Wine & More by Patricia Shapiro: Christmas and Prosecco

It's almost time for Christmas and this year I'm planning on doing a Prosecco-theme Christmas dinner! You have probably realized that Prosecco is becoming widely popular lately, especially in the U.S., well on this blog I will give you a few incentives on why you should also incorporate Prosecco into your holiday celebration.

Prosecco is a sparkling wine made in Veneto, Italy. It is made from the grape variety Glera, formerly known as Prosecco. Important to note: Prosecco is best when it is young (try not to chose one that it is over 2 years old).

Prosecco DOC is produced from provinces spanning the Veneto (Treviso, Venice, Vicenza, Padua, Belluno) and Friuli Venezia Giulia (Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste and Udine) regions, but the best quality of Prosecco comes from Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG.

So that is the briefest summary I can give you regarding Prosecco which covers the basics!

Of course, you are probably looking for some recipes to transform your Prosecco onto a holiday cocktail

Christmas Pear Prosecco:
Decorate the rim of a champagne flute by dipping it in a saucer of water then into a dish of one tablespoon caster sugar mixed with half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Add one tablespoon of ginger syrup from a jar of stem ginger into the glass then top with equal quantities of pear juice and Prosecco, garnish with a slice of stem ginger.
(http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-make-prosecco-cocktails)

Sorrento Sparkle:
Dash 30ml cold lemoncello liqueur into a champagne flute and top up with cold Prosecco. If you want dangle a very thin twist of lemon zest over one edge of the glass.
(www.telegraph.co.uk)

Blushing Bellini:
This is a lovely ruby-red hue and has sweet casis depths.
Shake 20ml freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, 20ml creme de cassis and 20ml plain vodka with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a tall slender glass. Top up with 100ml Prosecco.
(credit: www.telegraph.co.uk)

DON'T WORRY! For all of you that don't want to turn your Prosecco into a cocktail, here is a list of my recommendations:

1) Silvano Follador Posecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore
Brut Nature NV

2) Nino franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore Rustico N.V.

3) Sorelle Bronca Particella 68 Prosecco

4) Adami Superiore Dry Cartizze, Prosecco NV

5) La Giocosa, Prosecco Superiore Brut, Valdobbiadene NV

Remember, Prosecco does not have to be an aperitivo. Below I have put some pairing suggestions:

-Cold cuts and cheese