Quickie: Scu Do' prosecco

Give guests something bubbly without spending much, that's the idea behind prosecco.  This bland wine from northeastern Italy is hardly my favourite form of bubbly -- not that I'm all that crazy for bubbly in any form, with several honourable exceptions -- but I did order a couple of bottles from Astor Wines last time around. 

Scu Do' is from the best prosecco area, Valdobbiadene, and it is made by the local cantina sociale (Cantina Produttori di Valdobbiadene S.A.C.).  I assume Scu Do' is dialect for "gold shield," because that's the color and shape of the label.  By the way, the co-ops (cantine sociali) of northeastern Italy are very often top-notch in terms of both quality and price.  They regularly tap the best winemakers of their zone to head up the co-op's winemaking.

This non-vintage wine is a modest 11%, dry (it is labelled brut), and its bubbles are not too large or short-lived.  I put a Champagne stopper on a bottle last night, after we'd entertained a guest, and the bubbled were still alive tonight, with no degradation of flavour.  It's a soft wine that is balanced and strengthened by tinkling acidity (no chiming here), and lacking that shellac-like aftertaste that ruins so many proseccos for me.  It has a nice mouthfeel.  Its residual sugar doesn't ruin your appetite for either the food or the wine to come.

A nice festive, little wine for around $10.  Imported by H. Squared Wines, New York.

Comments

[David McDuff]

Hmmm, I love bubbly in many forms, including Prosecco. And the good stuff, while it'll never be Grand Cru Champagne, shouldn't be bland. Bele Casel makes a damn good Extra Dry Prosecco di Valdobbiadene that also clocks in at around 11%. You should be able to find it on the NY market, though it'll run you into the $mid-teens.

[Richard]

thanks for posting the price - LOL

PS - I toured Finger Lakes wineries today - I am either pleasantly suprised or I had too many tastings (David was driving).

[Terry Hughes]

@ Richard...were there any decent reds up there, or is all the good stuff white?

@ David...I'll keep an eye out for it. Actually the best prosecco I ever had was an unusual pink one when I was in Verona, lots of structure (for a prosecco).

[Richard]

Terry,

I had a decent bottle of Meritage from Konstantin Frank's Salmon Run Vineyard. There were a few others, but I wrote nothing down. I definitely want to make a return trip. The number of wineries on Seneca Lake has easily doubled or tripled since my 1999 visit. The area is beautiful, and the Watkins Glen State Park hike is stunning - 19 waterfalls in a 1-1/2 mile hike.

Richard

[Terry Hughes]

It's a shame but the last time I was in the Finger Lakes was before you were born. 1954. It seemed like an extension of New England, as I recall, and it was full of vineyards then (but for the production of jelly and non-alcoholic juice).

Sounds like a nice trip.

[Richard]

Terry,

I didn't drink all of the Meritage and saved the rest for Amy. She liked it a lot. Do they sell Finger Lakes wine in NYC?

Richard

[Terry Hughes]

There's less NY state wine than you'd think. The Finger Lakes region is very well represented at Vintage NY over in SoHo or someplace. There's a wine bar and a retail shop. And I think there's one on the Upper West Side -- would have to check.