Learn Sparkling Wine, Food & Culture in PROSECCO, ITALY – V is for Vino Wine Show (EPISODE 202)
(pouring liquid into glass)
(upbeat music)
- Welcome to the land of Prosecco.
Our first stop in Italy is tolearn about the sparkling wine
that's loved around the world, Prosecco.
It's drank with aperitivosin the afternoon
and meals over sunsets.
It's drank here in Venice,
the most iconic city inthe region all the way
through the countrysides ofValdobbiadene where it's made,
and that's where we're headed.
Welcome to V is for Vino.
Let's watch, learn and drink.
(upbeat music)
Crowded alleyways, winding waterways,
expansive squares and grand canals,
there's no place in the worldquite like Venice, Italy.
Why am I here?
Well, for my journey to the land
of bubbles I was gonna needsome help from a local.
So before heading to Treviso,
the subregion of Veneto wherethe best Prosecco is made,
I met with my friend Italian native
and fellow sommelier, Tamara,
to help show me the ropesand spend a bit of time
in the capital city of the region.
(singing in foreign language)
- [Tamara] I grew up about45 minutes outside of Venice.
- [Vincent] So this isall the area of Prosecco?
- [Tamara] Yes.
- [Vincent] But the heart of it is North?
- [Tamara] Correct, exactly. Exactly.
- [Vincent] So you're saying Pro-"say"-co?
- Yes.- Not Pro-"sec"-co.
- Correct, exactly. Exactly.
- Like my Midwest accent would do it.
(laughing)Okay.
(singing in foreign language)
We're in Venice.
Why does it exist?
What is the story behind it?
- It started because peoplewere leaving from the mainland
to find a safe place.
- [Vincent] I mean,this place is so unreal.
When you go down the grandcanal and just seeing the way
that they built up thebuildings and the architecture
on the buildings.
- It's incredible.- It's stunning.
- There's nothing like that,
it's so incredible.
- [Vincent] There's nowherein the world I've seen this.
(relaxing music)
- This is called Cafe liscio,
which means smooth.
And it means that it doesn'thave milk or alcohol inside,
cuz' you can definitely have
espresso with alcohol in it.
- What is it called ifit has alcohol in it?
- It's called corretto.
- 'Cause it's correct.
- It's correct, right.
(laughing)
- Tell me about the perception of Prosecco
in America versus what itactually is here in Italy?
- It's actually very different.
Prosecco in the USA is usually drank
as an aperitif before the meal.
In Italy Prosecco is drank, sure,
before the meal but alsothroughout the meal.
- [Vincent] And a lot of theProsecco I feel like we get
in America is not as goodas the stuff I've had here.
- [Tamara] Yes.
- Yeah.- Yeah,
unfortunately you're correct.
- [Vincent] It's hard to findgood Prosecco in America.
- Yes, it is hard to find.
- What's like a typical Italian meal,
how many courses,
how does it work?
- [Tamara] It's usually four courses.
- Oh, wow.- So we start with
an appetizer and thenyou have a first course
which is usually pastaor risotto or tortellini.
And you get a second course
which can be meat-based or seafood-based.
- [Vincent] Okay.
- [Tamara] And then ofcourse you have dessert.
- [Vincent] And then you get dessert.
And I feel like wine and food culture here
is just more celebrated, just generally.
- Yes, absolutely.- [Vincent] I feel
like meals are longer.
I feel like there'smore attention to detail
and it's almost kind of sacred.
- [Tamara] It is sacred, yes.
It's extremely important forthe Italians to sit down,
have a good meal.
When you go home in theevening and you sit down
for a long meal with yourfamily that's the time
in which you share what you've done
throughout the day with your family.
It's an important part of the day.
(relaxing upbeat music)
(camera clicking)
- [Vincent] Leaving the hustle and bustle
of the city we took the hour drive north
through the tranquil winding hills
of the Italian countrysideto Valdobbiadene,
the city at the heartof Prosecco production.
(singing in foreign language)
- So what is Prosecco?
A place, a grape, a wine?
Even if you're fluent
in Italian the answertakes a bit to comprehend.
Is it a place?
Well, yeah,
Prosecco refers to a geographical area
that includes nine provincesspread across two regions,
Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giuliain the northeast of Italy.
It includes the little town of Prosecco
from which the region got its name.
This is the place whereProsecco originated
and the only area by lawwhere Prosecco can be made.
The Prosecco region can produce up
to 600 million bottles a year
which makes it the most popularsparkling wine in the world.
That's about double whatthey produce in Champagne.
But the highest quality Prosecco is made
about 40 miles from Venice,
located between thecities of Valdobbiadene,
say it with me, kids,
Valdobbiadene and Conegliano.
Is it a grape?
It was up until 2009.
It used to be that the grape
that made Prosecco was called Prosecco,
however, Italy got wordthat places like Slovenia
and Australia were makingwine from the same grape
and calling it Prosecco as well
and that didn't sit too well.
Italy wanted to protectProsecco's reputation.
So they took a pageout of Champagne's book
and made steps to protectProsecco as a place instead
of a grape and simultaneouslychanged the name
of the grape to Glera.
And yeah, of course Prosecco is a wine
but is there something distinct
about the wine making processthat makes it Prosecco?
I'm glad you asked.
See, it's all about howthe bubbles are made.
Unlike Champagne whichuses the Champagne Method,
Prosecco uses somethingcalled the Charmat Method
to make its bubbles whichwe're gonna talk about later.
To sum up,
Prosecco is sparkling winemade in the Charmat Method,
made within the Proseccoregion using the Glera grape.
See, not quite as simple as you thought.
Glera, it's the main grape of Prosecco.
I say main grape becausethe law actually allows
for 15% other grapes tobe blended into Prosecco.
But today we're justgonna talk about Glera.
There is evidence that Gleratraces all the way back
to the Romans which makes it one
of the oldest grapesstill being made today.
So you can do as the Romans do
and drink as the Romans drank.
Glera makes wines thatare full of yellow apple
and pears, white peach and apricots,
honeydew, citrus andlots and lots of flowers,
white flowers, elder flowers,
honeysuckle and lily.
It's fairly low in alcohol,
light in body with high acidity
which keeps it crisp and refreshing.
And while 90% of Proseccoyou find will be sparkling,
or spumante, it's sometimes made
in a slightly fizzystyle known as frizzante
and even still, called tranquillo.
It's a semi-aromatic grape variety
which means if it's harvested properly
at low yields it produces fragrant,
floral and fruity wines.
And if not, well,
let's just say there'soceans of mediocre Prosecco
on the market that a lot
of Italians wouldn'twash their boots with.
(swiping in)
(relaxing music)
The good news is thattoday we're gonna talk
about how to find the good stuff.
Tamara and I continued our journey
through the unassumingItalian town and local market.
(singing in foreign language)
Then it was off to try atrue Italian tradition,
one you might have heard of, the Spritz.
So what is Spritz 'cause tome it's not just a drink here.
I hear everybody, Spritz,
Spritz, Spritz all the time.
- Yeah, it's not just a drink.
It's actually, it's a philosophy almost,
I would say.
It's part of the Italian culture.
- It's a lifestyle.- Yes, it is
a lifestyle, exactly.
And it's basically a moment,
it's called a aperitivo,
in which you get togetherwith friends and family
about 11:30 in the morningor like 5:30 in the afternoon
and you have a Spritz.
- [Vincent] 11:30 in the morning?
- Yeah, sometimes that happens.
- Sounds great.
(laughing)
- [Tamara] So it's a classiccocktail on this area.
It's a part,
a third of Prosecco,
it's a third of sparkling water
and a third of Bitters.
- [Vincent] A third like a Bitter liquor?
- Yes, exactly.- Okay.
You get the bubbles,
you get the bitter,
you get the little bit ofsweet from the Prosecco
and so you get kind ofthe balanced cocktail?
- Exactly. Exactly.
Everything balances out.
- And you get kind ofsnacks with it as well?
- You do. You do. You do.
Yeah, you get what's called Cicchetti
which are little snacks.
- [Vincent] Cicchetti?
- [Tamara] Yes.
- [Vincent] All right, let me try it,
not that I haven't had a Spritz before.
They're all the rage,
I don't know if you've heard.
- [Vincent] But have youhad a Spritz in Italy?
- No.- No.
- [Vincent] It tastes better here.
- [Tamara] Yes, it does.
- [Vincent] It does, Ithink the problem too is
that some places in Americause maybe low quality Prosecco
and it's a much better cocktail
if you're using the right Prosecco.
- Absolutely.
- So where are we going next?
What's our plan for the day?
- [Tamara] Well, we are going
to see the oldest Proseccowinery in Valdobbiadene.
- [Vincent] Just afive-minute walk from Downtown
we were honored to sit downand talk with Pierluigi Bolla,
president of Valdo Spumanti,
which has been making wine since 1926.
- [Pierluigi] The company was a
formed by four local entrepreneurs.
One was a doctor and one was a lawyer,
one was a farmer
and another one was salespeople like startup they say.
1938 or so before the SecondWorld War my father decided
to acquire this company.
The new generation comingin the business today
is the fifth generation.
- [Vincent] It's so amazing tohear you talk about a company
that's been producing wine since 1926.
- [Massimo] Welcome hereat the hills of Cartizze.
- It is beautiful.- Which is mean
the cru of the Prosecco wine production.
Very steep, everythinghere is harvest manually.
- [Vincent] Wow, all by hand.
- All by hand.
There are no automatic machines
and there is no automaticirrigation as well.
So basically we are taking advantage
of what the nature is providing us with.
- [Vincent] And what youget is a true expression
of the nature of the place.
- How difficult is to work the vineyard
in this part of Valdobbiadene?
To harvest one hectare it takes one day.
To harvest one hectare
in the flat area ittakes usually one hour.
- [Tamara] Wow.
- Now, the destiny ofProsecco is something
which is in our handsso we have to be careful
in order to positionProsecco not as a commodity
but as a wine which isproduced in this marvelous
and beautiful area.
(relaxing music)
(upbeat music)
- Get ready for a wholebunch of Italian words.
There are four classificationsof wine in Italy,
VdT, IGT,
DOC and DOCG.
These are essentiallygovernment regulated geographic
and quality controls.
Today we're only gonnatalk about the top two,
DOC and DOCG which stand
for Denominazione di Origine Controllata
and Denominazione di OrigineControllata e Garantita
which officially meanDenomination of Controlled Origin
and Denomination of Controlledand Guaranteed Origin.
And that's the last timewe're ever gonna say that
because from now on we'recalling it DOC or DOCG.
You've probably seenthese images on bottles
without even knowing that you had.
Things like Chianti DOCGor Valpolicella DOC.
There are currently 329DOCs in Italy and 74 DOCGs.
To be labeled a DOC wine youhave to follow certain rules,
things like where thegrapes can come from,
what varietals are allowedand what percentages,
alcohol levels, yields andviticultural techniques,
aging techniques and more.
These rules are even morestrict at the DOCG level
where yields have to be even lower,
the geographic areawhere the wine can come
from is usually smaller anda tasting panel actually has
to approve your DOCG status.
So how does this all relate to Prosecco?
Well, Prosecco has what youmay call a pyramid of DOC
and DOCG classificationsthat generally goes up
in quality the higher you get.
DOC Prosecco is entrylevel grown primarily
on the flatlands.
But it's DOCG Prosecco that really shines.
Conegliano ValdobbiadeneProsecco Superiore
is the most know Prosecco DOCG
and it marks the area betweenthe towns of Valdobbiadene
in the west and Conegliano in the east
which as of 2019 was actually named
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This is the area where Prosecco'sfull potential is revealed
due to the grapes sun exposure,
soil types, elevation and vine age.
Because of the slope vineyardsare extremely difficult
to work and have to be harvest by hand.
250 hours of manual laborper acre versus only
about 62 for the flatlands.
The work is so difficult that the harvest
is sometimes referredto as heroic harvest.
The next level are the43 sub-zones of the Rive,
specific vineyards and communesknown for even better wine.
And the top of the pyramid,
the steep hills of the Cartizze Vineyards,
think black diamond ski slope steep.
Only about 264 acres,
you could call it theGrand Cru of Prosecco.
(upbeat music)
Who better than Valdo's chief wine maker
to explore the levelof precision that goes
into each bottle.
(speaking in foreign language)
- No.
(speaking in foreign language)
- No, she'll fill me in later.
(laughing)
One last thing to talk about,
how do they make those glorious bubbles?
(upbeat music)
The Charmat Method,
invented by Frederico Martinotti in 1895
but executed by a man namedEugene Charmat in 1907,
hence the Charmat Method.
It's also known as The Tank Method,
Bulk Method, Cuve Closeor Martinotti Method
by Italians who'd rathercredit the Italian guy
rather than the French guy.
It's a five-step methodthat is all completed
in large pressurized tanks.
First, the wine undergoesprimary fermentation
in stainless steel vats.
This creates a very low alcohol,
fruity, aromatic still wine,
no bubbles yet.
Second, the wine is put
into a stainless steeltank called autoclave
to undergo secondary fermentation.
A mixture of yeast andsugar is added called tirage
to induce secondary fermentation
which lasts three to 12 months.
This is the most important part
because this is wherethe bubbles come from.
See, all wine as a by-productof fermentation produces CO2,
or carbon dioxide gas.
But the difference is that instill wines the CO2 is allowed
to evaporate up into the air in open vats.
But in the Tank Method thefermentation occurs in a closed,
pressurized tank that traps the CO2,
making a giant tank ofeffervescent, bubbly wine.
That's right, folks.
Somewhere other than yourfantasy exists a massive tank
of Prosecco just waiting to be tapped.
Third, the wine is cooledto stop fermentation
and filtered underpressure into another tank.
This filtration removes thedead yeast cells called lees.
Fourth, sugar is added,
called the dosage,
this determines how sweet
or not sweet your final wine will be.
And finally, the wine isbottled under pressure
into individual bottles
like you can hearhappening right behind me.
(bottles rattling)
We should talk brieflyabout the difference
between the Charmat Methodand the Champagne Method.
See, people often use the word Champagne
and Prosecco interchangeablybut they're as different
as cannolis and macaroons.
The biggest difference is
that while the Charmat Methodoccurs entirely in tanks,
most of the process forthe Champagne Method occurs
in individual bottles.
This provides smallerbubbles and more lees contact
which leads to the bready,
toasty and nutty characteristics
that we associate with Champagne.
But here's the thing,
this process entails a lot more time,
effort and energy in thecellar and thus, money.
Entry-level Champagne costs around $40
and can cost hundreds andeven thousands of dollars
for the top tier wines.
Good Prosecco can be had for 20 bucks
and for $40 you can gettop of the line Prosecco.
And for aromatic grapes like Glera
which they use to make itwe don't really wanna cover
up all the beautifulfresh and floral notes
with yeast flavors,
we wanna bring them out with pronounced,
lively bubbles and winesthat are quickly released
and consumed so all ofits beautiful aromatics
are still intact.
(swiping in)
(swiping out)
All right, already,
I know enough about Prosecco.
It was time to drinkwith the fifth generation
of the Bolla family, Matteo.
We have a lot of glassesin front of us right now.
- [Matteo] Of course.
(laughing)
You can see that becauseProsecco is a whole world
full of differentnuances and I'm very glad
that we can go through thedifferent styles and expressions.
So the first bottle that I'm opening,
it's our Marca Oro Prosecco DOC Brut.
- Cheers, Guys.
- Cheers.
(glasses clinging)
- [Matteo] This is athree-months Charmat Method.
Aromas predominantly isgreen apple and pear.
- [Tamara] You get thebest of apricot and citrus,
it's really fresh.
- [Matteo] Next in line we're going
to taste our Cuvee 1926, okay.
This product is created
to honor the founding year of the winery.
It is about the ValdobbiadeneProsecco Superiore DOCG,
really is like an whole meal companion.
- [Vincent] This is your workhorse,
this can kind of do alittle bit of everything.
- And it is the perfectexpression of taste
and tradition of ProseccoSuperiore Extra Dry.
It follows a five-month Charmat Method.
We will find notes of white flowers,
peach and tropical fruits.
- [Vincent] Oh yeah, right away beautiful
like stone fruit character.
- And florals as well,
like you said,
white and purple florals.
- [Vince] And we describe it as sweeter
but it doesn't taste sweet
and I think that's somethingfor people to understand
is that the amount of acidand the amount of bubbles
that you have balance it out.
So it reminds me of fresh laundry
where you get thesebeautiful fresh floral notes,
lively and easy
to drink.- You make me remember
my grandmother, the scent of the laundry
of my grandmother.
- [Vincent] All right,so what is the next one?
- Next in line is our Rive
di San Pietro di Barbozza.
So the ColegnianoValdobbiadene DOCG territory
is divided in 43 sub-zones, okay,
that are called Rive.
And this is an expressionof one of these sub-zone
called San Pietro di Barbozza.
It is a Brut Nature so
zero residual sugar,
expression of florals since the Brut tends
to enhance the floral notes.
- There's no residualsugar so that enhances,
the minerality that comes from the soil.
- [Vincent] All right, wine number four.
- Next in line we are going
to taste the Cuvee delFondatore made with 90% Glera
and 10% Oak Chardonnay.
- [Vincent] Oak Chardonnay?
- Yes.- Wow.
- The Chardonnay is agedsix month in the barrels
which adds nuances of vanilla.
- [Vincent] Wow, that's cool.
That's very unique.
I mean, if you're into afuller bodied chardonnay
or perhaps if you're intoa bigger style of Champagne
this is the Prosecco that I think
would be right up your alley.
- [Matteo] Always following the innovation
from a production standpointwe have the Valdo Numero 10.
Valdo started to experimenta Methodo Classico.
- [Vincent] The traditional method.
- [Matteo] The traditional method.
A 10-month secondary fermentation
in the bottle adds thoseyeasty toasted bread aromas
typical of the traditional method
while still keeping thetraditional aromatics of Prosecco.
- [Vincent] Can I have a little more?
This stuff is delicious.
You know what,
it's exceedingly complex.
I went through that entire taste
and I'm still getting newflavors and characteristics
from it and the finish is gorgeous.
The finish is long andpersistent and it changes.
And we've arrived at the finale.
- [Matteo] Grand finale.
- What do we have?
- [Matteo] So we have a very special wine.
It is called a Cuvee Viviana
and it is a ValdobbiadeneProsecco Superiore di Cartizze.
It is the cru of Prosecco Superiore DOCG.
So the residual sugar here is higher
than all the Prosecco productsthat we have tasted so far.
- And you can smell it right on the nose.
- Yes, it's very pronounced,
fresh fruits, tropical fruit notes.
- Oh, yeah.- Yeah, there's
like a ripe
papaya and pineapple.- Papaya.
- [Vincent] Well, thank you so much
for taking us through this.
This is absolutely incredible.
- Salute.- Salute.
- Salute.
(glasses clinging)
- Do you wanna try some of these wines?
Head to V is for vino to jointhe V is for Vino Wine Club
and get wines from this episodeand others shipped right
to your door so you candrink along with us, cheers.
I may have gone a bit over thetop with my hotel this trip.
Welcome to CastelBrando,
a 2,000-year-old medieval castle
located 1,200 feet above sea level.
It was originally builtas a defensive fortress
but today it's a four star hotel,
theater and museum.
The best part,
it's only a 30-minuteride from Valdobbiadene.
♪ The tide is pulling us in ♪
♪ I got you if you got me baby ♪
♪ I got you if you got me baby ♪
- [Vincent] I mean,this is a actual castle
and I don't think people understand that
because we don't have these in America.
- [Tamara] This is one of the oldest
and largest castles in Europe.
It was built during theRoman times 2,000 years ago.
And at the time it was builtas a defensive fortress
that's why it's located inthis strategic position,
'cause from here they couldmonitor the whole valley.
Now we're going to see theBrandolini Count bedroom.
- [Vincent] That's apretty cool chandelier.
- [Tamara] Cool, right.
Yeah, the chandelier isactually from Venice.
- [Vincent] Oh, it's from Venice.
- [Tamara] Yeah, it's Murano glass.
- Oh, that's the famous glass that we saw.
- Yes and it's original from the 1700.
- [Vincent] Wow.
- [Tamara] The count actuallyhad seven secret exits
from this bedroom.
If he will get under attackhe would escape from here.
And the second reason was for his lovers.
- [Vincent] Oh, for the ladies.
- [Tamara] Yes, for the ladies.
(laughing)
- Do you know where they are?
I guess they're secret.
How would we know?- They're secret.
- [Vincent] As we touredthe castle you can't help
but feel transported back in time,
a time when life was harder,
when you lived and died by the sword,
when simple mundanetasks like providing food
and water and security,
things that we take for granted,
took up most of your time.
And how in 2019 I can come to this place
that was once reserved for a select few
and live in the luxury people from
that time couldn't even fathom.
Intricate mosaics in swimming pools
where the Roman baths used to be.
Turkish baths builtinto the original rock.
But hey, I'll take this overa trip to the dungeon any day.
Speaking of living in luxury it was time
for me to call it a day.
We had big plans for tomorrow.
- Ciao.
- You too, good night.
See you tomorrow.
(relaxing music)
(dramatic upbeat music)
Welcome to the V is for Vino Nerd Lab.
We take complicated winetopics and make them simple.
Today we're talking aboutsparkling wine sweetness.
- [Man] Sparkling wine sweetness.
- First off, we're only talkingabout sparkling wine today.
Still wine sweetness isa whole other Nerd Lab.
- [Man] Yeah, Stupid.
- So why make sparkling wine sweet at all?
Well, there's the obvious reason,
sometimes wines that are sweet taste nice
and pair better withspicy foods or desserts.
But the less obvious reason is this,
sparkling wines tendto be extremely acidic
and a little bit ofsugar could go a long way
in making a sparkling wine more balanced.
Think of it like puttingsugar on a tart grapefruit
to make it a bit more palatable.
We didn't reduce theacidity of the grapefruit,
we simply balanced it out with the sugar.
A lot of times the sugar added
to the sparkling wine is imperceptible.
It doesn't make the winesweet it simply puts it
in line with the acidityand makes a smoother wine.
Sparkling wine sweetness comes
from something called a dosage.
How much of this dosageis added determines
the sweetness level which ismeasured in grams per liter.
About the labeling system,
most sparkling wine allover the world follows
the same rules when it comes
to labeling your sparkling wines.
But the bad news,
the words used are a bit counterintuitive.
Let's start at the bottom.
Brut Nature, which is0 to 3 grams per liter
and means zero or closeto zero added sugar.
These wines are bone dry.
Next we get the Extra Brut or0 to 6 grams per liter which,
yes, on paper can be slightly sweeter
but this wine is still incredibly dry.
Then we get to Brut
which you've probablyseen many times before.
The reason being is that Brut allows
for a whole lot of wiggle room,
zero to 12 grams per liter
and still know that this winewill probably taste very dry.
Now here's where things get confusing.
We move onto extra dry whichis 12 to 17 grams per liter
and dry which is 17 to 32 grams per liter.
Even though these wines are called dry,
which in still wines weuse to describe no sugar,
in sparkling wines extra dry
and dry actually mean a little sweet.
- [Man] That's dumb.
- I know, it's at extradry where things start
to taste a bit smoother andfruitier and a hint of sweet
and a dry where you'll getsome noticeable sweetness.
Our last two are Demi-sec and Doux.
These wines are definitelydessert wines, noticeably sweet.
- [Man] Sweet.
- And when we're talking aboutProsecco you'll typically
only see them labeled as Brut,
extra dry and dry,
because Prosecco is already fairly fruity.
So an extra dry Prosecco is going
to taste even sweeter thanan extra dry Champagne.
And while all this seem like a whole lot
of sugar consider this,
cola has about 106 grams per liter
which is way higher than eventhe sweetest sparkling wines.
And the difference betweena glass of dry wine
and a glass of sweet wine isonly about 30 calories or so.
So if you're looking for places
to cut calories considercutting out the desserts
and grabbing a glass ofsparkling wine instead.
I hope today's Nerd Labexplained a little bit
about sparkling winesweetness and as always,
keep geeking out.
(water bubbles bubbling)
The best thing about Prosecco,
it can be drank throughout the entire meal
and no one knows thisbetter than our restaurant
which has been a localstaple for 120 years.
So where are we headed?
- We are heading to theRestaurant Da Gigetto.
- [Vincent] Okay.
- [Tamara] Yes, one of themost historic restaurants
in the whole area.
We're walking into foodinspired by the tradition
but with a touch of innovation.
So they use a lot of fresh ingredients,
local ingredients based on the season.
- [Vincent] This restauranthas some special meaning
to you, right?
So you got married,
this was your reception?
- [Tamara] Yes. Yes.
It was a wonderful,
wonderful time.- So I'm going in
with a VIP.
- Absolutely.
- All right, I love it.
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Tamara] Let's do this.
- [Vincent] Well, cheers.
- [Tamara] Cheers.
- I feel like we're strappingin for a while here.
Texture is my favorite part of this dish
because it's this beautiful balance.
The richness with the duck,
the crunchy from the little bit of
- The crostini.- The crostini.
And then the creamy from the mousse,
a little bit of everything.
And I love this with the DOC
because I think you getan easy drinking wine
with kind of a complex dish.
When you don't know what bottle to bring
to your next dinner partybring sparkling wine.
The acidity in bubblesact as a palate cleanser
and make sparkling wine super versatile.
Plus, the fatty duck
and creamy mouse crave a high-acid wine.
Let's talk about pairing multiple courses.
The general rule is youwanna go from less complex
to more complex or light to heavy.
The DOC Prosecco is the lightest,
most straight forward ofthe wines so it's definitely
where we wanna start.
Plus, the duck has a whole lot of flavor
and texture going on sosometimes it's good not
to overwhelm the palatewith an equally complex wine
but rather to contrast withsomething easy drinking.
(speaking in foreign language)
- I have goosebumps and I'mnot joking even a little bit.
That pumpkin is unreal.
- I've never thought about abroth made with fig's leaves.
- [Vincent] The 1926 is morerich and complex than DOC
which continues our light to heavy trend.
And as you already know,
bubbles pair with everything.
Also, the little bit of sugar that comes
from the fig and pumpkinneeds the little bit
of sugar that comes fromthe extra dry Prosecco.
(upbeat music)
- Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Mushrooms again butcompletely different mushroom,
porcini so meatier, hearty,
perfect for I think the hearty beef.
Traditional method,perfect for richer dish.
This is a meat dish.
I don't have any problem pairingthis with sparkling wine.
- Yeah, you do have a vinegar on top
so you get the little bit of acidity.
- Yeah. Damn.
(laughing)
The traditional methodProsecco is rich and powerful,
definitely a more serious complex wine
and is the perfect pairing for the rich,
meaty steak or main fish courses.
- [Vincent] This is stunninglybeautiful this dish.
- [Tamara] Isn't it?
- [Vincent] Yeah.
I can't place my finger onwhat this is, it's delicious.
- [Tamara] It's a Prosecco meringue.
- I love that dessert ispretty much mandatory in Italy.
- It is.- In America
I feel like it's maybe,
maybe not, we're too full.
Italy it's part of the meal.
- You have to have dessert.
- [Vincent] Yeah, so they have the wine
that's got not only the top cru,
the highest sugar content soobviously perfect with dessert.
- Perfect with dessert, exactly.
- When pairing multiple courses the light
to heavy pattern usuallyresets at dessert,
especially if there aremultiple dessert courses.
So we're not gonna worryabout that anymore.
The most important rule
for dessert is that sweetfoods need sweet wines
and our dry Cartizze Proseccohas the highest sugar level
of all our Proseccos.
Don't forget, dry when usedto describe sparkling wine
is actually fairly sweet.
What happens now?
- [Tamara] Well, at the endof your meal you usually
have coffee and grappa.
- Little did I know,
the Da Gigetto's sommelierMonica had curated one
of the best cellars in all of Veneto,
if not all of Italy.
So before our post dinner digestif
she gave us a tour.
(upbeat music)
- [Vince] I've seen cellars,
I've never seen anything like this.
- [Tamara] How manybottles do you have here?
- [Monica] 36,400.
- [Tamara] Wow, that's something.
(laughing)
- [Monica] The most importantpart is 60% Italian wine
and 40% foreign country.
- [Vincent] I see someFrench over there though.
- But I put there--
- We put a lock behind it.
- Yes, of course.
(laughing)
- [Vincent] How long have youbeen working on this cellar?
- [Monica] 16 years ago.
Fortunately I love this work.
It's an original well.
This well help me to maintain the humidity
of the wine cellar.- Oh, absolutely, yeah.
- I'm sure you have thingsin here that are impossible
to get other places.
- [Monica] This is myfavorite part of wine cellar
because this is my country.
This is ConeglianoValdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore
and people that came from south of Italy
or north of Italy I would likethat they taste the Prosecco
because I believe in Prosecco.
In the worst place I put the French white.
(laughing)
- They go under there.
Thank you for showing me this.
- [Tamara] Yeah, thank you, Monica.
- Thank you to you.
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Vince] All right, brownliquid, clear liquid,
what have we got?- [Tamara] Yes.
We have an espresso and a grappa.
You can have first yourcoffee and then your grappa
or you can put some ofyour grappa in your coffee
and make it a corretto.
You've had grappa before, right?
- Only like once or twice.
It's not really a huge thing in America.
- [Tamara] It's not, right.
In Italy it's a big thing,
especially in this areabecause grappa originated
in this area.
I got a lot of flowers,
a lot of purple flowers.
- Oh yeah, purple.- Like violets.
- Purple, as soon as you said purple.
- [Tamara] Right, sodo you know how to test
if a grappa is really good?
- How drunk it gets you?
- Well yeah, there's that.
(laughing)
But there's a very oldschool way to do it.
- Okay, what is it?- Let me show you.
So you pour a little bitof grappa on your hand,
just a tiny little bit.
- [Vince] I feel like you'repulling a prank on me.
Okay, a little bit.- And then you
just do this with yourhands and then you smell it.
- What am I smelling for?
- So if it smells likegrapes it's a good grappa.
- Oh, it definitely smells
like grapes.- Right, doesn't it?
- Yeah, it straight up smells like grapes.
(laughing)
Love it, that's good.
- I know, it's really good.
- It's strong.- It's really strong.
- It's strong.
- But it's very smoothat the same time, right.
- It doesn't burn as it goes down.
It's very smooth andnow I'm going corretto.
- [Tamara] Yeah, let's correct it.
(laughing)
That's a lot of grappa to put in a coffee.
- Oh, are you only supposedto put in a little bit?
I thought you just dump it.
(laughing)
- No, you don't.
(laughing)
- I thought you just put it.
(beep)
So that was not correct?
- [Tamara] No, that's too correct.
- I've over corrected.
- You over corrected.
- And now I cannot uncorrect.
- Exactly.
- I'm being honest,
it's not that bad.
(laughing)
Good, I'm glad.- I didn't mess up that bad.
Well, this has been one ofthe greatest trips of my life.
When you travel to ItalyI think a lot of people go
to Venice, they go to,
I don't know, Piedmont,
they go to Tuscany.
I think think morepeople need to come here.
It feels authentic. It feels real.
It's not far from Venice.
It's absolutely stunning.
I've never seen more,
the hillsides and the countrysides
and I think the number one thing from me
is the people here are amazing.
- [Tamara] Yes.
- [Vincent] Everybody is hospitable.
Everybody is excited that you're here.
- [Tamara] I'm so happy that you got
to experience the Italian hospitality
and it was my pleasure to have you here.
- You're the best.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you.- Thank you, Vince.
- [Men] One, two,
three, go.
(people cheering)
- And with that,
our trip to Prosecco was a wrap.
If I've learned one thing on this trip
it's that Prosecco goes with everything.
It goes with long afternoonswhen you've left work early.
It goes with views.
It goes with every typeof food imaginable.
It goes with cocktails in crowded bars
and it goes with sunsetsand picnics with friends.
Pick a moment,
a place, an event and adding Prosecco
would probably make it better.
Ciao, and we'll see younext time on V is for Vino.
Valdo. Valdo. Valdo.
(upbeat music)
(singing in foreign language)
(laughing)
- Oh God, I'm tired.
- I know.
Oh man, well this would.
(laughing)
(singing in foreign language)
- [Vincent] Hey, Vince here.
Do you want more V is for Vino?
I have a bunch of exclusivebehind-the-scenes content
on my Instagram at V is for Vino.
I interact with you andhave new posts all the time
so go right now and give a quick follow
so we can stay in touch, cheers.
Prosecco, Italy: "The Most Popular Sparkling Wine in the World!" For our first stop in Italy, we're exploring the bubbly wine loved around the globe; Prosecco! Whether it's drank as an aperitivo in the afternoon, with meals over sunsets, or just with friends, Prosecco pairs with everything. We'll start our journey in Venice Italy to meet with fellow sommelier Tamara, to help guide us on our trip. We'll then head to Valdobbiadene to see just how Prosecco is made, learn about the Charmat Method and sparkling wine sweetness, explore a 2000 year old medieval castle, and finally end up cooking a true 4-course Italian meal. Find out why Prosecco is the most popular sparkling wine in the world on our first international episode of V is for Vino! -Vince GET THE WINE AND RECIPES from the episode at: https://www.visforvino.com/prosecco Get more episodes FREE (and wine content!) at: https://www.visforvino.com/ ____________________________________ V is for Vino | "The Show to Pair with Your Wine". WATCH the show. LEARN the story. DRINK the wine. https://www.visforvino.com/ Become a wine expert with V is for Vino, "The Show to Pair with Your Wine". On the free 30 minute show, your personal sommelier (aka really smart wine guy) Vince takes you on a video journey to meet the winemaker, learn about the grapes, see the region, and cook a dish that pairs. Then you can get the wine from the show delivered to your door at www.visforvino.com —————— Come to our Website! http://visforvino.com/ Check out our Blog! https://visforvino.com/wine-thoughts/ Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/visforvino/ Let's be friends on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/visforvino/ —————— So what is V is for Vino? It’s the first "The Show to Pair with Your Wine" where you get to WATCH. LEARN, DRINK. You can watch our show all about wine, and then get the wine from the show delivered to your door. Plus, the wine and recipe cards available at visforvino.com. It’s like virtual wine tasting! -WATCH- Join Vince your personal sommelier (a.k.a. smart wine guy) as he tours a new region each month. You’ll meet the featured winemaker, see the region, learn the grapes and wine topics, and cook a meal with a local chef that will pair perfectly. -LEARN- Learn different wine topics in each episode: from "what is tannin" to "how to order wine in a restaurant". Plus, get the wine and recipe cards from each episode on www.visforvino.com -DRINK- What kind of club would this be without booze? You can purchase the wine we feature on the show from months featured region/winemaker delivered to your door, so you can drink along with us! It’s like virtual wine tasting! -ON THIS CHANNEL- You can watch full episodes, or get snippets of the V is for Vino show: learning how-to cook a great recipe or two, exploring new white wine, red wine, and wine topics, as well as the vine and wine world. © 2019 V IS FOR VINO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED