• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Living The Gourmet logo

  • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Featured
    • Writings
  • Recipes
  • Wines
  • Interviews
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Summer Champagne

May 31, 2022 · 7 Comments

This post has been brought to you by Taub Family Selections. All opinions expressed are my own. The following message is intended for those 21+. Please enjoy responsibly.

Today we’re reviewing Valdo’s 1926 Cuvee, a prosecco from Veneto’s Valdobbiadene region. We’ll start off covering what makes Veneto tick in terms of wine, before moving onto reviewing the bottle itself. From there, I’ll be offering some pairing suggestions to really make this particular prosecco shine.

The Where –Veneto, Italy

In winemaking, ‘The Three Great Terroirs’ consist of – in order of prestige, value, and production – France, Italy, and Spain. Today’s bottle comes to us from Veneto, which is an increasingly important wine region in Italy, thereby making it “An increasingly important wine region in all of winemaking.”

While smaller and less well known than Italy’s primary wine producing regions – those being, in no particular order, Tuscany, Lombardy, Puglia, Sicily, and Piedmont – Veneto nevertheless produces ‘more’ wine than any of them. And this is a fairly recent achievement, since, courtesy of Sicily’s focus on the mass-production of “top quality table wines,” Sicily was the largest producer of wine in Italy well into the 1990s. While Sicily’s focus ‘has’ started to shift of late, the last two decades has Veneto both outproducing Sicily in terms of raw quantity, as well as in terms of ‘label prestige.’

Over the last couple of decades, Veneto has carved out a name for itself with such famed wines as Valpolicella, Soave, Prosecco, and Amarone. These wines have been met not only with critical acclaim, but with consumer acclaim as well, which in turn has led to market demand. Thus, while Sicily has decidedly better terroir than Veneto, (Sicily has arguably the best climate and soil for wine production on the planet), the Mediterranean’s largest island has floundered.

Geographically, the Veneto region is split between several distinct areas. In the Northeast, an area dominated by Lake Garda, is a cooler alpine climate. The foothills of the Alps, the Adige River, and Lake Garda itself are the defining features of this area, where light red and refreshing white wines flourish. This area is divided between the Garda, Bardolino, and the Bianco di Custoza DOCs (Denominazione di Origin, or Designation of Origin).

The Valpolicella DOC, which covers an area north of Verona, east of Lake Garda, produces some half a million hectoliters of wine per year. Only Tuscany’s Chianti produces more. Valpolicella wines tend to be light, fruity, and refreshing, courtesy of the Rondinella, Corvina, Corvinone, and Molinara grapes that account for the large majority of the area’s production. “Pleasantly sour cherry” is a key palate note here, while bouquets of blueberries mixed with tropic fruit feature prominently. However, as output has continued rising, critics have increasingly comparted Valpolicella wines to Beaujolais – a type of French wine with markedly similar aromatics, flavors, and light color hues. This comparison extends beyond style, however, as Beaujolais suffers from what might charitably be called a “less than stellar reputation.” Beaujolais wines are produced en masse in order to meet demand, which has led to a rapid decline in overall quality. Unless the market meets this decline in quality with a decline in sales, there seems to be precious little reason to shift away from mass production. As one critic noted “Beaujolais is fun to say and fun to drink, and so people buy it. If the purpose of making wine is to sell wine, Beaujolais is succeeding.” The same sentiment likely applies to Valpolicella.

Central Veneto is famed for quality wines, particularly Cabernet Franc, Pinot Nero, and Merlot. Italy’s prized Pinot Grigio is also produced here with much success. The Piave DOC is also found in this area, which produces quality Prosecco, although still wines have met with success here as well. Glera grapes are a staple in central Veneto, from which spumante and fizzante wines are produced.

The Northeast corner of Veneto, the areas flanking the Piave River, are renowned for their Proseccos. In this area, the Glera grape is the order of the day, producing rich foaming spumante and semi-sparkling fizzante. Still wines have also met with some success, with Montello e Colli Asolani, Lison, and Lison-Pramaggiore being of particular note. North of Montello e Colli Asolani is the Valdobbiadene DOCG, a prestigious area notable for its Glera-focused Prosecco.

The Bottle – A Showcase

Today we’re taking a look at Valdo’s 1926 Cuvee, brought to us from the Valdobbiadene DOCG.

Tasting and Aromatics – The Review

The 1926 Cuvee introduces itself with copious citrus off the top of the glass, carried on dense effervescence. Crisp apple, ripe peach and apricot, and a pleasant minerality round out the bouquet. Very refreshing aromatics. On the palate, the effervescence is quite thick, but without being harsh, and remains pleasant throughout. Apple and pear, with decent residual sugar, create a very enjoyable palate and mouthfeel.

What to Eat – The Pairing

Think cured meats, medium to hard cheeses, light shellfish dishes, and crusty bread. For an entrée, think of something like a festive paella, featuring saffron rice tossed with chicken, shrimp, and pork. Conversely, you might also consider a charcuterie board with fresh and dried fruit, homemade crostini, and assorted cured meats.

More from my site

  • Herb Marinated Sirloin SteaksHerb Marinated Sirloin Steaks
  • Kale and Provolone QuicheKale and Provolone Quiche
  • Lentils and Leeks!!!Lentils and Leeks!!!
  • ~ Fresh Lemon-Basil Sugar Cookies ~~ Fresh Lemon-Basil Sugar Cookies ~
  • Exploring Texas Wines PRT I: Summer Pork Skewers featuring Pedernales CellarsExploring Texas Wines PRT I: Summer Pork Skewers featuring Pedernales Cellars
  • Sun-dried Tomato FalafelSun-dried Tomato Falafel
1

Wine Reviews

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melanie Edjourian says

    31/05/2022 at 9:00 pm

    I do love the sound of this particular Prosecco. It would be perfect for my next social evening with friends. Perfect to serve with a platter of cheese and salamis

    Reply
    • Catherine Pappas says

      31/05/2022 at 10:34 pm

      Dear Melanie,

      Thank you for taking the time to visit and write.
      This Prosecco would be perfect for friends with cheese and salamis. Perfect!!

      xo

      Reply
  2. Mosaic Artwork says

    31/05/2022 at 11:35 pm

    I love love love trying new wines and champagne. I never had this brand, I can’t wait to try it if i find it in my local store.

    Reply
  3. Samantha Donnelly says

    01/06/2022 at 9:00 am

    I love prosecco and it is always my drink of choice when with friends, not tried this one before so will have tto look out for it

    Reply
  4. Risa Lopez says

    01/06/2022 at 3:23 pm

    I haven’t tried it but I will try. It’s perfect for friends or family gatherings, or any special occasion.

    Reply
  5. Rosey says

    01/06/2022 at 8:50 pm

    I am trying to recollect whether or not I have had champagne. I am a grandma, so it seems like I must have had it but I can’t remember! It sure photographs pretty here.

    Reply
  6. Dan Rey says

    02/06/2022 at 3:25 am

    This sounds like a good summer champagne to try out. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to LTG

The heart of our home lies within the kitchen. For us, it is so much more than a place where meals are created; it is where memories are made over meals that are meant to be shared. It was from this belief that Living the Gourmet was born. Read More...

Looking for Something?

Subscribe to the LTG Newsletter

Find Your Influence

Copyright © 2022 · Cravings Pro

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Living The Gourmet
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.