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Every celebration has its signature drink. Christmas has egg nog; New Year's has champagne; St. Patrick's Day has whiskey and Guinness. Mardi Gras is a bit of a head scratcher, though. Wondering what to go with on Fat Tuesday? Well, as the saying goes, when in Rome, drink as the Venetians do. That means prosecco.
Made only in northeastern Italy (site of the famous Venice Carnevale, the Veneto's take on Mardi Gras), and packing all the fizz and more of the fun than its more tradition-bound French cousin, prosecco practically came out of nowhere and appeared everywhere. As a classification of wine, it is only 50 years old, practically embryonic compared to other viticulture traditions that can stretch back hundreds – if not thousands – of years but became so popular so quickly that there are a lot of “putting the carriage before the horse” producers. If you are looking for quality, look no further than Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.
O.K., so it doesn’t roll off the tongue like “Brut,” (even the producers admit the name is a tongue-twister; 10 points to you if you say it right on the first try…) but once you get over the syllable count, you’ll find yourself with one of Europe’s finest vintages.
And the award-wining Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry Spumante “Le Rive di Ogliono” Millesimato is an excellent place to begin…and go-to example of how to make an already complicated name downright sadistic. Out of the Massotina vineyards in the Conegliano hills north of Venice, this wine is made with the finest Glera grapes, producing an intense, fruity, full-bodied wine with a rich scent of citrus, particulary lemon and cedar, and hints of wisteria and acacia flowers that wash clean off the palate. The 11.5 percent ABV keeps the wine light, making it perfect as an aperitif.
But really, they have just GOT to trim that name down. Sheesh.