Summer in a Bottle

It’s no secret that pink wine is having a bit of a moment - a “moment” being measured by when giant corporations co-opt something to move more product a la Target’s “Rosé all day” line. It is said elsewhere, but we frequent Target and are familiar with the shirts. And glasses. And other kind of glasses. And pretty much any accessory you can think of. And why not? Rosé Is delicious and perfect for the summer - something yours truly has been saying since the earliest days of this blog.  

You know what else is perfect for the summer? Sauvignon Blanc. The crispness of white Bordeaux and the juice coming out of Marlborough in particular are perfect for the beach, pool, or when you’ve been told to “put your device down” and “watch your children.”

The Fourth of July holiday weekend has come and gone, and the dog days of summer are officially here. With that in mind, we assembled an expert panel of tasters - compliments of our friends at The Recapchelor - to ask whether or not one of the patio staples of Sauvignon Blanc or Rosé can be dethroned by something else. Namely, Prosecco.

To the average wine drinker, Prosecco is not a go-to. It isn’t as elegant or complex as Champagne, it tends to be the well/mimosa mixer at most bars and restaurants, and it has a bit of a reputation for something high school girls might drink now that Zima and Jolly Ranchers is no longer a thing. But to keep Prosecco firmly in those bubbly boxes misses the point entirely on one of the world’s most popular sparkling wines. It can be just as complex of sparkling wines coming out of Spain, France and California. It can be just as crisp as a good Sauvignon Blanc. And it can be just as “fun” as pink wine if you’re going for a unnovel novelty.

The lineup for the very professional and elegant AF tasting: two summer staples and two Proseccos. Which one was most popular? Read on.

The lineup for our tasting was a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, a Rose D’Anjou and two Proseccos: one an extra dry (sweeter) and one a brut (drier). All of the wines were around $15 a bottle and all are easily available through the DC metro area. The tasters were asked to write down their tasting notes and provide a score - 1-5- for the different wines. The Parker 100-point rating system, while standard, seems like grade inflation to me, so we stuck with 1-5.

Starting off with the Sauvignon Blanc, people described it as “fresh,” “crisp,” “appley” and “easy-drinking.” It was the favorite wine of one of the tasters.

The Rose D’Anjou was described as “crisp,” “strawberry-filled,” “floral” and “delicious.” It was the preferred wine of one of the tasters, as well.

The other four tasters all picked a Prosecco as their favorite. The first Prosecco was the Ruggeri Argeo Brut. This wine was described as “light,” ”effervescent,” “tropical,” and “fun.”  While it was certainly light, and there was agreement that people would gladly drink this wine at a party, it was not the preferred Prosecco. 

That honor goes to the Giusti Rosalia Extra Dry Prosecco. Described as “more complex” than the Argeo as well as “pineappely,” “delicious,” “refreshing,” “the perfect hint of sweetness,” and “summer AF,” the Rosalia was the favorite wine wine for the majority of the tasting panel. 

As the tasting was winding down, the panel unanimously stated that they would consider bringing Prosecco to their next summer get together, and would gladly drink Prosecco during summer parties, or any time it was offered. In fact, many of the tasters were surprised that the Prosecco was their favorite and altered their perception of what Prosecco is and what Prosecco can be. While the tasting panel had its mind changed, Prosecco still has a long way to go. That may sound daunting, but it wasn’t that long ago that rose was a niche wine and Virginia wines were scoffed at. Both perceptions changed slowly as more people actually tried the wines and industry put resources behind promoting them.

There is no doubt in my mind that Prosecco can hold its own as a go-to sparkling wine or as a preferred wine of summer. The real question is how much effort Prosecco producers are willing to invest to make sure their wines are top of mind for the average consumer.