Italy, Germany & the UK Flashcards
Breakdown of Italy sparkling wine production by method
96% Tank
4% Traditional method (2:1 Franciacorta & Trentodoc)
Spumante
Min 3 bar pressure
Frizzante
1-2.5 bar pressure
Describe a typical Prosecco
- Light to med(-) intensity apple & pear
- Light body
- Medium to medium(+) acidity
- Low to med alcohol
- Brut to Demi-sec, extra dry being the most common style
- Acceptable to good quality
Prosecco received revision of DO rules in _____ to change the name of the grape variety from Prosecco to Glera.
2009
Conegliano Valdobbiadene - Prosecco DOCG
- Hilly historic area in Veneto, close to the town Conegliano Valdobbiadene
- Most vineyards between 200-320m
Asolo Prosecco DOCG
- Hilly area south of Valdobbiadene
- Within the spumante category, superiore may be added
Three key regions for Prosecco
- Prosecco DOC
- Conegliano Valdobbiadene - Prosecco DOCG
3 . Asolo Prosecco DOCG
Breakdown of Prosecco production volume by classification
82% Prosecco DOC
16% Prosecco DOCG
2% Asolo DOCG
Cartizze
- Prosecco DOCG category
- Basically single vineyard - there are 108 recognised
- Must be harvested by hand
- Spumante only
- Located in Valdobbiadene
Rive
- Prosecco DOCG category
- “Slope of a steep hill”
- Often seen as Rive + place name
- Officially 43 Rive
- Must be harvested by hand
Sui Lieviti
- Prosecco DOCG category
- “On the lees”
- Same as Col Fondo
- Must be harvested by hand
First fermentation for Prosecco’s base wine lasts _____ days at _____ °C to preserve primary fruit.
15-20 days at a controlled temperature of around 18°C
Second fermentation for Prosecco typically takes ___ months at ______ °C in a pressurised tank.
1 month at 12-15°C to preserve primary fruit
Charmat lungo
A variant of the tank method but with longer lees ageing - min 9mo
Prosecco Col Fondo
- Lightly cloudy, dry and frizzante style
- From 2020 this is officially called sui lieviti
Rifermentazione in Bottiglia
- “Refermentation in the bottle”
- Often in conjuncture with Prosecco Col Fondo
- Typically comes with crown cap
Tranquillo
Still Prosecco
Name a famous Prosecco producer
Zonin
Breakdown of Prosecco producers by type
10k Growers
1.2k Coops
350 Makers (for second fermentation)
Prosecco spumante rose
- 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Noir blended
- Introduced in 2020
Describe a typical Asti
- Pronounced aromas and flavours of orange blossom, grapes and peach
- Medium acidity
- Low in alcohol and sweet
Asti Spumante
- Same as Asti DOCG
- Higher in alc and fully sparkling (3+ bar pressure)
Asti DOCG vs Moscato d’Asti DOCG
- Asti DOCG higher alc (6-8% abv), less sweet (RS 100g/L), more bubbles
- Moscato d’Asti DOCG lower alc (4.5-6.5%), sweeter (130g/L RS), semi-sparkling (less than 2.5 bar)
- Asti DOCG is Spumante
- Moscato d’Asti is frizzante
Climate of Asti producing regions, Asti, Alexandria and Cuneo
- Moderate continental
- Cold winters & hot summers
- Rains a bit in spring but the wettest season is autumn
Harvest time for Asti and Moscato d’Asti
Asti picked early for freshness
Moscato d’Asti picked later for full aromas
Harvest in Asti regions is by…
Hand harvest on steep slopes
Machine harvest increasingly used where possible
Must for making Asti is often chilled to _____°C to preserve fresh fruits.
2-3°C
Chilled Muscat must can be kept fresh for up to ____ years.
Two years
Fermenatioin for Asti takes place in ______ tanks at ______ °C to preserve fresh fruits.
Pressurised tanks at low temperature of 16-18 °C
______ yeast is used Asti making.
Neutral cultured yeasts, so no unwanted rogue flavours
Asti Metodo Classico
Dolce Asti DOCG that has spent 9mo on lees in bottle
A large dominating producer in the Asti regions
Martini & Rossi - 60% of all wine produced
But they source 35% material from 300 growers
Describe a typical Lambrusco
- A tank method sparkling red
- Can be spumante or frizzante
- Strawberry, red cherry, red plum notes
- Med-med+ tannins, high acidity, residual sugar
- Pale pink to deep ruby all possible
- Acceptable to good quality
Emilia-Romagna
The region where Lambrusco is from
Climate of Emilia
Warm continental with sufficient rainfall
Reasons why Emilia can be very high yield (120+ hL/ha)
- Alluvial with lots of nutrients
- Clay and silt provide good water retention
- Good annual 735mm
- Vines trained to allow high yields - Sylvoz and Geneva Double Curtain
Hazards in Emilia
- High humidity on river plain forms ideal environment for fungal diseases
- Grapevine yellows