Alice Prosecco DOCG

“Why Be Curious?” asks Alice (aka Le Vigne di Alice), bringing to mind Alice in Wonderland. And yes, let’s be curious about a very different form of Prosecco! Instead of something a bit on the sweet and fruity side, ready for mixing with Aperol, how about a Prosecco that speaks up for itself, much like Alice, questioning the world– the world of Prosecco that is, and asking Why Not Prosecco DOCG?

Alice asks this because there’s more to Prosecco than just a sparkling wine made from the glera grape from somewhere in Italy. The historic home of Prosecco is actually the Conegliano Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. encompassing only 18,500 steep sided, high elevation acres in Veneto near the Dolomites.

• The biggest similarity between Prosecco DOC and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG?
  Both are made from the glera grape.
  
  
• The biggest difference?
  Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG is grown on hillsides and DOC is flatland viticulture, and this is what leads to the difference in quality– it is truly Superior.

Learn more about Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG  with three more wines and pairing with calamari and a lemon caper sauce here. 

With the Dolomites looming behind Alice’s vineyard, this Brut-dry Prosecco DOCG is produced by two women, Cinzia Canzian and Pier Francesca, who work full-time in the vineyard and in the cellar in the northern Conegliano and Valdobiaddene hills. Using sustainable and organic farming methods with no herbicides or pesticides, the 30-40 year old Alice vines grow in soils of glacial moraine origin full of chalks and rocks offering minerality. Destemmed and gently pressed  glera grapes remained on the lees for 60 days. To make it bubbly, the wine is pressurized in steel tank using the charmat method.

• Glacial morraines in the northern part make those wines more delicate and softer, while grapes grown on miocene marls are more fruity and floral and conglomerate soils that are clay dominated tend to generate mineral or vegetal notes.
  
  
• All wineries that produce Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG wine agree to the Viticultural Protocol (read it for yourself here) which says they eliminated the use of Glyphosate (Round-Up) from use beginning in January 2019.

Prosecco DOCG wines, especially Brut dry ones with minerailty and elegance like Alice, pair well with everything from appetizers like smoked hard boiled eggs or cantaloupe with prosciutto to oysters to salad to sushi to seafood to pasta to risotto and many dishes in between.  

To prove the point, Prosecco DOCG is hosting a recipe contest, and you are invited to share a recipe and pairing bon our before November 13th. Successful entries  

To participate in the contest, we received this bottle of Alice Prosecco DOCG, and decided to go with a simple but special, delightful and healthful recipe perfect for holiday gatherings: smoked deviled eggs with caviar (recipe follows tasting notes).

Learn more about Conegliano Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. — a UNESCO site. 

Alice Prosecco DOCG

2021  Le Vigne Di Alice Doro Nature Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

ABV 11.5%
SRP $25
Varietal: Glera
Importer: PortoVino.com

Appearance: A pale lemon hue with delicate persistent bubbles rising from the middle of the glass while little larger bubbles cling to the side of the glass.

Aroma: Green apple, anise, sea grass, very reserved, slate, light white florals as the wine opens up and warms up.

You may have noticed that we didn’t use a flute style glass but an all purpose wine glass because this shape is better for releasing a wine’s subtle aromas.

Palate: Tart lemon, lemon lime, minerals, very dry, fresh, clean and bright. This is not your typical Prosecco, but one with complexity and elegance with anise, acidity, bitter apricot and dried apricot on the finish.

Pairing: The olives in our olive loaf bring out the fruit and florals in the wine. The smoked deviled eggs are just lovely with the Prosecco, an absolutely perfect pairing with the creaminess of the eggs contrasting with the minerality of the Brut as well as the complexity and the effervescence of the Prosecco DOCG. This Prosecco DOCG also worked well with the savory, dried almonds on the cheese tray but even better with the mushroom brie making us thinking about mushroom risotto or stuffed mushrooms. So good with the salami on the cheese plate: it loves the salt, fat, and spices in the cured meat and brings umami to the wine. 

For a completely different experience: The salty flavors of Thai crab fried rice and the salty paper wrapped chicken play off the soy sauce and the ginger. Egg rolls bring out the minerality of the wine. So good with fried won tons. I yearn for oysters. Great wine for fried fish. Bring on the fish tacos!

Alice Prosecco DOCG

Recipe:
Smoked Deviled Eggs with Caviar

Ingredients

• 6 peeled hard boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (organic or homemade)
• 1 tsp mustard (I like the grainy kind)
• 1 tsp white vinegar (we used Agrodulce)
• lightly salt and pepper to taste
• Maldon salt
• caviar (can be vegetarian caviar)

Directions

• Purchase or prepare hard boiled eggs.
• To prepare hard boiled eggs in a pan, place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with 1-2 inches of water above the eggs. Heat on high until boiling, then cover, turn the heat to low for 1 minute. Remove from heat and leave covered for 14 minutes, then rinse under cold water for 1 minute. Peel.
• To prepare eggs in the instant pot, it’s not faster (takes about twenty minutes) but it’s less possible to forget them (I can’t be the only one!) and they are easy to peel. Use the “5-5-5” method, 5 to come to pressure (or longer) 5 to cook, and 5 to release): Put eggs into a steamer basket. Add a cup of water. Seal them inside. In about five minutes the cooker comes to high pressure, then five minutes to cook the eggs, then five minutes of natural pressure release, then open, and remove the eggs. Peel.
• NOTE: You can cook and smoke the eggs at the same time but it takes at least 2 hours.
• Smoke peeled and hardboiled eggs for approximately 30 minutes.
• Measure mayonnaise in a large measuring cup, add vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper; mix well with a fork.
• Slice smoked hardboiled eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks to measuring cup with mayo etc. and mix well.
• Place the whites on a serving platter.  
•  Heap egg yolk mixture into egg whites.
• Sprinkle with Maldon salt
• Garnish with caviar. 

Check out (and like!) my entry on Instagram: