Opinion: Enjoy popping the cork with these proseccos

We have all seen those bottles of prosecco that are packaged with a mushroom-shaped cork and a wire frame holding it to the bottle as though they were Champagne. Prosecco wines are not Champagne and never were intended to be Champagne. Proseccos do, however, offer one thing that the labor-intensive Champagne cannot possibly offer or even match: a fine carbonated wine at a very affordable price.

Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine made from the glera grape that has been fermented and carbonated by a system called the Charmat process. To describe the Charmat process simply, the grapes are crushed, then fermented in sealed, stainless steel tanks. The carbon dioxide (the bubbles), which is a by-product of the fermentation process, is not vented to the air but trapped and redirected back into the fermenter to naturally carbonate the wine. The process is simple, exceptionally cost effective and the wine is ready to drink in a much shorter time than Champagne. Prosecco’s affordable price allows the wine to be used exactly as a sparkling wine was intended to be used, as a mealtime beverage. There is, however, one place where Champagne and prosecco do meet, and that is in the identification of the sweetness of the wines. The sweet prosecco wines are labeled dry, extra dry or demi sec, while the truly dry wines are labeled brut or extra brut. I know that this can be a bit confusing, but the classifications are centuries old designations and are still in use.

 Brilla Demi Sec Prosecco Rose ($20)
A question must arise, how do you get a rose wine from the white glera grape? The answer is simple: ferment the grapes with the skins of pinot noir grapes. What results is a wine that exhibits the flavor and aroma of the glera grapes with gentile nuances derived from the pinot noir. The aroma is a feast of apple, peach and a citrus note that melds with the aroma of summer flowers and remains with the wine to a full-flavored finish. There is another item of interest about this wine and that is the bottle it comes in. The entire bottle is etched in an interesting manner that allows light to accentuate the color of the wine. The label is also a point of interest as it is decorated with tiny dot-like sprinkles which also reflect the light. Discounting its optical beauty, this is a very nice, sweet wine.

Valdo Marca Oro Brut Prosecco ($15)
For the reader who prefers a more dry wine, there is the Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco Brut. Made in the classical dry style, this wine accents the aroma of apples which is balanced by citrus, peach and honeysuckle aromas. There is also a very interesting minerality in the background that adds an extra touch of interest and continues on to the finish. This is an exceptional wine that can fit in any situation where a dry sparkling wine is called for.

La Marca Extra Dry Prosecco ($18)
The La Marca Prosecco lies in the mid-range between dry and sweet and I believe that this wine can please all wine drinkers: those who like their wines dry and those who like their wines sweet as it lies in the happy zone between both styles. Here, too, it is the melding of green apple, fresh peach and ripe lemon that produces a prosecco that can fit well in almost every situation that calls for a sparkling wine.

Ca’ Di Rajo Extra Dry Prosecco ($14)
This is a very interesting wine. All traditional flavors and aromas are there – the apple, peach and citrus. In the case of this wine, however, they are presented in a way that each can easily be easily detected. Here too, there is also a mineral element that joins, blends with and accentuates the fruit. The best way to sum up this prosecco is that it is an exceptional wine at an equally exceptional price.

Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.