Why This Prosecco Producer Has Removed The Wine’s Name From Its Labels

Prosecco, a wine from the undulating hills within the Veneto area of northern Italy, graces drinks menus all through the world from 5-star lodges to nation pubs and in every single place in between. At first, the explosive world reputation of prosecco was a boon for Italy’s producers. Then it turned a burden. The ubiquity of the Italian bubbly means the label “prosecco” has begun to lose each its status and variety. As such, Italian prosecco producers Duca di Dolle have chosen to take away the wine’s title from a lot of their labels in a bid to forestall their product from being lumped beneath the now mundane umbrella time period. Their goal is to exhibit the standard and selection of their Glera-based wines, by way of tastings, occasions of their winery, and dinners of meals and wine pairings.  

 Duca di Dolle, owned by the Baccini household, is an property of some 100 hectares of vines and woodland with a historic relais transformed from a monastery. From the backyard eating space is a view of rugged verdant hills traced by row upon row of vines like contour strains on a map. These are the valuable lands of prosecco, an space of about 60 km² round Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. This space has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Website for the distinctive cultivation of the pure panorama. The glowing white wine constructed from Glera grapes grown on this zone has been awarded DOCG (denomination of managed and assured origin) standing. This wine is called Prosecco Superiore. Its lesser-quality sibling is DOC (denomination of managed origin) prosecco, which may be produced in 9 totally different provinces unfold throughout the decrease lands of the Veneto and the neighboring area of Friuli Venezia Giulia. 

Prosecco is gentle, candy and effervescent, with palate-pleasing flavors like inexperienced apple, pear, and honeysuckle. Because the Baccini household explains, this implies for many years it has been a “refreshing beverage to be drunk after a protracted day of hard-working cultivation, along with co-habitants and pals” or in a wide range of native aperitifs. The wine’s easy-drinking qualities have additionally led to its booming reputation overseas within the final decade or so. Gross sales of the bubbly started to soar within the US as early as 2008 and within the UK in mid-2010. Between 2013 and 2014, the consumption of prosecco in the UK doubled. Within the first 4 months of this 12 months, a document 120 million bottles of prosecco were exported. However producers of the crowd-pleasing bubbly at the moment are experiencing the downsides of the recognizability of the “prosecco” label. UK newspaper the Unbiased describes prosecco as “typically thought to be champagne’s youthful, extra broke and trashier cousin”. Its title, briefly, has been sullied. 

 For wine producers Duca di Dolle, the issue now’s distinguishing their merchandise out there. Customers typically regard “prosecco” itself because the model, which means they not often discriminate between totally different producers and due to this fact totally different product high quality. Particularly, there may be typically little understanding of the distinction between the upper high quality DOCG and the lesser DOC merchandise. Luisa Cigagna, vice-mayor of Pieve di Soligo and a part of the crew that ready the applying for UNESCO recognition of the prosecco hills, says, “At first, we made a mistake as a result of we didn’t differentiate between kinds of prosecco.” Particularly, she explains that prosecco from the flatlands of the Veneto is of lesser high quality than the hilly areas resulting from variations in terrain and publicity. She additionally feels that the highland prosecco needs to be valued for the experience and onerous labor required to develop and harvest right here. Because the Baccini household says, the world has “a protracted historical past of hard-working folks with an unbelievable know-how”. 

Because of this, for a number of years now the Duca di Dolle firm has been omitting the phrase “prosecco” from their wine labels. The intention is to deal with the totally different kinds and bottling processes somewhat than the class. The bottles at the moment are adorned with a clear, minimalist label, which the Baccini household says is a deliberate distancing from the usually florid, fussy designs for prosecco wines. “We don’t want DOCG Prosecco to be thought-about like a commodity, one thing that could be a frequent customary the place each bottle is kind of the identical,” the household explains. “Utilizing the phrase “Prosecco” on the label may establish our merchandise as primarily industrial somewhat than a high-quality manufacturing from a really small space.”

 Duca di Dolle produces round 9 totally different wines, every from vines of single hills within the winery. Their “ambassador”, as the corporate calls it, is a Prosecco Brut, whose darkish brown label merely states “100% BRT”. This wine may be classed as a “Rive”, like all of Duca di Dolle’s wines, as a result of it’s the fruit of vines located on steep slopes and with low yields per hectare. The corporate produces an Further Dry prosecco too, which means it incorporates a better sugar content material than the Brut. 

Duca di Dolle additionally owns a small plot of land within the Cartizze space of Valdobbiadene, also referred to as the Golden Pentagon. From this zone come the very best high quality prosecco wines,  due to the microclimate and the traits of the soil. From these vines, Duca di Dolle produces its prized “Zero” and “DDD” Cartizze wines. 

Although certainly not their most costly product, one among their most attention-grabbing wines is the “Nino”, a Prosecco Superiore DOCG classed as “frizzante” somewhat than “spumante” as a result of the fizz comes solely from pure fermentation. Nino is a metodo classico, or Champagne methodology, wine. As such, there is no such thing as a addition of sugar or sulfur dioxide, and the product is re-fermented within the bottle for a number of months. This wine can also be described as “col fondo”, referring to the sediment left on the backside from the fermentation course of. The Baccini firm calls it the “household wine”, as it’s a “extra genuine and pure expression of prosecco”.

The Baccini household additionally explains that to essentially admire the usually refined variations between prosecco wines — stemming from various sugar ranges, age of grapes and zones of cultivation — it is very important go to the world the place the grapes are grown and processed. As such, the household encourages guests to style the wines on the winery the place they clarify the cultural and historic variations between the varied merchandise. 

To assist exhibit this versatility and variety of prosecco wines, Duca di Dolle has been holding particular dinner occasions the place their merchandise are paired with a wholesome, connoisseur menu. The evenings are a collaboration between the winery, Masterchef Italia semifinalist chef Maradona Youssef and medical nutritionist Dr. Monica Bossi. The menu pairs their “col fondo” with Youssef’s signature pasta dish of uncooked prawns, saffron and lime, for instance, or their Spumante Further Dry with ricotta ice cream flavored with mushrooms, truffle and prosecco sauce. Every pairing is chosen to deliver out the refined however distinct taste variations of the wine.

Because the Baccini household says, “Understanding the underlying shades amongst Prosecco Superior DOCG and Prosecco DOC just isn’t straightforward, and it’s at this time’s problem for Prosecco maker.” The push now’s to lift consciousness about what’s behind the sunshine, enjoyable, simply appreciated bubbly. “Prosecco could also be thought-about as a easy wine, however it isn’t straightforward to provide in any respect in our territory.”