The Inside Story from Italian Wine Merchants

Prosecco Earns its Place

Looking at the new DOC and DOCG

Perhaps more than other wines that have successfully established their identities, Prosecco is a wine in transition. While it has been around since ancient Rome, the wine is finally achieving the status its pedigree and history demand.  Effective April 1, 2010, the term “Prosecco” refers to a specific place: Veneto and parts of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the northeastern corner of Italy. These two regions, along with nine other specific provinces, geographically define the current Prosecco DOC. While Prosecco is actually the name of a town near the city of Trieste in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the wine’s major grape, formerly known as Prosecco, will now go by the ancient name of Glera, a name unfamiliar even to the people within the region.  However, only the name has changed; Italian Prosecco has always been made with Glera, though lesser known varieties have figured into the wine’s composition in rather negligible amounts over time.

The incorporation of the new DOCG classification (Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore) ensures that wines from the two most prominent zones will face stricter controls and be given the highest guarantee. Comprised of fifteen communes (or townships), the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene zone is a hilly region with very steep slopes that require vineyard operations to be performed by hand, a practice that has been in place for over three centuries. In addition to the general designation, wines that derive from a single hillside will, in conjunction with standard DOCG labeling, include the term rive, which refers to the finest vineyards and those receiving favorable exposure.

According to Decanter, these “new regulations will also regulate yield for both the new DOC and DOCG zones should be reduced. The DOC will show the most drastic decrease – from the current 180hl/ha to 126hl/ha. There will also be a small reduction in yields in the DOCG zone, from 95hl/ha to 90hl/ha.”

What all this tech talk means for wine consumers is that we can expect a rise in the quality of Prosecco—that’s good news for us. Full of refreshing acidity, pleasant aromatics and delicate flavors of peach and green apple, Prosecco is a perfect sparkler for summer. And its reasonable price point and easy-drinking nature doesn’t hurt, either. However, because of these recent changes, Prosecco may become a more serious wine.

While Prosecco hasn’t carried the same prestige or fastidious production as Champagne— where secondary fermentation is carried out in bottle (méthode champenoise) as opposed to stainless steel tanks (the charmat method)—with the spanky new DOC/G areas and the accompanying raising of standards, it has a reason to take itself more seriously—even if it remains a seriously fun wine to drink!

Pricey Prosecco

New DOCG Status for Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene

Get ready, America. Prosecco prices are undoubtedly rising soon. But this increase is for good reason: the production zone of Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene has finally received DOCG Status. This superior growing zone is restricted to the hills around the towns of the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in northern Veneto. In these areas, production yields are naturally lower due to vineyards being planted on sloping terraces.

As anyone worth his or her weight in jeroboams knows, low yields assure drinkers higher quality wines than those produced from vineyards with high yields, such as those wines formerly produced under the more relaxed DOC and IGTs of Veneto. These regions churn out enormous amounts of sparkling wine each year, and Prosecco from these areas have become very popular internationally due to their everyday price appeal. While there are certainly many products from these regions that drink well and have their place at the table, now there will be more quality wines.

The theory behind creating a new DOCG is to ensure that a higher quality product makes it to the market and to help reduce the large amount of overproduction in the area. Unquestionably, some concerns arise; many American consumers may balk at the price tag that will accompany these superior Proseccos because most American consumers see Prosecco as an alternative to more expensive champagne.  However, while DOCG will certainly fetch higher prices due smaller production, the installation of a Cru system similar to that of Barolo in Piedmont will also bring about far more exciting, high-quality, artisanal Proseccos. Soon DOCG producers will be able to label wines with a singular “Cru,” which will help bring more attention to the area and develop a profound following of Cru Prosecco.

The most important question is this: are Americans ready to fork over $30, $40, or even $50 for Cru Prosecco? Or will this entire idea backfire? It will be interesting to see. It will certainly be fun as a trade member to taste each Cru and experience what a boutique Prosecco tastes like.

Let me ask you: America, are you ready?

IWM Client Interview: Richard Reich

A straight shooter who tells it how he tastes it

The role of a wine portfolio manager at IWM is to assist each client with his or her wine desires. What I love most about my job as a wine portfolio manager is the relationships I build with each client. It’s great to help select wines and to recommend food, but I enjoy the conversations the most.

Every Saturday we host tastings in our Studio del Gusto and highlight a different region in Italy. A few months back I received a phone call from a wonderful man named Richard Reich from Conway, South Carolina. He told me that he just read Sergio Esposito’s book Passion on the Vine and that he was interested in coming up for a tasting. A few Saturdays later I had the pleasure of meeting Richard at a tasting focused on Veneto. He and I ended up spending the entire afternoon chatting about wine, food and wine regions he’s seen. There are many oenophiles around the world who are followed and admired because they write books or have a rich background on the topic that I enjoy following. However, I enjoy people like Richard Reich the most because they have been drinking wine as aregular consumer. His views are not skewed by advertising or relationships with importers. He is a straight shooter who just tells it how he tastes it.

A few weeks back I conducted a series of questions with Richard and would like to share them with the rest of the wine world.

When did you start drinking wine and what was the wine that got you hooked?

I was introduced to wine in 1955 when stationed with the U.S. Army at Bussac, France, as a registered pharmacist in charge of a military pharmacy at the American army base located there. Arriving in January1955 and full of curiosity about French culture, I was quite interested to learn about all things French, most especially about wine. I began studying French, which led to weekend trips to Bordeaux,about 30 kilometers south, to try out my new language skills. I was like a sponge in water, eager to soak up everything I could learn about this marvelous sensation unfolding before my very eyes.With each succeeding weekend bus ride between Bussac and Bordeaux, I witnessed the emergence and growth of grape leaves and clusters of grapes covering the landscape everywhere I looked.

On one such occasion, during the summer of 1955, I made my customary bus trip to Bordeaux and decided to have lunch at an outdoor cafe on amain plaza downtown at the bus drop-off point. Once seated, I began looking for an opportunity to practice my French on the waiter when I heard English being spoken at the next table. There were about a half-dozen people seated there engaged in French/English conversation, and by their demeanor it became apparent to me they were French students working on their English. What a golden opportunity for me to make some English speaking French contacts! Setting aside any inhibitions I may have had, I introduced myself in “Frenglish,” and soon a very animated discussion got underway. It turned out my new acquaintances were all French locals enrolled as English majors at the University in Bordeaux, and they were quite anxious to help me with my French, acquaint me with locals, and immerse me in the world of Bordeaux wines. My learning curve shifted into high gear as the group and I made plans for me to be included in their local activities since they, too, were very much interested in the”Bordeaux wine experience.”

Through this chance encounter, I had the amazing experience in observing, first hand, the Bordeaux grape harvests of 1955 and 1956 atpublic wine tasting events taking place in the city. To experience the adventure of being on the scene in the heart of Bordeaux at two harvests was an eye-opening, life-changing event for me. The wine ran in the streets and I was hooked.

In your 50-plus years of wine drinking what has changed the most?

In my 55 years of “sipping, swishing and swallowing,” what I believe has changed the most is the wide acceptance of wine as the preferred drink with meals, worldwide, due to the enormous expansion of new geographic areas of the world producing top quality, affordable wines.The educated wine palette of consumers has benefited immensely due to wine producing entrepreneurs recognizing wine consumption trends. This has prompted winery development and distribution of crafted wines to meet the discerning tastes of many seeking wines to enhance their quality of life.

What is the single most important aspect of a wine for you? Color,body, taste, ageability?

Wine is comprised of multiple characteristics, each of which can have an important bearing on the drinkability of a wine. Whether it is color, body, taste, smell, shelf life, viscosity, terroir, price, it all adds up to one thing and one thing only. When tasting a wine, ask yourself this key question: do I like it? That single question covers the entire gamut of wine characteristics and considerations, and takes into account every element about the wine.

What are a few of your favorite wines or the greatest of your lifetime and why?

A few favorites for too many reasons to enumerate:1983 Giuseppe Quintarelli–Cabernet Franc1977 Tommasi–Amarone Recioto Della Valpolicella Classico1995 Casanova di Neri–Tenuto Nuova Brunello di Montalcino 1997 Staglin Family Vineyard–Cabernet Sauvignon 1988 Patriglione Brindisi.

What does drinking wine mean to you?

To me, wine drinking represents a glorious opportunity to share something of great value with those you love and hold dear. I remember an incident that occurred shortly after I first met John Lester, who became my very dear friend through our mutual appreciation for wine. John, who had been invited to my home for dinner, was quite interested in wines and quickly accepted my invitation to see our wine collection. In perusing the wine cellar, I asked John if therewas any particular wine of interest to him. He responded by expressing his liking for fine Piemonte wines. I showed John a few Barolos, but his eyes gleamed when I pulled out a 1983 Giuseppe Quintarelli Alzero. As we completed our wine room tour, John expressed his passion for such a fine, hard-to-find wine.

When we sat down to dinner, I produced the admired bottle of wine to my new friend’s startled amazement. After decanting, I offered John the first taste. When he put the Riedel glass to his nose, the tears came to his eyes! John exclaimed astonishment at the sensation his nose had experienced. When John sipped the wine and allowed it to swirl about in his mouth, I felt certain he would cry. A glow came to his face as he slowly allowed the wine to ease down his throat. John’s emotional response to this wine brought tears to my eyes in sympathy for the way I knew John felt. I thought to myself: here’s a person who feels as strongly and spiritually about this wine as I do. In an instant we became soul brothers. How incredible is life! As Sergio Esposito so eloquently stated when he autographed my copy of Passion on the Vine, “Richard, Wine is Love.”

Was wine just a beverage or did you always take it seriously?

To me, wine was never just a beverage and I always took wine seriously, to the extent that in 1989 some friends and I organized a guy’s wine tasting group in New Jersey.The group meets every Thursday night at a different BYOW restaurant for the purpose of wine/food pairing and to enjoy each other’scompany. Our group has met more than 1,000 times to date, and now numbers about thirty men. That’s taking wine seriously!

If you could change one thing about the wine industry what would it be?

Most restaurants know more about food than they do about wine, and the wine selection choices in many restaurants don’t compare to the quality of the foods presented to the customer. I would like to see the wine industry make a concerted effort to encourage restaurant owners to upgrade their wine lists, conduct wine/food dinner pairings, and permit customers to bring their own wine, even if it means the customer has to pay a corkage fee. If state laws or regulations need to be changed, so be it. The intended consequences will definitely be worth the effort!