Upping the Game with Asolo Prosecco

This month I’m joining the Wine Pairing Weekend crew (#WinePW) as the host, Andrea of the Quirky Cork, selected the theme of sparkling wines from around the world.  I had attended a virtual tasting during the Thanksgiving timeframe hosted by the Asolo Prosecco Consortium and Studio Cru and tasted some wonderful wines I wanted to share with you today. Susan Gordon guided us through the presentation and overview of the history, land and a look into these wines.  We were also joined by the President of the Consortium, Ugo Zamperoni.   

The Asolo Prosecco Consortium includes 80% of the producers for this area with over 400 growers and 44 winemakers.  There are 3 different Prosecco designations.   There are those from the general Prosecco DOC area that covers a diverse and large territory.  They produce close to 560 million bottles in 2021 due to their size.  Then there is the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG that I’ve always been a big advocate for.  They produce about 100 million bottles as of 2021.  Lastly, are those from the Asolo DOCG I’m sharing today (one of my new favorites, shhhh).  This appellation will come close to produce about 20 million bottles in 2021 with about 60% exported to the US market.  The last two Prosecco wine appellations are separated by the Piave River and what I consider to be the higher end quality for Prosecco. 

The Prosecco wines that hail from the Asolo Superiore DOCG are located at the foot of Monte Grappa, the Venetian Prealps.  To the north are the Dolomites alpine range and to the south is the Po Valley with Venice about 40 miles away.  The vineyards are situated on the right bank of the Piave river and are spread across 7 hills and 18 communes within the Treviso province.  In total, the vineyards cover 4,900 acres, but only about 6% of the land.  A large majority of the area is covered by forests.  Many of the trees of the area were used to build the towns and boats in Venice.   

The viticulture in Asolo is rather hilly with an average slope of 20%, with some slopes reaching up to 40%.  The grapes receive an ideal climate with very hot days and very cool nights along with winds blowing in from the Alps and the Adriatic Sea that sweep across the land.  The soil here is mostly clay with morainic soil from the ancient glaciers.   

The Wines 

I’m sharing my wines in order of my personal preference.  Again, this is all based on personal taste as I like my sparkling wines higher in residual sugar, which is the complete opposite to how I like my red wines.  What’s important to understand are the different levels of residual sugar from the higher side of residual sugars to the drier wines. 

• Dry (17-32 grams per liter RS) making up 2.3% production  
• Extra Dry (12-17 gram per liter RS) making up 72.7% of the production 
• Brut (less than 12 grams per liter RS) making up 17.8% production 
• Extra Brut (less than 6 grams per liter RS) making up 2.5% production 

The DOCG defines the Asolo Prosecco Superiore wines as showing “citrus (lemon), fine and delicate honey notes, aromas of ripe apple, white flowers and good acidity”.  These wines are made up of at least a minimum of 85% Glera.  Some producers may use 100% Glera, but they are allowed to add up to 15% of the following grapes: Verdiso Perera, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Glera Lunga, Raboso and Marzemina Bianca.  

The Rive della Chiesa Gasparetto Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry wine was made from 100% of the Glera grape grow on red soils 250 meters above sea level.  The winery is located in the Montello area and is managed by the 2nd generation of family members since the winery was established in the 60’s.  Their vineyards occupy about 93 acres and the grapes for this wine are sourced from the best.     

 

Floral aromas of green apple, this wine had a soft efferevescence that was fresh with juicy apples.  Very easy drinking with a slight saltiness on the finish.  17 grams per liter of residual sugar.  SRP $14. ABV 11%.  Importer: DB Wine Selection in Massachusetts. 

The 2020 Dal Bello Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Millesimato Extra Dry comes from the Magre vineyard in the town of Asolo.  The winery was founded in the mid-50's by Vittorio Dal Bello.  The vineyards are situated 200 meters above sea level across 99 acres spread across 5 villages. 

The wine was softly pressed upon harvest with added yeasts.  It was fermented for 15 days and then in stainless until secondary fermentation took place.  It’s further fermented in an autoclave for 50 days before it’s refined 30 days in the bottle.  Pale straw, brightly colored.  Floral aromatics of apples and pear present on the palate as well.  Elegant bubbles showing nice, clean fruit with a tingly sapidity on the finish that lingered.  SRP $18.  ABV 11%.  Importer: Vinity. 

Next is the A3 La Tordera Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut.  This winery is located in Maser, one of the 18 communes, that is just a couple miles outside the town of Asolo.  The Vettoretti family that owns the winery is born and raised in the Valdobbiadene wine appellation and has been in the wine industry for over 100 years.  They have vineyards in a number of areas including also in the Asolo appellation covering over 173 acres in total.  Some interesting aspects I read on this winery is that they use 50% less sulphites than the legal amount and 70% of their energy sources are renewable.   

The A3 La Tordera Asolo Prosecco Superiore is pale straw colored and drier than the others I tried with 3 grams of residual sugar.  Again, florally aromas of pears and apple while nice and crisp and fresh on the palette.  SRP $10.  ABV 11.5%. Importer: Schneidesr of Capitol Hill (cellar.com). 

Pairings 

I chose to pair these wines with a shrimp scampi as I try to enrich my diet into the new year with more seafood.  I’ve also read some folks pair Prosecco with popcorn so I tried some out while cooking.  It went surprisingly well and the butter flavor took away some of the sweetness in the Prosecco for those that were Brut and Extra Dry, but balanced it out well.   

I learned a lot of my cooking from my mom whom shared one of my favorite recipes she cooks, a Mediterranean Shrimp Scampi.  I served it over some whole wheat pasta with added chopped tomatoes, parsley and feta cheese.  A pairing that went delightfully well!  

During the virtual tasting it was recommended also to pair these Prosecco from Asolo with sopresa, a soft local salami, an herbal cheese (I.e. Bastardo del Grappe or Casatella), boiled meats or baccala. 

I loved the aromatics of these wines and the salinity that I picked up on all these wines.  I still have a few other Asolo Prosecco yet to sample and will either update this post or write one another once I try them.  In the meantime join my fellow wine lovers as they share their choice of sparkling wines from around the world.  Catch us live on Twitter this Saturday @ #WinePW at 11am EST.   

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm bubbles over about Celebrating Little Christmas in Michigan with a Local Bubbly
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla sabers open Gelukkige Nuwe Jaar with Pannekoeke + Boschendal Brut Rosé 
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass cracks open Cava: Because everybody needs a go-to bubbly
• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog pops the cork on Sparkling Wine from Chablis? Oui! Val de Mer Brut Nature Rosé 
• Anna Maria of Unraveling Wine toasts us with 10 Best Greek Sparkling Wines with Pairings #WinePW 
• David at Cooking Chat Food disgorges Baked Fiesta Dip with Mexican Bubbly 
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles riddles with Bubbles by any other name...Sparkling wines from all over the globe 
• Lisa at The Wine Chef adds dosage with Dive Into the OG Bubbly With Blanquette de Limoux #WinePW 
• Nicole at Somm's Table gets cagey with Re-introducing Cava! 
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator adds the crown with A Dozen Sparkling Wine Secrets from Around the World 
• Susannah from Avvinare sparkles with Brazilian sparklers come of age 
• Terri at Our Good Life shares Favorite Bubbles from Around the World 
• Andrea from The Quirky Cork celebrates with A Vertical Tasting of Vinkara's Yaşasın 

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.