Bottega “Gold” Prosecco, Veneto, Italy (Alcohol 11%, Residual Sugar 13g/l) LCBO Vintages $27.95 (750ml shiny bottle)
It was on a visit to the land of Prosecco a few years back that I had my Prosecco epiphany, a point in the evolution of my palate where I became able to appreciate it for what it was without overthinking the stuff, a without allowing any foolish snobbery to enter into the equation. And it was a personal tour of Sandro Bottega’s winery that got me to that point of understanding.
Whilst some may balk at the concept of anything in the glam gold packaging present here, it has to be mentioned that the gold bottle does a little more than attract bling enthusiasts, as the reflective gold coating actually protects the wine inside from light damage and adds to the longevity of the Prosecco within… Oh, and I should mention that I have it on good word that the packaging’s production has been specially developed to be entirely solvent free… and I believe that this stands true for all of Bottega’s “shiny” bottlings.
Another interesting fact about the bottle is that due to laws only allowing certain shades of glass bottles for DOCG Prosecco, the Gold isn’t labelled as such, but all the fruit used in the production of the wine is bona fide DOCG fruit.
Shiny gold bottle aside, what lies within is more than worthy of your attention if you are one of those who takes pleasure from the odd bottle or two of Prosecco. This wine is pure, fresh, and fruity pleasure, with classic Glera grape aromatics of apples, pears, and scented orchard blossom hitting all the right notes, but I feel that this wine always tastes and noses “fresher” and with more buoyant and bountiful fruit notes than its relative counterparts in the market. Sandro Bottega puts this down to the wine’s batch vinification, with cryo preserved Glera must being fermented once using the Charmat method in Bottega’s special stainless steel autoclave tanks.
The resultant mousse is decidedly light and frothy, and the 13g of residual sugar sits in perfect balance, leading to an immensely pleasurable glass of bubbles that should bring immediate hedonistic and celebratory joy to the imbiber.
(Four apples out of a possible five)
Bottega Spa are represented in Ontario by Noble Estates.
Noble Estates are a Good Food Fighter.
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Edinburgh-born/Toronto-based Sommelier, consultant, writer, judge, and educator Jamie Drummond is the Director of Programs/Editor of Good Food Revolution… And he is in the mood for an early morning glass of this right now.
