pairing with the different plates. The wines poured are listed below.
Wines
- Adami Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Nature Sui Lieviti Col Fondo 2021 Col Fondo – Second fermentation in the bottle rather than a tank, unfiltered and unfined. Sui Leviti – second fermentation in bottle, never disgorged 100% glera, green apple, bread crust, wet dough
2. Bellenda Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut Rive di Carpesica 2020 Sei Uno Metodo Classico Metodo Classico so the wine is disgorged, apple, hazelnut, rosemary
3. Le Manzane Conegliano Prosecco Superior DOCG Extra Brut Rive di Formeniga 2022 “Spring Blue” 100% glera apple, floral lily, lilac, sage
4. Gemin Valdobiaddene Prosseco Superiore Extra Brut Rive di Santo Stefano 2021 Pioniere On lees 180 days 50 year old vines, floral, rich, mineral
5. Val D’Oca Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut Rive di San Pietro di Barbozza 2022 floral, acacia, lemon, pear, apple, dry, fresh
6. Bortolomini Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut Millesimato 2022 Ius Nature Organic Floral, lemon, pear, apple, mineral notes, delicate, fresh
7. Valdo Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut floral, pear, golden apple, fresh, bright
8. Le Colture Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG Dry The Cartizze slope is the “Grand Cru” slope of the region and grapes are picked extra ripe and the wines are dry (17-32 grams RS). This wine paired beautifully with the toasted olive oil cake with strawberries and black lime.
As the demand for sparkling wine continues to increase, the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG and specifically, the Rive wines can be great “go to” bottles for finicky customers about flavor, sweetness or price. They are delicate, fine wines coming in at an earthly price, we just need access to more of them in the distribution/importer network in the Chicago area and on retail shelves. They truly are superior Proseccos. Salute!
Traveling By The Glass 