Pondering Prosecco

This post first appeared on the daily wine blog Terroirist.

Looking for bubbles on the cheap? Well, there’s always Prosecco, right?

Right?

Umm…

Look, I’m rarely excited by Prosecco. I can’t remember the last time I bought a bottle or ordered a glass at a wine bar. But I will admit this: I was surprised and impressed by a few of these Proseccos. Seriously. I especially liked the Mionetto Superiore di Cartizze, which is a complex and elegant wine.

Overall, they were all quite enjoyable. Some of them were yummy, and most of them were very cheap. And I have to remind myself never to underestimate the yummy and the cheap. I’m still not sure what spot high-end Proseccos have in American wine scenes. But the wines are out there, if you’re looking to expand your perception of what Prosecco can be.

These Proseccos were received as trade samples and tasted single blind.

N.V. Bolla Prosecco Extra Dry - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene
SRP: $12
Pale straw color. Aromas of white peach, fresh grapefruit and sugar cane. Dry, tingling bubbles, with green apple and some lychee nut flavors. Fun, easy-drinking, but not a ton of cut or complexity. 11% alcohol. (85 points)

N.V. Bolla Sparkling Rosé Extra Dry - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene
SRP: $10
Pale salmon color. Aromas of white cherries, strawberries and lemon peel. Crisp and floral, with watermelon and honeyed notes. Light, creamy and refreshing. 11.5% alcohol. (85 points)

N.V. Cantine Riondo Prosecco Spago Nero - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco
SRP: $12
Smells like sea salt and minerals, over top of sweet white peach and green melon. Tangy and light on the palate, with a fresh spritz. Flavors of green melon, white peach and green apple are accented by slight notes of mineral and lemon peel. Fresh, clean, fun. (85 points)

N.V. Cantine Riondo Prosecco Blu - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco
SRP: $14
Pale lemon color with fine bubbles. Aromas of white peach, apricot bright flower, sweet perfume, chalky. Tangy, crisp but fleshy as well, with canned peaches, sweet pears and apricot, mixed in with honey and flowers. Residual sugar is present but not too strong. More verve and life than a lot of Proseccos at this price point. (87 points)

N.V. Cantine Riondo Prosecco R37 Demi Sec - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco
SRP: $15
Smells of flowers, lychee and candied citrus peel. Sweet and creamy on the palate, lacking in precise acid, with honey, peach and mango nectar, and some sweet flowers. 10% alcohol. (84 points)

N.V. Mionetto Prosecco “Il” - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco
SRP: $12
Peachy-keen on the nose, with white flowers and apple sauce notes. Showing a lot of crispness on the palate, with green apple and nectarine, some slight seashell and minerals on the finish. Interesting mineral notes add some complexity. Bottled under crown cap. (86 points)

N.V. Mionetto Prosecco Brut Gold Label - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco
SRP: $14
Light gold color. Aromas of white peach, nectarine and sugar cane. Juicy white peach and guava nectar on the palate, some honey and waxy elements. Simple, fresh, clean, with sugar cane notes on the finish. (84 points)

N.V. Mionetto Prosecco Treviso Brut - Italy, Veneto, Treviso
SRP: $16
Crisp green apples on the nose, green melon along with white peach and guava. Juicy on the palate, with notes of cotton candy and saline mixing in with the green melon and apple fruit. Fun, crowd-pleasing stuff. (86 points)

N.V. Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore - Italy, Veneto, Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG
SRP: $19
Stony on the nose, with white flowers, green melon and some green apple peel. On the palate, the grapefruit, nectarine and peach fruit is laced with nuts, yellow and white flowers, waxy notes, slate, saline and minerals. Tangy, clean and fresh with lasting minerals on the finish. (87 points)

N.V. Mionetto Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze
SRP: $35
Pale lemon and onion skin color. Deep minerals and sea shells on the nose along with melon and peach. Creamy palate with fine bubbles and flavors of salt and clover to accent the green melon, nectarine and peach fruit. Zesty, quite complex with notes of cheese rind, honey and clover. One of the more complex Proseccos I’ve tasted. From the higher elevation, mineral rich vineyard of Cartizze. (88 points)