Gancia Prosecco DOC Brut

The grape variety to make wines from the DOC and DOCG region of Prosecco is Giera (see note below).

In a flute glass the color is a pale wheat with large bubbles rising to the surface at a slow to moderate speed that seemed erratic and moderately spaced apart.  In a tulip sharped glass the bubbles quickly rise to the surface in a very consistent, closely clustered string from the bottom center of the glass.  On the nose there was a freshness with no fruit aromas.  On the palate the wine is dry, light-bodied with mouth-watering acidity along with a nice level of tingle on the tongue.  The flavor is medium intensity of lemon/lemon zest/citrus.  The finish is clean with a medium length of lingering fresh citrus/lemon zest.

Wine & Food: Serve very chilled between 40F to 43F.  Perfect for an aperitif, with appetizers, shellfish, sushi and with dishes too numerous to mention although I have some reservations about serving with cheese.  This is a food-friendly wine so the best advice is to drink it when you feel like a brisk and refreshing bubbly.

Approximate Retail Price:  US$13.00

Review by Kenn Pogash ("the guy wearing the bow tie")


Note: Prosecco was traditionally used as the name for both the grape variety and the sparkling wine produced primarily from it. Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, Prosecco di Conegliano and Prosecco di Valdobbiadene all had DOC status, and there was also an IGT zone surrounding it.

When the higher DOCG status was sought for Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadine, it became a complication that the grape (which had become cultivated over a larger area) and the protected designation of origin had the same name.

To resolve the issue, the old synonym Glera was officially adopted for the variety as the same time as the DOCG was approved in 2009. The change was also made to reduce the possibility of sparkling wines of other origin being labelled as "Prosecco" by using the grape variety's name.