Wine Review: As summer wraps up, celebrate National Prosecco Day

Prepare yourself! The big day is rapidly approaching. It would be a pity if it came upon you suddenly, and you were not prepared. The day that I am referring to is Wednesday, Aug. 13 – which has been unofficially declared to be National Prosecco Day. Prosecco is an affordable and exuberant way to celebrate, and what is more fun than a celebration? National Prosecco Day can also be a way to celebrate a person you love, like or even respect, while still keeping the budget from exploding. It is also a great way to repair difficulties with family, friends and acquaintances that may have occurred during the past year. To put it simply, a bottle of prosecco can mend many fences.

To begin with, I return to my ancestral language of Brooklynese: Prosecco ain’t Champagne, and Champagne ain’t prosecco, although they do share some similarities. Prosecco is a bulk-processed wine. By contrast, Champagne is fermented in the bottle that goes on sale, thus, it requires a much more involved process before it is finished, resulting in a much higher selling price. To the consumer, the major difference between French Champagne and Italian prosecco, besides their prices, is that Champagne is made with a blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes, while prosecco is 100% made from the very Italian glera grape. Another difference between the two sparkling wines is that Champagne uses aged grapes, while prosecco is made to be enjoyed while it is young and still offers a fresh fruit flavor and aroma.

La Marca Extra Dry Prosecco ($18)
La Marca Prosecco lies in the midrange between dry and sweet, and I believe that this wine can please both 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, La Marca 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 and many situations where something special is called for.

Ca’ Di Rajo Prosecco ($14)
This is a very interesting and pleasant wine. All of the traditional flavors and aromas are there, the apple, peach and the citrus. In the case of this wine, however; they are presented in a way that each flavor can easily be detected. A mineral element joins, blends with and accentuates the fruit. The carbonation in this wine seems to be persistent, even when the wine has been in the glass for a reasonable length of time. The best way to sum up this prosecco is that it is an exceptional wine at an equally exceptional price and is definitely a wine that will please everyone who tastes it.

Valdo Marca Oro Brut Prosecco ($19)
Valdo Brut Prosecco is a quality sparkling wine that will be a sure hit at dinner or when entertaining and does so at a very attractive price. Two things are immediately noticeable when the wine is poured: its greenish-golden color and the constant stream of very fine bubbles, both signs of a better wine. The aroma is a compendium of summer flowers, with honeysuckle being the most obvious. The flavor is crisp, with a pleasant lemon-like flavor backed up by a fresh bread-like sensation and ending with the impression of toasted nuts. All of these aromas are reprised in the flavor, with the addition of grapefruit and spice.

If you are seeking a sparkling wine, you can never go wrong with prosecco.

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