My first job in the wine business was with a company whose primary focus was the selling of Prosecco wines. Nigh on ten years, the name “Prosecco” trips off the tongue with ease. Prosecco has taken it’s place in the U.S. if not the world’s standard “canon” of wines. But let me tell you, selling prosecco in the mid to late nineties was anything but easy, and this was in New York City!

The usual first (negative) reaction was “What’s that?” and the conversation usually ended with “I don’t need that”. Let’s face it, most wine retailers are lazy and know a LOT less about wine than they should, and quite a few know well less than their average customer does. At the time, Prosecco represented the unknown, and despite that the wine was and still is an inexpensive drink, it scared lots of folks away. One of the main specific objections to purchasing in some of this delightful wine was that everyone would think that it was Asti Spumante since that was after all, the only Italian sparkler that the world had any use for (wink). I always wanted to reply that that was like saying that a customer couldn’t distinguish between a Burgundy and Bordeaux because they are both red and French. The other common specific objection to Prosecco was rooted in pure snobbery. “We only serve Champagne” was the reply, nose clearly upturned. For many, Champagne’s appeal is as much about its “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” image as it is about flavors and aromas and textures. Drinking any kind of “sparkling wine” might cause someone at the next table to whisper “philistine” under his or her breath.

So let’s also clarify one point - the only commonalities between Prosecco and Champagne are that they are both bubbly and that they are both white - and even this is only a half-truth - see rose` Champagne. There is no rose` Prosecco. The differences are legion: Prosecco is made from the eponymous grape, it is produced in Veneto region of Italy, and it is made using the Charmat method. Champagne is made from Chardonnay or a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, and is made in the “Methode Champanoise”. And the method of production of the respective wines is a major point of divergence. The Charmat method basically produces a still wine from Prosecco as one would do with any other white grape. Once this process is complete, the base wine is transferred to a sealable stainless steel tank called an “autoclave”. Once in the autoclave, sugar and more yeast are added to the base wine to cause a second fermentation, but instead of letting the resulting CO2 escape into the air as it does with the production of any still wine, the sealed autoclave forces the gas into solution creating bubbles in the wine. The “methode Champanoise” is far more complicated and expensive to realize. Champagne is fermented in the bottle, with a host of stages of semi-arcane operations with names like “remuage”, “dosage”, and “disgorgement” which involves moving the wine in and out of the bottle, rotating the bottles as they ferment, and adding a sugar water solution just before bottling. The Charmat process takes months at most. The methode Champanoise takes years.

Now let me be clear that Prosecco and Champagne are not being equated. Champagne is nearly always the more deep and complex drink, but it is also always much more expensive, and quite a bit harder on the palate, and the next day, the head (those who have had a few too many flutes of Champagne know what I mean). The added depth and complexity is in large degree provided by the Champagne method itself in which the dead yeast cells called “lees” are allowed to sit for years in the bottle as the wine develops. These dead yeasts over time decay, adding much of the complexity for which Chamapagne is justifiably famous. The Charmat method is much “cleaner” thereby making the wine fresher and more overtly fruity in taste and aroma, and less punishing the morning after.

But honey, look at how our little Prosecco has grown up! Now in the year 2006 there isn’t a decent wine shop in any major metropolitan area that doesn’t have at least one. And further, as the demand has grown, the number of producers entering the market has dramatically increased. This proliferation of Prosecco players has increased the competition between the houses, and consequently the quality, as each producer seeks to distinguish himself from his neighbors.

So if you’re unfamiliar with Prosecco, get familiar! Just like Champagne, they are equally at home with or without food and provide all of the festivity and drama that Champagne does without putting a gaping hole in your wallet today, and an equally gaping hole in your head tomorrow.

TOM CIOCCO