Wine: Bellini: N.V. Rossini - Cocktail of Prosecco & Strawberries

Veneto

The Veneto is a region with enormous potential and ranks from year to year in the top 3 of Italy’s largest producers, along with Sicily and Apulia. And while the potential for high quality wines exist, much of the region has been driven by cooperatives that have developed large export markets. Yet it is hard to generalize the region as there are many small, proud producers making world-class wines from native varieties. In the hills and provinces surrounding Verona, there are 2 very important movements. Soave is the most popular of Italian whites and has just earned the DOCG status. Yet, controversy exists as many artisan producers feel the rules governing the DOCG do not go far enough insuring the quality standards that Soave can aspire too. As a result, some growers have opted to retain the DOC as they feel the DOCG is not strong enough to protect the integrity of what Soave can and should be in regards to excellence. Much like Soave, the red wines from Valpolicella have long been associated with major cooperatives producing bulk wines. But here too one finds small, family producers focused on quality. And like the debate found within the Soave DOCG, many top producers feel the DOC for Valpolicella and Amarone do not go far enough to insure first-rate wines. While the debate regarding the rules for each category continues, the strides made by various, independent producers demonstrates the merit for elevating the standards for each zone. For several more dollars, one can experience a far superior wine, which in turn makes it hard to understand spending money for the lesser wines produced by the coops. Just as Amarone and Soave are traditional wines made with native varieties, Prosecco is a lightly sparkling wine produced with indigenous grapes from the hills north of Venice. It is a wine usually made in the Charmat method, the best examples hail from the vineyards around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. Prosecco is growing in popularity in North America and makes a wonderful aperitif or wine for enjoying with a group of friends—no special occasion needed!

Bellini

The story of Bellini begins in Venice, in the legendary setting of a world-famous artists’ café. One warm summer evening in 1948, its owner decided to mix the fruity joy of perfect white peaches, the grapy sparkle of Prosecco spumante, and a whisper of wild raspberries. He called it Bellini as a tribute to the arts and to his city: the Venice-born painter Giovanni Bellini had first incarnated the sensuous colors of the Venetian Renaissance; another Bellini – Vincenzo – composed a few of the masterpieces in Italian opera.
Bellini, the cocktail, soon became a household word in its own right. The celebrities and glitterati who frequented the café literally fell in love with it: fresh, light, fragrant and appealing, the peachy pink concoction looked like a Venetian sunset… And tasted like one!
Among the very first to enjoy it was arguably the greatest American writer of the twentieth century. He liked the Venetian cocktail so much he mentioned it in his books, and the Bellini story gained worldwide resonance.
The original formula became as well known and imitated as apple pie – and just about as wholesome. Two thirds Prosecco sparkling wine from the hills north of Venice; one third white peach juice with fresh fruit pulp; a few drops of raspberry juice.
Yet for many years, the one and only true Bellini was sipped in Venice, where the authentic ingredients could be found and would maintain their pristine freshness…
Until, forty years after it was invented, Italy’s award-winning Prosecco grower, Canella (also a Neil Empson Selection), took up the difficult challenge of producing the famous Venetian cocktail to satisfy its numerous worldwide fans, yet maintain the freshness and delicacy of the original recipe.
After years of research and development, the Canella family accomplished exactly what they had envisioned: capturing a magic Venetian instant in a bottle!
A new and exciting chapter in the world’s love story with Bellini was written in the spring of 2003, when
“Bellini by Riedel” was born.
What is Bellini by Riedel? It is the result of an in-depth workshop at the home of Austria’s master glassmakers, conducted by Georg Riedel with the Canellas, and aimed at tasting Bellini in the best way possible – that is, in the most appropriate glass.
Riedel and Canella unanimously chose the winner: an elegant crystal flûte whose distinctive shape indicates the exact pouring level and then closes in on itself, thus concentrating all the aromas of Bellini’s bouquet to the utmost – from the fragrance of Canella Prosecco to that of the blend’s rare, perfectly ripe white peaches.
An added bonus to Bellini is its lightness and versatility: the low alcohol content and calorie count, amazing balance of scented fruit, soft texture and zesty acidity, make it an ideal apéritif or ‘anytime’ refreshment.

Opera lovers will find much of the Romantic composer’s joyful sparkle and liveliness in this
Italian classic of the 1960s. A blend of Italian spumante – again, Canella Prosecco – and the pulp and
juice of fresh strawberries, Rossini, like Bellini, is characterized by low alcohol content and calorie
count, amazing balance of scented fruit, soft texture and zesty acidity, versatility as aperitif or ‘anytime’
refreshment… Also like Bellini, it is best refrigerated, then chilled for 15 minutes in the freezer just
before serving in Riedel’s unique designer glass.

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