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The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is an extra dry, DOCG-designated, vintage-dated Prosecco from a family-owns winery with roots dating back to the mid-1800s.
The central Prosecco region in Veneto is rated a DOC, but a section in the middle of Prosecco called Valdobbiadene is where the DOCG wines are located.
The Italian wine authority ranks the various wine regions and issues designations. There are rules and regulations concerning the grapes’ farming and the wine-making for each tag.
Many value-priced wines are issued an IGP ranking, which has less strict regulations. Then DOC and at the top is DOCG. The G stands for guaranteed, not that you are assured that you will like the wine, but that the highest standards were met.
The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is from vineyards in Valdobbiadene, making it a DOCG wine, but it is traditionally the best Extra Dry Prosecco from each vintage.
In the US, most folks like their Sparkling wine to have a Brut sweetness rating. Brut means not sweet. In Italy, Extra Dry is favored, which means the Bubbly is slightly sweet. Prosecco has enough acidity to counterbalance the natural sugar in the wine. The effect is then more fruit-forward than sugary.
The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 label of wine was the winery owner’s private stock. Bandarossa translates to red stripe, and these bottles were the best Prosecco of that year and were given to friends and family.
Most Prosecco you see on store shelves are non-vintage. They take Prosecco made in different years and blend them to the House Style. A green deal of effort goes into developing a House Style. They want a Bubbly that you can return to year after year and be assured of the same quality and dinking experience.
A vintage Bubbly does not get blended with other vintages. It is meant to showcase the finest attributes of that particular vintage. As the flagship wine of the vintage, this Bubbly gets all the finest winemaking techniques.
The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is intended to be the finest Prosecco of the vintage. Bortolomiol also has another high-end specialty vintage-dated Prosecco, but the Bandaroosa highlights the current vintage.
Prosecco is Bubbly made with Industrial Age technology, while Champagne is produced with Renaissance area tech. Prosecco uses the Charmat Method, which has 2nd fermentation happening in giant pressurized vats.
The pressurized vat forces the CO2 released in fermentation back into the wine, and the result is bubbles. The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is in the tank for 3 months (a long time for Prosecco), then aged in a bottle for two more months. The alcohol content is 11.55.
Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 Tasting Notes
The color is very pale platinum, with a flurry of bubbles. The nose is dominated by citrus, grapefruit, lime, and lemon, along with apple, faint pear, and peach, all with a floral edge.
The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 has an interesting flavor profile, tight and sleek upfront, and a little lump and juicy on the mid-palate. It tastes like a mix of green tart apple, lemon, grapefruit, and spice.
The mid-pale adds dried apricot, lime dipped in sugar (but not sweet), and a late hint of peach. The acidity is excellent; it will get you to reach for another sip, but it is balanced and does not bite.
The Summary
- If you are looking to go beyond grocery store Prosecco, the Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is an excellent place to start.
- I do not know how widely it is distributed. It may be hard to find. But other Prosecco producers have similar offerings.
- I think the Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 can be found, where available, for around twenty bucks
