Each Friday, David Brenner of Villasfor2 in Abruzzo selects a delicious, top-value 'Everyday Italian Wine' for you to enjoy at home - or on your Abruzzo villa vacation !

Prosecco. Cinzano.

We've tasted Prosecco before - and a pretty good bottle too from the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region at the very heart of this wine's large production region. So vast and ever-expanding is the market for Italy's favourite fizz both in and outside the country, it won't surprise you to find that some of the behemoths of the global Italian drinks industry have added their considerable names to the action. Cinzano's Prosecco is widely-available and keenly-priced. Question is - what's it like ?

Answer ? Cinzano's Prosecco is a Prosecco for people who generally aren't that keen on Prosecco.  

Explanation ?  The best Prosecco is bone dry; light, crisp and refreshing; with a tangy touch of bitterness in the finish. I like it. You probably like it too. But a great many people don't. And if you're one of that number, try this. It's…different.

Cinzano's Prosecco isn't sweet - but neither is it as 'Dry' as it's labelled. Instead, it's very pleasantly fruity. 'Off-dry' I think is the label here. Sip it on its own as an aperitif; and you'll also find it makes a good accompaniment to desserts.

But a word of warning. Although this wine is made from (I'd guess) predominantly prosecco grapes, it's not 100% prosecco and it doesn't originate from the 'traditional' Prosecco-producing area in and around the Veneto region of north-east Italy. If it did, it'd carry a DOC designation. It doesn't. There is, in fact, absolutely no clue anywhere on the bottle as to exactly what's inside or where it's from. It's a reticence that's odd from a company like Cinzano.

Bottom line though is that there's nothing remotely objectionable about this Cinzano Prosecco. Because it's a little different to the more usual Prosecco style, it's ultimately not to my personal taste, but it's still a perfectly fine and fairly-priced bottle of wine that you might well like. However…for the same money, you can also buy a bottle of Prosecco DOC from the Valdobbiadene region. The real deal. Your call. 

 At A Glance…

• This week's featured wine: Prosecco
• Producer: Cinzano
• Designation: None
• Grape: Prosecco blend
• Strength: 11%
• Closure: Cork
• This bottle cost: €4.68

If you like Italian Wine, why not check out last week's 'Everday Italian Wine' - an excellent wood-aged Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - and bookmark this site for future weekly posts.

Next Week: the grape variety that makes Barolo the King of Italian Wines. A full-blooded bottle of Langhe Nebbiolo from Piedmont - a wine that you'll enjoy trying at home and on your Villasfor2 Abruzzo villa vacation !

Abruzzo villa vacation, Everyday Italian Wine, Prosecco, Villasfor2

This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 3:59 am and is filed under David's 'Everyday Italian Wine', Eating and Drinking, Vineyards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.