Italian Sparkling Wines - Prosecco and Asti

France has its Champagne. Spain has Cava. In Italy, Prosecco and Asti are its two most popular sparkling wines.

Prosecco is primarily from the Veneto region of Italy and made from the Glera grape.  Like Champagne, Prosecco must be produced in designated regions of Italy to be called Prosecco on the label. Unlike Champagne and Cava that undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle (the 'traditional method'), Prosecco is produced using the Charmat ('transfer') method.  Using this process, large quantities of wine are kept under pressure in stainless steel tanks during the second fermentation.  The resulting sparkling wine is then bottled.

While most people can't tell the difference in the secondary fermentation process used, it is generally believed that the traditional method results in smaller, more persistent bubbles, while the transfer method results in lighter bubbles, being almost frothy, and having a creamier feel in the mouth.  

Prosecco tends to be fruiter than Champagne and usually sweeter. Prosecco has been described as having flavors of melon, peer, apple, honey suckle and cream.  There are three main styles of Prosecco: Brut has up to 12 gram per liter of residual sugar, while Extra Dry has 12-17 gm/liter and Dry has 17-32 gm/liter.  Prosecco also tends to be lower in alcohol, around 11-12%  And, nice entry-level bottles of Prosecco are easily found in the $15 - $20 range. 

Asti is another popular sparkling wine from Italy. It is produced in the Piedmont region around the towns of Asti and Alba from the Moscato Bianco grape.  Originally known as 'Asti Spumante' (spumante means fully sparkling), the name was shortened to just Asti in 1993 when it received its official designation.  This fully sparkling wine has an alcohol content around 8% to 9% by volume. Sharing the Asti designation is Moscato d'Asti that is also made from the Moscato Bianco grape. This sparkling wine is typically in the frizzante style (frizzante means lightly sparkling). Like Asti, Moscato d'Asti is made using the transfer process, but the fermentation is stopped quite early, resulting in a sparkling wine that is sweet, has fewer bubbles and is low in alcohol (5-6%). Because Moscato d'Asti is lightly sparkling, it is typically packaged with a standard bottle and cork. Both Moscato d'Asti and Asti sparkling wines can be found in the $10 - $20 range.

These Italian sparkling wines are not meant for aging and should be consumed young and fresh. So pick up a bottle or two, chill them, and enjoy them right away. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Pazo de Lusco Albariño

2023 Pazo de Lusco Albariño ($24.99)

The Pazos de Lusco winery, within the Rias Baixas DO, is located in the municipality of Salvaterra do Miño, in the province of Pontevedra. The Rias Baixas DO in Galicia in north-west Spain is a small wine-growing region.

The name of the winery, Pazo de Lusco, is typically Galician. A pazo is a traditional Galician ancestral home usually in the country side. Lusco is an idiomatic Galician word that defines the magical moment between dusk and nightfall when the sun is going down.

This Pazo de Lusco Albariño is produced from 100% Albariño grapes that are fermented with their own yeasts from their most historic vineyards. It is aged on lees.

This wine is pale straw in color with aromas of citrus and apple. On the palate, this Albariño is medium-light bodied with good fruit flavors of citrus (lemon, lime and nectarine). It has bright acidity and a creamy mouthfeel from the aging on lees. This results in a smooth finish. [ABV: 12.5%, TA: 5.2 g/L, ph: 3.6, RS: 1.5 g/L]

This is a delightful Albariño from Pazo de Lusco that sips easy at any time and goes with a large variety of foods. And, at this price, makes it a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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

Media Sample Provided by Gonzalez Byass

What are Lees in Winemaking?

A wine barrel with a clear end-cap shows the settled Fine Lees

I was recently hosting a wine tasting that involved a white wine. On the back label, it stated that the wine had been “Aged on lees.”  I was asked the obvious question “What are lees?”

In the broadest sense, “lees” refers to all the stuff that settles on the bottom of a wine fermentation or aging vessel (e.g., the tank or barrel). This “stuff” can include grape skin fragments, grape seeds, grape stems, pieces if grape leaves and, after fermentation, dead yeast. 

This collection of “stuff” is generally referred to as the “Gross Lees.” Not exactly because it might be considered ‘gross’ in its consistency, but because it is not the collection of stuff that you want your wine to be aged on. These items can to lead to some rather offense odors and flavors in a wine.

Wine makers generally “rack off” their wine (transfer it) to a fresh vessel or barrel that leaves behind the really chunky stuff and only moves the fermented wine, along with a bunch of dead yeast cells that don’t readily settle and remain mixed in with the newly fermented wine.  With aging, the dead yeast cells do settle to the bottom of the tank or barrel (see image).

When a wine is “Aged on Lees,” this contact with the dead yeast cell is allowed to continue throughout the aging process or until the wine maker determines they’ve achieved the desired wine characteristic. Wine makers even encourage the wine’s contact with the dead yeast cells, or “Fine Lees” by stirring the wine to move the lees off the bottom so that it can have more contact with the wine. The French term for this stirring technique is “Bâttonage.”

As the dead yeast cells break down during aging, they can bring out flavors of nuts, honey, bread, etc. They can also bind with tannins in the wine and to help smooth out the wine. So then, when the wine maker is happy with their wine’s characteristics, they let the Fine Lees settle and again carefully transfer (rack off) the wine and leave behind the layer of dead yeast cells that lay on the bottom of the aging vessel. 

Behind the Cork™ - Tió Pepe Fino Sherry

Tió Pepe Fino Sherry ($19.99)

Tió Pepe’s Fino Sherry is from the city of Jarez in southern Spain's Andalusia region.

It’s made from the Palomino grape, fermented to the 11-12% ABV range, fortified to 15.5% and then enters the Tió Pepe Solera. While it spends four years in the Solera, a layer of yeast, known as the ‘flor’ forms on the surface of the Sherry within the cask. This protects the Sherry from oxygen and gives Tió Pepe its unique aroma and character.

The aroma is notable for its yeast along with notes of toasted almond. This Sherry is a pale golden yellow in color and light in flavor (hence Fino). It’s completely dry and, when served very chilled or over ice, makes for a wonderful aperitif. [ABV: 15%, TA: 4 g/L, pH:3, RS: <1 g/L]


So, whether you enjoy Sherry straight up or mixed in a cocktail, try this one from Tió Pepe. This is a very enjoyable Sherry that’s offered at a great price, making it a nice fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

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

Media Sample Provided by Gonzalez Byass

What "Dry" Means for a Still Wine versus a Sparkling Wine

Have you ever taken a sip of red wine and noticed that your mouth feels dry or dusty? Almost that ‘cotton-mouth’ feel? Well, that is a sensation that is generally associated with red wines.

The dry sensation is due to the wine being astringent and its effect on the tissue in your mouth. Some people have also described the sensation as making their mouth pucker.

The culprits that causes this drying sensation in your mouth are actually chemical compounds (phenolics) that naturally occur in grapes. These ‘tannin’ come from the grape skins, seeds and stems.

But, while a ‘dry’ sensation in your mouth is associated with tannin, the wine term “Dry” actually refers to the lack of sweetness - the amount of residual sugar. A “Dry” wine will have little to no residual sugar, meaning that the fermentation process converted all the natural sugar in the grape juice to alcohol. Residual Sugar (RS) in still wines is categorized as follows:

  • Dry: Less than 1% sweetness or <10 gm/L of Residual Sugar

  • Off-Dry: 3% to 5% sweetness or 10-35 gm/L RS

  • Sweet: Above 5% sweetness or 35-120 gm/L RS

  • Very Sweet: Above 12% sweetness or 120 - 220 gm/L RS

In sparkling wines, there are multiple styles of produced:

  • Extra Brut: 0-6% RS

  • Brut: 0-15% RS

  • Extra Dry: 12-20% RS

  • Dry: 17-35% RS

  • Demi Sec: 35-50% RS

  • Doux: Greater than 50% RS

So, a ‘dry’ still wine will have less than 1% residual sugar, while a ‘dry’ sparkling wine will have 17-35% residual sugar! Just another example of the confusing terms in the wine world.

Here’s to making the wine world just a bit less confusing. Cheers!