Grappoli di Luna Brut Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG
Score: 90 Grappoli di Luna (“clusters beneath the moon”) is the name given by Sarah, the owner and winemaker, to celebrate her organic wine made only with grapes harvested in the full-moon nights of September. This method takes advantage of cooler temperatures, which allow for a safer and healthier transfer of the ripe grapes to the stainless-steel containers in the cellar for maceration and fermentation. The immediate scent of pear makes it a quintessential Prosecco, with honeysuckle and white flowers, acacia and yellow peach. On the palate it is creamy and crisp, not very long but just as persistent as you would want from a Prosecco. Easy without being too simple, it is a very good glass to start up your dinner and conversation. Grape: Glera Pairing: Caesar salad, with or without chicken or salmon. Any light meal, from soups to pizza, white fish or meats. Appellation: Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG, Italy Prosecco DOC and Prosecco DOCG are appellations of sparkling wines (white or rosé) rigorously defined by three elements: The grapes need to be grown and vinified in the specific geographical area that runs from the eastern border of Italy in Friuli (Gorizia, Trieste, Pordenone, Udine) to most of the Veneto region around the provinces of Venezia, Treviso, Belluno, Padova and Vicenza. In order to use the Prosecco DOCG, the grapes need to be grown and vinified in a smaller area consisting of the Valdobbiadene, Conegliano, Asolo and Cartizze municipalities. In this case, the municipality is indicated in the label. The Glera grape should be at least 85% of the mix. After the wine has been fermented in large tanks and then filtered, the Prosecco denomination requires a second fermentation on new yeasts but still in large tanks. This method is called Martinotti in Italy and Charmat in France, and it is used by the majority of sparkling wines in the world. More than 450 million bottles of Prosecco are produced every year in an area of 26,000 hectares (roughly 64,000 acres)