Behind the Cork™ - Josh Cellars Prosecco

Josh Prosecco

Many years ago, Josh Cellars founder Joseph Carr worked at a winery in Italy, falling in love with the country and with Italian wines. These sparkling wines are the first from Josh Cellars. They were created in 2019 in partnership with the Pozzi Family - a small family wine producer in Italy - as a ode to this their beautiful country.

Josh Prosecco ($14.99)

The grapes for this sparkling wine are from vineyards between Conegliano Veneto and Valdobbiadene in the Prosecco DOC appellation. The grapes were pressed immediately following harvest to extract maximum flavor. The juice was then fermented twice in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and produce the carbonation. On the nose, this Prosecco has hints of green apples, pear and citrus. On the palate it is lightly effervescent with refreshing acidity and a very light touch of sweetness.

Josh Prosecco Rosé ($14.99)

The grapes for this sparkling rosé are also from vineyards between Conegliano Veneto and Valdobbiadene in the Prosecco DOC appellation. The grapes include Glera and Pinot Noir. After pressing, the juice is kept in contact with the Pinot Noir skins for a short time to give it the beautiful rosé color. Again, this Prosecco Rosé is fermented twice. On the nose it has delicate aromas while on the palate it has nice notes of cherry and berry, refreshing acidity and a wonderful light touch of sweetness on the finish.

Both of these Josh Prosecco sparkling wines are available on-line from Josh Cellars as well as nationwide on Drizly, Total Wine and more. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Josh Cellars

Behind the Cork™ - Sparkling Wines for the Holidays

Ca di Prata Prosecco DOC Brut ($15.99) and Acquesi Asti Spumante ($16.99)

Sparkling wines are perfect at most any time and with most any foods. All too often, though, they get reserved for just one major holiday each year. And who doesn’t enjoy popping some bubbly to ring in the new year. But, you should also think bubbles at Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and other celebratory holidays.

These two sparklers are from Italy which is famous for its Prosecco and Asti Spumante wines.

Since the middle of the thirteenth century the toponym 'Prosech' or 'Prosecum', but also the more modern 'Proseco' refers to a small town, bordering to the south-east of Trieste. Even today, Prosecco remains a small town in the province of Trieste, in the far north-east of Italy.

The Ca di Prata Prosecco is produced from 85% Glera grapes and 15% other varieties including Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay. After harvest and the press, the must is fermented in stainless steel tanks at 14-16 C for about 10-12 days. After fermentation it is racked and stored in stainless steel tanks at 10-12 C. Then, to create the bubbles, it is placed in a stainless steel autoclave where it ferments at a temperature of 15-16 C for about 12 days. At the end of fermentation, it is cooled to 0° C and left to rest for a month and finally filtered and bottled. Being a Brut, it has low residual sugar, pleasant acidity and the taste of green apple, typical of the Prosecco. The presence of Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay gives a complex savory and mineral note which makes it more full-bodied.

The Acquesi Asti Spumante is produced from 100% Moscato. It is a sweet sparkling wine at just 7% alcohol by volume and 95 g/L residual sugar.

It's pale gold color and greenish hue leads to complex floral aromas of fresh tree fruits, honeycomb and exotic spices. The palate is fresh, sweet and persistent with a lingering, sweet fruity finish.

This Acquesi Asti Spumante has won several recent awards. At the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championship in 2019 & 2020 it was Best in Region (Asti 2020), Best in Class (2019,2020), Gold (2019,2020) and World Champion (Aromatic Sparkling Wine 2019, 2020).

Both of these fine sparkling wines are imported by Mack & Schuhle which s a Miami-based national importer dedicated to bringing exceptional wines from around the world to the US market. Look for them and enjoy. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Zardetto Prosecco Brut

Zardetto Prosecco Brut NV ($17)

This tasty Zardetto Prosecco comes from vineyards in the hilly part of the Veneto region of Italy.

It’s produced from at least 85% Glera grapes with the addition of up to 15% Pinot Bianco/Chardonnay.

The first fermentation takes place after a brief maceration (the technique of cold-soaking un-fermented grape juice in the crushed skins, seeds and stalks of the grape). The second fermentation, done to create the bubbles, takes place in large temperature controlled stainless steel containers.

Lemon-yellow in color with bubbles that form a hearty white froth in the glass. The aromas include white flowers, apricot and herbs. On the palate this Prosecco has citrus, orange blossoms and stone fruits, a very light hint of sweetness, with light notes lingering on the finish. It comes in at 11% alcohol and, with 12 g/L residual sugar, it’s at the high end of a ‘Brut.’

This is a very nice Prosecco that’s also a great value and is widely available. It’s perfect for any celebration and goes with most any foods. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Imported by Winebow Imports

Sample Provided by Jarvis Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Ca' di Prata Prosecco

Ca’ di Prata Prosecco

Ca’ di Prata Prosecco sparkling wines are produced with a strong committed to quality. By carefully managing their raw materials, their winemaking processes and through special attention to detail, they are able to share these quality products, exclusively made in Italy, with the entire world.

Prata is a community in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 100 kilometers northwest of Trieste. The Ca’ di Prata Prosecco Brut and Rosé wines are from the village of Prata, famous for the historic tower where people come together to enjoy a glass of Prosecco with family and friends. The Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore comes from Valdobbiadene, the most famous Prosecco region located near the village Prata di Pordenone.

Glera, the primary grape used in the production of Prosecco, is a green-skinned grape variety that has been grown for hundreds of years in the Veneto and Friuli regions of Italy and too is the basis for these three wonderful Prosecco sparkling wines.

The Ca’ di Prata DOC Brut ($15.99) is made from 85% Glera and 15% ‘other varieties.’ According to the winery, the ‘other varieties’ include Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay that gives this Brut “…a complex savory and mineral note which makes it more full-bodied.” This Brut Prosecco is bright and fresh with good acidity and the traditional green apple flavor associated with the Glera grape.

The Ca’ di Prata Extra Dry Prosecco Rosé ($16.99) is produced from 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Noir. It is fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve its crisp flavors. At the end of fermentation, it is cooled to 0° C and left to rest for a month before being bottled. It is wonderfully light and refreshing with crisp flavors and refreshing acidity.

The Ca’ di Prata Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry ($17.99) is so named for the grapes that come from vineyards in the province of Treviso in the historical area of the DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene. It is also produced from 85% Glera and 15% ‘other varieties.’ It has a golden-straw color with green hints. This too has flavors of golden apple along with a citrus hint and pleasant acidity.

All three of these Prosecco wines are delightful and great values. Look for them! Cheers!

Note: Ca’ di Prata wines are imported by Mack & Schuhle Inc and are distributed nationally.

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Terre di San Venanzio Prosecco

Behind the Cork™ - Terre di San Venanzio

Here are a couple more wonderful Proseccos from Terre di San Venanzio in Italy.

The Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry (shown on the right) hails from 100% Glera from the best D.O.C.G. hills of Valdobbiadene. Its bouquet has delicate aroma of pear and white flowers such as Acacia and Jasmine. On the Palate, it is light and refreshing with soft bubbles and just a hint of sweetness (15 g/l RS).

The Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore “Fortunato” also is from 100% Glera and grown in the Valdobbiadene hills. This one uses highly selected grapes from their best vineyards. With scents of yellow apple, pear and white peach, this Prosecco is also light and refreshing with a touch more sweetness on the palate (20 g/l RS).

Both of these Prosecco offerings from Terre de San Venanzio are wonderful on their own and pair with most any thing you choose. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Terre di San Venanzio (Italy)