We are sipping pink wine again today. While I’m happy to sip rosé any time of year, summertime is when we most often enjoy rosé. If you add bubbles, and in one case organic certification, you have the perfect summer sip. We received both wines as tasting samples.
Not wanting to miss out on the rosé craze, sparkling rosé has been made in Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia, the region of Prosecco DOC wines traditionally made only from white grapes, for some time. Those pink wines were not allowed to be labelled Prosecco, however. That changed in 2020 when Prosecco Rosé was added to the Prosecco DOC rules.
Prosecco Rosé must be 85-90% Glera and 10-15% Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) made as a red wine. The still wines must go through a second fermentation in a pressurized tank (as opposed to a second fermentation in the bottle). That second fermentation must last a minimum of 60 days and Prosecco Rosé must be vintage dated. Prosecco Rosé may be made in a range of styles from brut nature to extra dry.
Let’s Taste
2022 Corvezzo Extra Dry Prosecco DOC Rosé — delicate ballet slipper pink with generous aromas of stone fruit, ripe blackberries and citrus. Flavors include red cherries, blackberries and citrus. Generous bubbles are mouthfilling. 11.5% ABV, SRP $13
This Prosecco rosé is so aromatic and flavorful with excellent balance. In spite of residual sugar of 12g/l it doesn’t taste obviously sweet — it’s just very flavorful. The blend is 85% Glera, 15% Pinot Nero, the wine is Made with Organic Grapes and vegan.
Giovanni Corvezzo (pronounced kor-VETZ-zoh) is the third generation of his family to head the family winery located near Treviso. Building on the forward-thinking style of prior generations, Giovanni began the challenging conversion from conventional to organic farming in 2010. Production dropped dramatically in the beginning, but as the vines became stronger production increased and the quality of the grapes increased. Giovanni noticed that those grapes with thicker skins made more aromatic wines (definitely noted in Giovanni’s wine above.)
The conversion to organic viticulture took seven years, but the entire 380-acre estate and winery are now certified organic. In addition to estate-grown grapes, Giovanni also purchases grapes from nearby growers. And no animal products are used in making the wines, so Corvezzo wines are also vegan. Giovanni now calls himself a “happy farmer”.
2021 FIOL Extra Dry Prosecco DOC Rosé — pale ballet slipper pink with flinty, mineral aromas. Flavors include stony minerality, blackberries and citrusy flavors on the finish. Generous bubbles are mouthfilling. 11% ABV SRP $19
The flavor profile is more austere with a focus on minerals and citrus with berry flavors in the background. Marketing material describes FIOL Prosecco as elegant, and I think that is accurate. The blend is 85% Glera, 15% Pinot Nero with a residual sugar of 13 g/l. Once again, this Prosecco rosé tastes more dry than sweet.
The business model of FIOL is different than that of Corvezzo. Fiol, pronounced FEE-yol, means son in the Venetian dialect, but the contemporary meaning also includes a natural leader or one of a group of friends that stands out. FIOL was established in 2011 by several friends whose families have been growing grapes and/or making wine in the Treviso region for several generations. They grew up in the industry before going on to establish themselves in other professions.
Enologist Marzio Pol is charged with winemaking. Grapes are sourced from 2300 growers who farm vineyards in a variety of terroirs over more than 14,800 acres in the region. Elegance and balance in the glass are the goals of the owners and winemaker. FIOL Extra Dry Prosecco DOC Rosé became available in the US for the first time this spring.
These two Prosecco DOC Rosé wines offer an interesting contrast in the glass and in the details behind the wine. That’s one of the wonderful things about wine: they’re so diverse.
Thanks to Creative Palate Communications for organizing our tasting and providing background materials.
Cheers!
