Prosecco
The bubbles of sparkling wines and prosecco is what makes this drink the perfect companion for celebrations and parties.
The Prosecco DOC area of production is located in North East Italy, and more precisely in territories falling within 4 provinces of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste and Udine) and 5 provinces of Veneto (Belluno, Padua, Treviso, Venice, Vicenza), one of the most beautiful territories in the whole of Italy.
The grapes used for making Prosecco DOC are primarily of the Glera variety, a type native to North East Italy and renowned since Roman times.
The Glera is a white grape variety. It has nut-brown vines and produces long, generous bunches of golden yellow grapes. Cultivation involves vertical training of the shoots and thinning as well as pinching and tying in order to create the perfect micro-climate to encourage aromatic substances to settle on the grapes.
Traditionally, Glera may be combined with up to 15% Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Glera lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot nero grapes, vinified off the skins.
Dry or Extra-Dry or Brut it’s the label of a category of wine that you often see on prosecco and other sparkling wines. It refers to the quantity of natural sugar left in the wine per litre.
Surely it has happened to you, when choosing the right bottle, to read words such as “Dry”, “Extra Dry”, “Brut” or “Extra Brut” on the label. What is the difference and why should you fully understand its meaning?
What do “Dry” or “Extra Dry”, “Brut” and “Extra Brut” mean?
The difference between “Dry”, “Extra Dry” and “Brut” is in the quantity of natural sugar that remains after fermentation, the so-called “residual sugar”.
This classification offers us clues as to whether the product we are evaluating is sweet or not, so that we can choose without fear of making mistakes based on our taste, expectations or need for pairing. Let’s see below the three different classifications and what differentiates them.
What does “Dry” mean?
The classification “Dry” on the label identifies the type of prosecco or sparkling wine capable of giving a pleasant sensation of “sweetness” on the palate, with a residual sugar ranging from 17 to 32 grams per liter. It is important to respect the serving temperature of a Dry, so as to mitigate its spirit without inhibiting its typical fruity notes.
What does “Extra dry” mean?
An Extra Dry is “drier” than the previous one. Its flavour is sweet and soft at the same time, while the perlage is persistent and delicate. So, if you like bubbles a little sweet but not too much, this could be the right choice for you, even as regards prosecco for an aperitif since at the moment it is among the absolute favourites for this time of day. An Extra Dry contains a sugar residue ranging from 12 to 17 grams per litre.
Ribolla Gialla
Ribolla Gialla is an ancient native vine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, cultivated since Roman times
From the grapes of the Ribolla Gialla vine vinified in white a fresh wine is produced with an always lively acidity, a delicate taste and a characteristic fruity aroma. It is a wine with a pale straw yellow color with greenish reflections, with a dry, fresh and pleasantly fragrant flavour, rich in acidity, harmonious overall. It is ideal as an aperitif or paired with both fresh and sea water fish dishes, vegetable flans and semi-aged cheeses.
TASTING NOTES
Straw yellow. The nose offers pleasant fruity hints of peach and pineapple embellished with hints of lemon. A light herbaceous note opens to a fresh, lively taste, elegantly softened by a great balance. Of excellent persistence.
PAIRINGS
Excellent as an aperitif, it goes well with dishes based on white fish, shellfish and fresh cheese
Chianti Gentilesco
In the heart of “Montalbano”, the production area of the homonymous Chianti, the Bonacchi cellars carry out an activity of production and vinification of the best Tuscan grapes.
With the entry of the new generation, the bottling activity begins.
The wineries are organized with technologically advanced systems, offering consumers excellent ISO 9001/2000, BRC (British Retail Consortium) and IFS (International Food Standard) certified products with an eye to organic production.
The new structure, at the center of the farm, has a very modern vinification system with two fully automated bottling lines and a very large cellar for storage and aging in barriques.
The products are distributed with the “Bonacchi” brand on the national and foreign market.
The grape harvest takes place both with traditional techniques and with very modern automated machines, guaranteeing the highest quality of the final product.
Chianti Gentilesco
The result of a careful and expert selection, it is the best that can be offered under this name. Due to the characteristics of flavor, freshness and digestibility, it is suitable for accompanying a very wide range of dishes, in particular first courses, red meats and roasts.
It comes from the hilly areas of the provinces of Florence, Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia and Pisa.
Grapes: Sangiovese minimum 85% – other typical Tuscan vines (Canaiolo, Malvasia del Chianti) for the remaining 15%.
Release for consumption: from 1 March of the year following the harvest.
Serving temperature: 16 ° – 18 ° C
Chianti Classico DOC
Il Chianti Classico viene prodotto esclusivamente in Toscana nella zona tra Firenze e Siena.
The wine
The Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG wine is one of the types of wine provided for by the Chianti Classico DOCG denomination, a DOCG of the region. The disciplinary of the DOCG denominations foresee within them specific types of wine, which are characterized by their ampelographic composition, that is, for the vines allowed for their production, for the vinification procedures and for the specific organoleptic characteristics of the wine. The vines that are included in the composition of the Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG are Sangiovese 80-100%, and other black berried grapes allowed for cultivation in the production area max. 20%. The organoleptic characteristics of Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG include a ruby red color. The olfactory profile of the Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG wine is Floral, Fruity, Spicy and on the palate it is harmonious, dry, savory, tannic, soft.What vine is used to produce the Chianti Classico?
The Chianti is made with 80% to 100% of Sangiovese grape. It’s allowed to use other tuscan red grape like Canaiolo for maximum 20%.
Its versatility provides, in the case of Chianti Classico, for example, a basic version, a Riserva and a Gran Selezione, all suitable for making Sangiovese’s response to different ripening periods known. However, the generic notes on the bright ruby red color, the characteristic aromas of cherry, violet, morello cherry, blood orange and ripe red fruit remain valid. It produces ample wines on the palate, with medium or full body, with a pronounced and moderately reduced tannic presence even in the most worked versions, as well as being able to ensure good freshness and aromatic persistence.
Brunello di Montalcino
The “Brunello di Montalcino” is obtained from Sangiovese grapes, a vine traditionally called, in Montalcino, “Brunello“.
The production disciplinary establishes that the maximum production of grapes per hectare is less than 80 q.li/ha (about 52 hl./ha of wine). It regulates the placing on the market which takes place on January 1st of the fifth year after the harvest. During this long period, the wine must spend at least two years in wooden barrels and at least four months of refinement in the bottle. The storage period in the bottle increases up to six months for the reserve type, which enters the market a year later.
Brunello di Montalcino
The “Brunello di Montalcino” is obtained from Sangiovese grapes, a vine traditionally called, in Montalcino, “Brunello”.
The production disciplinary establishes that the maximum production of grapes per hectare is less than 80 q.li/ha (about 52 hl./ha of wine). It regulates the placing on the market which takes place on January 1st of the fifth year after the harvest. During this long period, the wine must spend at least two years in wooden barrels and at least four months of refinement in the bottle. The storage period in the bottle increases up to six months for the reserve type, which enters the market a year later.
Brunello di Montalcino DOCG wine is one of the types of wine provided for by the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG appellation, a DOCG of the region. The disciplinary of the DOCG denominations foresee within them specific types of wine, which are characterized by their ampelographic composition, that is, for the vines allowed for their production, for the vinification procedures and for the specific organoleptic characteristics of the wine. The vines included in the composition of the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG wine are 100% Sangiovese. The organoleptic characteristics of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG include a ruby red color, intense, garnet red. The olfactory profile of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG wine is characteristic, intense and on the palate it is dry, warm, slightly tannic, robust and harmonious.
Bolgheri Rosso
Bolgheri Rosso is obtained with different types of grapes, obtained from Cabernet Sauvignon (10-80%), Merlot (maximum 80%) and Sangiovese (maximum 70%) grapes. This composition has allowed Bolgheri Rosso to obtain the DOC wording, exclusive to this territory.
History
It all began in 1944, when Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted the first cabernet vineyard in Castiglioncello di Bolgheri. In 1968 the first bottle of Bolgheri Sassicaia was born, from the same label that is known to us today. We have to wait until 1994 for the DOC of the red wine which governs the Bolgheri Superiore and the Bolgheri Sassicaia, as the first example of an Italian “cru”. Like any great story, it takes time to understand it, so that the insights of the Marquis Incisa become evidence of a particular phenomenon in the history of Italian wine. This is the phenomenon that gives Bolgheri wines a certain fullness and a great expression of “terroir”, wines rooted in the bond with the soil and climate of the territory from which they come.
Under the Bolgheri Sassicaia, the Bolgheri Superiore and the great IGTs, lies the vast range of Bolgheri Rosso. We are talking about wines dictated by a great pleasantness and drinkability, also soft, elegant and ripe, undemanding, but with the ability to travel in harmony with a tasty cuisine of red meats and game. The qualitative characteristics of the wines produced by the Bolgheri vineyards are constantly growing and improving, above all by virtue of the fact that their age is still quite low compared to other historical areas. International criticism therefore affirms that the potential of Bolgheri wine is immense and in great ascent.
What’s the difference between cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon
Cabernet Franc has stronger and more marked, more “rustic” scents, while Cabernet Sauvignon is more elegant and refined
Cannonau – Sardegna
The Cannonau grape is the most common black grape variety in Sardinia, the native Sardinian grape variety par excellence. Cannonau seemed to have come to Sardinia from Spain.
The sugar content of Cannonau musts is quite high, while the fixed acidity is modest.
