La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Farra di Soligo Millismato Extra Dry

“Like the lines of a novel, exciting and passionate, the rows of vines, clinging tenaciously on steep slopes or lying gently on the plains below, draw harmonious geometries.” La Farra 

When I recently returned from Italy, I was greeted with samples of La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. I’d been invited to join a ZOOM with the producer, but I was en route to California, and missed the call. I learned from their website that the Nardi brothers Innocente and Guido grow their grapes in the hills of Farra di Soligo, located in the heart of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG since in 1997.

These days, everyone knows Prosecco, the Italian sparking wine from the Veneto that’s now widely popular and available. Or they think they do! But do you know the difference between Prosecco, Prosecco DOC, and Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG? You should! For just a little more money, you can buy a special sparkling wine — Prosecco DOCG promises character. As I tell my friends, the “G” means “Gwendolyn Guaranteed”!

But what makes a Prosecco DOCG? And what makes Valdobbiadene DOCG sparklers something to search for?Basically, Prosecco is a wine made using at least 85% Glera grapes which are then made into bottles of bubbly using the Charmot method where the winemaker produces a still, dry wine that’s then pumped into a sealed, pressurized steel tank where yeast and sugar is added to do a second fermentation which creates the bubbles. After a few weeks, the resulting Prosecco is cooled, filtered, and bottled— a wine that is fresher, fruitier, and more aromatic than wines like Champagne, Cava, Franciacorta, and others are made in the “traditional” method where the bubbles are made in the bottle. This vibrant fresh flavor contributes to the popularity of Prosecco.

If you’ve ever traveled around the Veneto region of Italy, you’ve likely since Glera vineyards. As you head toward the hills, you’ll find the Glera that goes into the DOC wines. On the steepest hills grow the Glera grapes that go into the DOCG wines.

“The vineyards of La Farra tell a story of almost heroic gestures of cultivating strips of land which nature has made difficult.And to this story is grafted a modern and rigorous viticulture implemented with full respect for the environment. It uses systems which promote the quality of the grapes and a greater security in carrying out the pruning and harvesting without altering the morphology of the landscape,” La Farra writes on their website.

According to La Farra, when the ancient Lombards occupied the area the term ‘fare’ indicated kinship— people descended from a common ancester: “The ‘Fara’ di Soligo was, therefore, the family kin group who had settled near the river Soligo.” Nearby are the Credazzo Towers, a fort built in the 13th century on the ruins of another ancient fortress.

So what to pair with these wines? As I brought a chunk of Gorgonzola DOP cheese back from my travels to Italy,  I knew it would be fabulous with the wines so that had to be featured in one of our courses. We built our Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG menu around that along with flavors and dishes we knew would be wonderful pairings for your Prosecco DOCG pleasure any time of the year— not just today, August 13, which is Prosecco Day!

menu for Prosecco DOCG

Menu

• Cantaloupe with Prosciutto and Balsamic Glaze
• Crab Rangoons with sweet ginger chile sauce
• Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon
• Goat Cheese Rosemary Pear Savory Tart
• La Tur cheese with bread and Bonnie’s Jams lemon verbena conserves
• Spring green salad with pear, Gorgonzola DOP cheese, and toasted walnuts with a lemon-honey vinaigrette
• Fusilli Corti Bucati Pasta with Gorgonzola DOP sauce
• Grilled Copper River Salmon

La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG

• La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Farra di Soligo Millisemato Extra Brut
• La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Millisemato Brut
• La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Farra di Soligo Millisemato Extra Dry

La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Farra di Soligo Millismato Extra Brut

La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Farra di Soligo Millisemato Extra Brut

ABV: 11.5%
SRP: under $20
Grapes: Glera
RS 5 g/l
Sample for my review 

Appearance:  Very, very pale yellow, platinum rim, delicate bubbles

Aroma: Lemon, Meyer lemon, cardamon, pear, jackfruit, white flower, fennel pollen

Palate: Fennel, eureka lemon, soft bubbles, foamy, anise, grapefruit, dry, nice minerality, chalky, nicely cleansing, refreshing

Pairing: Lovely with the crab rangoon as the ginger in the dish highlights the wine. Very nice with the pear tart. It does well with the cantaloupe, but the stuffed dates were too sweet for the wine. The wine prefers the savory notes in the meal: the well seasoned salmon and the salty gorgonzola with toasted walnuts and even the bitter greens contrasting with the ripe pear. Overall, this wine went well with the entire meal. Great with everything but our favorite was with the pasta as the Gorgonzola DOP brings out the apple freshness in the wine.

La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Millismato Brut

La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Millisemato Brut

ABV: 11.0%
SRP: under $20
Grapes: Glera
RS  g/l
Sample for my review 

Appearance:  Pale lemon, platinum rim, very foamy

Aroma: Lemon, fruit ambrosia, kiwi, gardenia, plumeria

Palate: Tart lemon, green apple, slate, clean, fennel fronds, foamy, limestone, black licorice

Pairing: Very good with the savory pear tart, lovely with the crab rangoon. The bacon wrapped stuffed grapes worked very well with the wine as the dish brings out an interesting mocha flavor. Delicious with the LaTur. The wine loved the salty prosciutto on the cantaloupe bite. Nice with the pear salad as the wine loves the bright tartness in the salad dressing. So good with the pasta as the bright wine complements the flavors in the pasta and cleanses the palate at the same time. Yummo with the salmon as well.

La Farra Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di Farra di Soligo Millismato Extra Dry