The Villa Sandi Il Fresco Brut Prosecco is produced from Glera grapes grown in estate vineyards near the town of Treviso in Veneto, Italy. The Villa Sandi estate was built in 1622 and the family has produced wine for generations. Il Fresco Brut Prosecco is Villa Sandi’s everyday Bubbly and is produced in the Charmat Method. Villa Sandi does not create the entire production run at one time. They refrigerate the “must” (fermented grape juice) and only start the 2nd fermentation (where the bubbles are added) when more is needed. In that way they are producing fresh Prosecco thru out the year. The 2nd fermentation lasts 2 to 3 months, inexpensive Spumante or Sparkling wine has a 2nd fermentation that last days to a week or two, the better the Spumante the longer the 2nd fermentation. This is a Brut Sparkling wine which indicates that it is dry or not sweet and this is a DOC wine. American wine regions are called AVA’s they are geographical boundaries, such as the Sonoma AVA or Napa Valley AVA. The DOC and DOCG also indicate geographical boundaries, but the also add a layer of rules and regulations concerning the farming of the grapes and the manufacturing of the wine. DOCG has more stringent rules than DOC and IGP wines are wines where the grapes are representative of the region, but they didn’t follow all the rules for one reason or another. The Villa Sandi Il Fresco Brut Prosecco should be found for around a few bucks either side of $10 and the alcohol content is 11%.
The color is almost clear with hints of gold and silver, along with a flurry of tiny bubbles. The nose is lemon, lime, faint grapefruit and green apple. This is a dry Sparkling wine with a nice shot of balanced acidity. It tastes of a mix of fruit and citrus, peach and pear, mingle with lemon, lime and orange zest. The finish is subtle and lengthy.
All Prosecco is made from the same grape (Glera) grown in basically the same area using the same production technique and it is amazing that they are all different and some vastly different. The Villa Sandi produces an entire line of Prosecco and the Il Fresco Brut Prosecco is the value Sparkling wine, but it drinks very well. It is flavorful, well balanced, with enough acidity to pair with a cheese plate or light seafood dishes, but not enough acidity to take away from sipping enjoyment. All in all, it is a very solid, well priced, highly enjoyable bottle of Bubbly.
