Giovanni Morelli writes that we may need to reconsider our views on ‘bottling’ wine in cardboard containers and also looks at reasons why Prosecco has grown in popularity in recent years.
I suppose we are all creatures of habit, to a greater or lesser degree. Wine bottles have been around for so long that we assume they are the only container suitable for the nectar. We also have grown used to cork for closure and there is a marked resistance by most people to using any other material.
Many of you have seen cheap wine in boxes, in supermarkets and airport shops, and probably have treated them with disdain.
h4. Inferior quality
This is appropriate, as the wine in the boxes is usually of inferior quality. But could cardboard boxes be quite suitable for young wines of far superior quality?
An article by Tyler Colman in the International Herald Tribune caught my attention recently. It seems that the ‘green’ winegrowers in the USA are becoming very conscious of their carbon footprints. Most wine in America is made on the west coast but consumed on the east coast. Therefore, a lot of CO2 is generated when heavy wine bottles are moved across America and much less is generated if a lighter cardboard container is used.
In Italy, believe it or not, the Agriculture Ministry has decreed that some wines may be sold in boxes with appropriate quality assurance! So if this most conservative of countries can change, perhaps it is time the consumer buried some prejudices. However, I agree with Colman’s final point that ‘producers need to deliver better wine in a box’.
h4. All the rage
Talking about Italian wine, I have noticed the remarkable popularity of Prosecco (a grape and a wine) in Ireland. Three or four years ago, most people had never heard of Prosecco, but now it is all the rage. However, the large and growing markets are the USA and Germany.
Since the 1970s, production of Prosecco has gone from five million bottles to 150 million per year and the ambition of producers is to increase this to 250 million bottles per year. Of course, it has a lower alcohol content than Champagne and is much cheaper, making it ideal for summer drinking.
h4. 100,000 bottles
Prosecco will be doing battle in China, where sales of Champagne were 650,000 bottles as opposed to 100,000 bottles of Prosecco in 2007. Wth many countries suffering a downturn in their economies, the cheaper Prosecco may gain an advantage over Champagne.
Most Prosecco comes from the Valdobbiadene region near Venice and Bisol is one of the top makers. They should be, since they have been there since 1542! In 1969, 15 villages in Vladobbiadene received the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) designation, which certifies the production method and origin of the wine.
This sparkling wine originated in a Slovenian village called Prosecco that became part of Italy in 1918. So on the plains of Treviso as far as the borders of Slovenia, Prosecco grapes go into 100 million bottles per year!
For my taste, Nino Franco’s Rustico is a superb example of Prosecco. It sells for €10 in enotecas in Italy and is available from Enoteca della Langhe in Dublin.
I am still drinking white wine, trying to prolong the summer (what summer?). Good value at present is Sancerre 2006 from Tesco at €12.99 and La Val Albarino 2006, also from Tesco at €14.99 – a really good example from Rías Baixas in Galicia.
For those who are tired of Prosecco and cannot afford Champagne, try Graham Becks Brut (Pinot noir and Chardonnay) made by the Champagne method. At €20, it is great value, with plenty of long-lasting bubbles and a nice yeasty taste. It is available from the Corkscrew in Chatham Street in Dublin, but check with your local wine shop.
Happy drinking.
Ciao for now,
Giovanni.
About Gary Culliton
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