brindiamo! let’s toast! cici facciamofacciamo una bolla! let’s drink bubbles! cin-cin! cheers! ITALIAN BUBBLES Sparkle AT THE TABLE Bubbles have lifted the spirits and refreshed the palates of Italians for centuries, and today the Italian bubbly world has a wine that sparkles for every occasion. PROMINENT Sparkling LOMBARDIA VENETO PIEMONTE WINE REGIONS EMILIA-ROMAGNA OF ITALY LIG URIAN SEA A DRIATI C SEA Ø FRANCIACORTA, Lombardia The region of Franciacorta has deep roots in wine-making tradition, with production dating back to the Middle Ages. Pre-dating studies in Champagne by 100 years, in 1570 the first reference book listing the best approaches to sparkling wine production was written by an Italian doctor from Brescia, Girolamo Conforti. Today, the region is home to some of Italy’s most prestigious sparkling wines. Ø PROSECCO, Veneto TYRRHENIAN S EA Wine made in the area of Prosecco was popular since the days of Pliny the Elder. In 1754, a book written by Aureliano Acanti provides us with the first testimony of Prosecco and since then, the wine has been enjoyed around the world. The wine and the grape, Glera have become known for its "apple" bouquet. Sparkling Prosecco had become the norm in the mid 19th century and the production method was solidified throughMEDITERRANEAN the invention S E A of the Martinotti Tank. Recently, the grape was renamed Glera and the wine Prosecco to distinguish the appellation from the varietal. In 2009, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco was classified as DOCG, the highest level of quality for Italian wines. IONIAN SEA Ø LUGANA, Veneto Trebbiano di Lugana is an old variety from the Veneto region that is known under many synonyms and was thought to be genetically identical to Marche Verdicchio. A DNA study confirmed that the two grapes are not in fact identical. To further protect the identity of the grape, growers have distinguished Turbiana from the Trebbiano family as it is a completely unique grape. In the particular climate of the Lugana DOC located along the southern shores of Lake Garda, Trebbiano di Lugana wines tend to be round and fruity. When produced using the Metodo Classico (secondary fermentation in the bottle), the wine is complex, structured and polished. Ø LAMBRUSCO, Emilia-Romagna Lambrusco is an ancient family of grapes and truly is an Italian native. The most important varieties in the Lambrusco clan are: Sobara, Salamino, Maestri, Marani, Grasparossa. Sorbara is elegant, perfumed, and light in contrast to Grasparossa which has a big, dark, and structured nature, and Salamino has a lusher mouthfeel. In 1567, Andrea Bacci, the personal doctor of Pope Sixtus V wrote about “Lambrusche” “…grapes produce fragrant, spicy and sparkling wines.” Ø ASTI AND MOSCATO D’ASTI, Piemonte Moscato is often considered the first domesticated grape in human history. The Greeks brought it to Italy from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Romans spread it across Europe. In Italy, Moscato grows best in the town of Asti in Piemonte. Here, they produce three styles of this sparkling wine, Frizzante, Spumante and Metodo Classico. The charm of these wines is their friendly fruit filled profile and their natural affinity for being shared. YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO AN EVENING THAT Sparkles ITALIAN STYLE MENU to start The first vintage of Franciacorta was 1961 with even stricter standards than Champagne. Barone Pizzini became the first organic Franciacorta producer in 2002. We will be serving the Barone Pizzini Animante Franciacorta Brut DOCG, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc. Salute! antipasti Zardetto Prosecco will be served with our antipasti as it is simple, fragrant, and light. Zardetto Prosecco comes from vineyards situated in the natural continuation of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills known for the production of the finest Proseccos. Zardetto was one of the first wineries to introduce and distribute Prosecco outside of Italy. first course Seafood Risotto is paired with a very special wine—the Zenato Lugana Brut DOC. The Zenato family, famous for their Valpolicella and Amarone wines, are also well known as champions of the Trebbiano di Lugana grape. With its unique profile: fleshy yet lean, aromatic and fruity but crisp, the Zenatos knew that this grape would make a stunning sparkling wine. They released the first vintage in 2008. Salute! main course Roasted Stuffed Pork, a very traditional dish, is paired with an equally traditional wine—Lambrusco. Produced by the Lini family, making wine since 1910 in the heart of Emilia. Labrusca Rosso is composed of mainly Salamino. fresh fruit Accompanied by the Bera Moscato d’Asti. Moscato is an ancient + dessert grape. We have Carlo Gancia to thank for producing the first sparkling Moscato in the mid-19th century. Once Federico Martinotti invented the autoclave, the modern method of producing aromatic sparkling Moscato became the norm. The winemaking tradition goes back centuries in the Bera family. Sparkling Wine Methods Ø Traditional Method Cuvée Tirage Aging Riddling/Disgorgina Dosage After wines complete the first Wines are bottled blended with Wines age for a period of Bottles are rotated so that Some wine and sugar/must fermentation, the winemaker a small mixture of yeast and time on the lees (dead yeast lees descend to the neck of the (called residual sugar) is creates a blend or “cuvée” with sugar/must to initiate the 2nd particles). Aging lasts from bottle. Then the bottle necks added back to the bottle. This a selection of base wines. fermentation. This mixture is about 9 months to 5 years are placed in a frozen bath and mixture is also called Liqueur called the Liqueur de Tirage. (depending on quality level). opened such that the frozen d’Expedition. black of lees pops out. Ø Charmat Method Base Wine + Sugar + Yeast 2nd Fermentation Filtering Dosage Bottling A mixture of yeast and sugar is Wines complete their second Wines are sent through a After wines are filtered and Wines are bottled and labeled. added to the base wine, then fermentation in a pressure- pressure-resistant filter to prior to bottling, wines receive transferred into an autoclave. resistant tank in about 10 days. remove sediment. a mixture of sugar/must. Method of Alcohol% Atmospheres Wine Grape Variety Terroir/Climate When to Enjoy? Production /RS of Pressure Zardetto Prosecco DOC Brut Surrounded by Lake Garda, the Adriatic Sea, and the Dolomites the area is too 11.5% Aperitivo, cocktail Charmat 100% Glera 6+ vast to categorize into one climate type. / 10 g/l hour. Temperatures are moderate and rainfall is significant. Clay and Chalk Soils. Zenato Lugana DOC Brut Aperitivo, simple Traditional: The Mediterranean climate is moderated and delicate dishes 100% Trebbiano 12.5% 24 months of lees 6 by Lake Garda, Italy's largest lake. Soils as well as fish-based di Lugana / 6 g/l contact are composed of clay and silt. courses and lighter proteins. Barone Pizzini Sub-Alpine and Mediterranean type Franciacorta Brut climates. The average elevation of the DOCG Animante Traditional: 84% Chardonnay, vines is 200-300M ASL with an average 12.0% With a full meal or 20 to 30 months of 12% Pinot Nero, 6 age of 20 years. Sub soils are complex / 2.1 g/l celebration! lees contact 4% Pinot Bianco in origin, some are Moranic in nature while others are enriched by glacial river deposits. Perfect companion Lini Lambrusco dell' Emilia to cured meats, IGP In Coreggio Scuro one of the most 85% Lambrusco Temperate sub-continental climate Charmat with a long 11.0% versatile wines that Salamino, 2.5 to 3 marked by hot and humid summers and second fermentation / 10 g/l can accompany a 15% Ancellotta cold wet winters. Mixed, partly clay soils. traditional Emilia Romagna meal to Spicy Thai. Bera Moscato d'Asti Charmat (Partial DOCG Fermentation) stopped More than just when the wine achieves 100% Moscato 5.0% 2 to 2.2 Calcareous and Clay Loam soils. dessert! Spicy food, lower ABV leaving the Bianco / 130 g/l palate refresher. rest of the sugars intact and delicious © Imported by Winebow, Inc., New York, NY.