The Bervini 1955 Prosecco Millesimato 2016 Extra Dry is produced from Glera grapes estate grown in the Prosecco DOC region inside the Veneto Friuli Grave district of far northeast Italy. Bervini 1955 is a wine estate run by 3 generations of the Bergamo family who founded the winery in…1955. The Millesimato in the title indicates that this is a vintage designated Sparkling wine/Bubbly/Spumante and the typical Sparkling wine is non-vintage, be it from Champagne, Prosecco, anywhere. The reason Sparkling wine/Bubbly is non-vintage is that wineries put a great deal of effort in coming up with a “house style“. For instance, in Prosecco every producer uses the same grape, Glera, and uses the same type of equipment for the 2nd fermentation, pressurized vats or autoclaves. Each winemaker uses their “tricks of the trade” to produce a Sparkling wine/Bubbly that is distinctively different from the next producer and blending wines from different vintages help maintain the unique “house style“. Except in really great vintages, then the decision is made to let the fruit from that vintage take center stage. There is nothing at all wrong with non-vintage Sparkling wine/Bubbly, they put a great deal of effort into creating that style. It is just that Millesimato wines give you a unique view of the best of the grapes Prosecco has to offer. This is an Extra Dry wine and with Sparkling wine/Bubbly the dry/sweet settings are backwards, Extra Dry means slightly sweet. But remember, with wine both still and sparkling, acidity balances sugar or sweetness. Most Prosecco’s have enough natural acidity that a slightly sweet wine will not taste noticeably sweet, instead you will get more of a ripe fruit and citrus sensation. The 2nd fermentation for this Bubbly lasted 40 days and the alcohol content is 11%.
The color is a pale platinum with a whole host of tiny happy bubbles. The nose is pretty, lemon, melon, pear, apple and a hint of peach. This is a tasty fruit-forward Spumante/Sparkling wine/Bubbly with well-balanced acidity. It tastes of Lemon/Lime (think Sierra Mist or 7up, but not sweet), grapefruit, Bosc pear, and a nice slap of minerality. The mid-palate adds Golden Delicious apple and tart lime. The acidity is well done, this Bubbly can be paired with food or make an easy sipper. The finish mirrors the body of the wine and slowly fades.
With the holidays fast arriving I am going to discuss pairing wine with the Thanksgiving meal. You often see recommendations of Pinot Noir for red and Riesling or maybe Chardonnay for White. Those selections will work with the Thanksgiving meal circa 1950s, turkey has a mild flavor and none of those wines will typically overpower the white meat and Pinot, Riesling and Chardonnay have “harvest flavors” which go with the overall Thanksgiving theme. The problem is today, you may have Cajun or deep-fried turkey or any other variation along with a host of rich, gooey side dishes. Wine that used to be a “no brainer” now may only pair with a fraction of the meal. So what wine is “one size fits all”? Spumante, Sparkling wine/ Bubbly is the Swiss army knife of wine pairing, when in doubt, bubble up. Bervini 1955 Prosecco Millesimato 2016 Extra Dry has the acidity to the palate cleansing part of what a wine should do and it has citrus and fruit flavors that pair with most dishes Americans cook. Actually a lemon is squeezed over many foods to bring out the flavors and there is plenty of lemon flavor in this bottle. Plus, a top-notch bottle of Prosecco isn’t all that expensive. Bubbly is a miracle wine, it goes with Mac and cheese, aged Steak and of all things, Turkey.
