WTN: La Tordera "Alné" Prosecco, Italy
The La Tordera "Alné" Prosecco
Photo by Melissa Schneider.
About the Bottle
When I fell in love with wine, a little less than four years ago, Prosecco was barely a blip on the American gastronomic radar. Melissa and I could still gain wine snob cred by introducing our friends to this sparkling wine from Italy's Veneto region.
Clearly our efforts worked; now you find the wine everywhere. Restaurants like Chez Panisse and Acme Chophouse routinely serve it as an aperitif, and it's a favorite at local parties.
I was still happy to find a bottle in our December wine club shipment. It's always a good idea to have sparkling wine in the wine rack. But don't confuse Prosecco and Champagne. Prosecco producers get their bubbles from the Charmat method, a second fermentation in a pressurized steel tank, while France's sparklers are made with the laborious méthode traditionelle. The Charmat technique, as a rule, produces a clean, crisp wine that usually makes up in affordability what it lacks in complexity.
About the Wine
The "Alné" from La Tordera is typical of the wine's style. The fountain of small bubbles brings intense green apple Jolly Rancher aromas, along with an undercurrent of cassia cinnamon and subtle floral notes. It's a lip-smacking, thirst-quenching wine with a delicate acidity and vibrant green apple flavors tinged with wintergreen. It's not complex, but it's enjoyable, and it urges you to take another sip. And another.
Fatted Calf Guinea Hen Terrine, French Comté, and Acme Bread
Photo by Melissa Schneider.
About the Food
Sparkling wine adapts to a wide range of foods, but I tend to pour a light, simple Prosecco near the beginning of a meal when the food is also lighter. Melissa and I drank this bottle with a pleasant Saturday lunch of Fatted Calf guinea hen terrine, Comté cheese, and bread.
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