For many of us, summer is a-comin’ and we’re starting to think once more about al-fresco dining, with the barbecue cleaned up in anticipation of another period of glorious warmth and an aperitif already in hand to watch the sun go down. For me, this would be the Bisol Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze Dry 2022.
Now, if you’re a Prosecco lover you will surely know that “dry” means it’s at the sweet end of the spectrum for sparkling wine. In fact, this one has around 25 grams of sugar per liter, almost as high as you can get before the wine is described as “dolce.” But, as my colleague Zekun Shuai said of the 2021 vintage of the same wine, “This is not just about sweetness,” and I thoroughly agree.
You will also know that when the label says Cartizze, we are talking about the creme de la creme of Prosecco production, coming from the top “grand cru” site, consisting of just over 100 hectares, enclosed in just one pentagon-shaped square kilometer at the west end of the Prosecco Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore designated zone.
Here the local glera white variety flourishes on south-facing slopes, producing naturally sugar-rich grapes with super-balanced acidity. These are rich, enticing sparkling wines that are a far cry from the ubiquitous Prosecco fizz you find here, there and everywhere, the product of endless acres of machine-farmed vineyards on the plains of the Veneto and Friuli regions in Italy’s northeast.
The regulations dictate the use of 85 percent glera grapes, topped up with a number of accepted local and international white varieties, including chardonnay, which is the choice here.
This example, from one of Prosecco’s most prestigious producers (Bisol has been making wine in the area since 1542, as the label proudly states), is a complex wine with beautiful savory notes of meadow flowers, sandstone and almonds to accompany the sweet pear and citrus fruit, together with the hallmark note of fresh cream, which is what we Prosecco lovers look for in the finish.
This is far too good to be relegated to just an aperitif wine, though. Experiment with fish, white meat and vegetable dishes. I drank the 2021 vintage of this with a tikka masala recently and it was a match made in heaven.
– Jo Cooke, Tastings Editor
