I always get a chuckle when I hear or see a post that says it's “Global Drink Wine Day.” Let me be very very clear….every day is Global Drink Wine Day in our house. We don’t say we drink wine every day though, we prefer to say we have a “European lifestyle” that is, of course, a fancy way of saying…we drink wine every day but I digress… One of the things people often ask when they’re entertaining or with friends is, “What kind of wine would you like, white or red?” Have they forgotten quite possibly the most important option? Sparkling. Notice I didn’t say Champagne, because although Champagne is a sparkling wine it is only one kind of sparkling wine (we will get back to that).
Sparkling wine is something simple to define. In simplest terms, it’s wine with bubbles in it, but it comes in thousands of varieties and taste profiles. Little do people know, all wine starts out as sparkling in its infancy because when the winemaker adds yeast to the grape juice, the yeast eats the sugar and creates alcohol and CO2. At that point the winemakers allow the gas to escape until the wine is still or sans bubbles. Think of it like letting a soda go flat. I won’t go too far down the rabbit hole, but when a winemaker decides to make sparkling wine they often add sugar and yeast at a later date and trap the bubbles. As I mentioned above, sparkling wines come from all over the world. Champagne comes from France, Cava from Spain and a very popular sparkler called Prosecco from Northern Italy. Each sparkler is made with different grapes and different taste profiles. Some wines are dry and buttery, some fresh with minerality, and others have a fresh fruit and ripe flower note.
Now that you’ve had a little education on how these tongue-tingling, refreshing libations are made, I can share what we plan on drinking on Global Drink Wine Day: Mionetto Prosecco Treviso DOC Brut. How does Prosecco differ from champagne, you might ask? Well, Prosecco is a sparkling wine made in a region of Veneto just north of the city of Venice. Like Champagne, by law, sparkling wine can not be called Prosecco unless it is made in the specific region that is legally recognized as Prosecco.
Prosecco is different than champagne and other sparkling wines for many reasons, but most importantly it is made from a singular grape called Glera whereas champagne can be a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Prosecco wines tend to be more on the fruity side and have less C02 or bubbles than champagne, but that is the charm of a great Prosecco. The light body, gentle bubble and combination of pear, green apple and honeysuckle are what make Prosecco one of the fastest-growing wines in America. Not to mention you can get a great bottle of Prosecco for $15 as opposed to $40 and up for a decent bottle of French bubbly.
This Mionetto Prosecco is one of my favorites and made by one of the most respected producers in the region. They make a range of Prosecco from light and fruity, to rich and textured. This Mionetto Prosecco Treviso is in the mid-range for their brands and is a Brut meaning that it is on the dryer side. Join us and celebrate Global Drink Wine Day with a Global Wine. Pop some Prosecco and prepare for tomorrow, which is Global Eat Chocolate Day (I kid, I kid).
