The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Loredan Gasparini Prosecco

Italian sparkling wines are usually not my first choice. Most of the time, they/re sweeter than I like, without the crisp acidity of champagne or Spanish and New World sparkling wine. But this one is a winner, combining prosecco's trademark 7-Up fizz with a sturdy backbone.

It's the finish that makes the difference. Too often, Italian sparkling wines offer an interesting sweet fruitiness in the front, but nothing much after that. Part of that is intentional, especially for less expensive wines, and part of it is the way the wines are made, using the charmat method. That's why I call it 7-Up fizz, because the taste is so reminiscent of the soft drink.

But the Gasparini (about $14) has a solid, interesting, almost steely finish. There's actually something there, and not just the sweetness hanging around your mouth like 7-Up on a hot day.This is easily one of the best proseccos I have ever had, and a steal at this price.

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Some wine blogginess for the New Year

• My pal Alfonso Cevola, who tolerates my almost constant request for availability information with a patience that is awe inspiring, is an accomplished wine blogger in his own right -- On the Wine Trail in Italy. Alfonso's effort is ranked 64th in something called 100 Top Wine Blogs, which is damned impressive. He is ranked ahead of a bunch of better-known and very chi chi names.

• Availability -- that is, who has the wine I'm writing about? -- is  the bane of my existence as a wine writer. One would think that these days, with high-tech inventory systems, real-time inventory scanning and the like, that any retailer would tell at any time if they carried a wine. And one would be wrong. Case in point: A piece in the New York Times business section a couple of weeks ago, detailing vintage and small producer champagnes. Great article about great wine, but unless you live in Manhattan, not much chance to try them,

• What about Virginia sparkling wine? Dave McIntrye recommends Kluge Estate, which he touts as the best bubbly on the East Coast. What about availability, you ask? It has limited national distribution, and I have seen it in the Dallas area.

• Elin McCoy, whose book on Robert Parker is a must read for anyone who cares about wine, notes that 2007 was one of the best years ever for wine auctions. Why does this matter to those of us who don't buy wine at auction? Because it's more pressure on wine prices and on producers to make wine that appeals to auction buyers.

Technorati Tags: wine blogs,Kluge Estate,champagne

Drinkin' wine for New Year's

Courtesy of Mike Bloomfield and The Electric Flag at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival:

Technorati Tags: New Year's Eve wine