Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.>> The sparkling wines are crisp and apple-y, and can be sweet, though most are dry.
>> Italians see prosecco as an everyday drink. In the U.S., it's mostly consumed as an apertif, much like Champagne. It is served chilled.
>> Prosecco is low in alcohol compared to other wines, and can be around 11 or 12 percent by volume.
>> The best prosecco wines are labeled “Superiore di Cartizze” and come from a subzone within Valdobbiadene.
>> Guiseppe Cipriani, the owner of Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy, invented the Bellini sometime in the 1930s or 40s. The drink's pink hue reminded Cipriani of the color of the toga in a painting by 15th century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini, so he called the drink a Bellini.
>> Sixteen different sparkling wines will be on the menu this Friday at Brix. The restaurant and bar will serve the wines, which include sweet, dry and in-between, from 6-8 p.m. Admission to the tasting is $5, and all the proceeds will benefit the Food Bank for the Heartland. For more informaiton, call the restaurant at 402-991-WINE.
Recipes
Violet-Prosecco Cocktail
This refreshing floral apéritif, made with violet liqueur, evokes old-fashioned glamour and is a colorful addition to the drink menu.
Serves 1
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Crème Yvette or other violet-flavored liqueur
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 ounces (½ cup) Prosecco
1 lemon-peel twist
Mix Crème Yvette, lemon juice, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a small glass. Top with Prosecco. Serve with lemon-peel twist.
Recipe from Martha Stewart Cocktails App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
Bellini Bar
Serves 12
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen peaches, thawed
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen strawberries, thawed
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen blueberries or blackberries, thawed
4 to 6 (750-ml) bottles Prosecco or other sparkling wine, chilled
Fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, for garnish
Orange peel twists, for garnish
Stir the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely.
Puree the peaches and orange peel in a blender with 1/2 cup of the sugar syrup until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer and into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate. In a clean blender puree the strawberries with 1/3 cup of the sugar syrup until smooth. Strain through a clean fine-meshed strainer and into another bowl. Discard the seeds. Puree the blueberries in a clean blender with 1/3 cup of the sugar syrup until smooth. Strain through a clean fine-meshed strainer and into a third bowl. Discard the seeds and solids. Pour each of the purees into clear glass bowls or small pitchers.
For each serving, pour 2 to 4 tablespoons of the desired fruit puree into a Champagne flute. Slowly pour enough Prosecco into the flute to fill. Gently stir to blend. Garnish with the whole berries, as desired, and serve.
Do-Ahead Tip: The fruit purees can each be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Fizzy wine is usually saved for special occasions: a new year, a celebratory toast, a romantic Valentine's Day dinner.
But with the growing popularity of prosecco, an affordable sparkling Italian wine, a glass of bubbly doesn't have to break the bank — and you don't have to save it for a few nights a year.
Laurie Wolford, owner of Spirit World, said more Omahans have come into her store over the last couple of years searching for prosecco, an Italian white wine — generally dry or extra dry — that has a light, fruity flavor. It's become popular as a less expensive substitute for Champagne.
"They see it on the "Today" show or on another television show or read about it and want to try it," she said.
Prosecco is less expensive than Champagne because it's not made with the labor-intensive method used for Champagne, and it's not made in the specific region of France that the name requires.
"Many people can't tell the difference between Champagne and prosecco," she said. "So it's a more cost-effective alternative."
Prosecco sales have been growing since the early 2000s. Dan Matuszek, owner of Brix, said his sales of prosecco are growing in double digits each year.
At Spirit World, the best-selling prosecco is one made by Astoria, retailing for $12.99. A comparable midrange bottle of Champagne will run shoppers around $50 a bottle, Wolford said.
Most bottles of prosecco at Spirit World run between $10 and $25. At Brix, in west Omaha, the price range is similar: $12 to $20 per bottle.
Prosecco is the base for lots of cocktails, most notably a Bellini, made with sparkling wine and peach nectar. Prosecco works better than Champagne in many cocktails because it has a milder flavor.
Wolford suggested mixing prosecco with Chambord, a raspberry-flavored liqueur; with orange juice; with Canton, a ginger-flavored liqueur; or with St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur that's recently become another popular selection at Spirit World.
Matuszek seconded the idea of pairing prosecco with St. Germain.
"You can go to the cordials section and pick out all kinds of things and they'll all mix well with prosecco," he said.
Though Brix doesn't dispense prosecco in its wine machines, it does play host to sparkling wine tastings: An event last year brought in 180 people.
"Prosecco is bridging the gap between a sweeter sparkling wine like Moscato and a drier one, like Champagne," Matuszek said.
When Brix pairs sparkling wine with food, Matuszek said, the restaurant tries to keep it light: hors d'oeuvres that might contain things like mushrooms or shrimp, or a light salad. The wine doesn't go as well with heavy proteins or large portions and works better as an apertif, he said.
Robi Henry, a bartender at the House of Loom and Urban Wine Co., said he's also seen more Omahans asking for prosecco-based drinks.
"They're really popular among ladies," he said, laughing.
At House of Loom's craft cocktail bar, prosecco has made its way into a handful of drinks, including the "Jalisco Flower," which includes tequila, grapefruit juice and prosecco, and the "Death in the Afternoon," absinthe and prosecco.
"Prosecco is so light and refreshing," Henry said. "It adds a whole new dimension to any cocktail — a fizzy, carbonated, tingly sensation — which is definitely an attractive concept."
Martha Stewart Living has an iPad app devoted to cocktails which retails in the iTunes store for $2.99 and includes many recipes for sparkling cocktails, including one made with Creme Yvette, a violet-flavored liqueur. A new add-on to the app called the "Girl's Night Bundle" features 20 new cocktail recipes, many sparkling, and accompanying snack ideas. The add-on is $.99.
Wolford, from Spirit World, said the thing she likes most about the rise in popularity of prosecco is that people won't just save something sparkling for special occasions.
Customers at her shop buy it for the holidays, but she also sells it for baby showers, birthday parties, weddings and throughout the summer.
"I would say more people are drinking it on, say, a Tuesday, than they used to," she said. "I always keep a bottle cold in my fridge, because any day is a good day for prosecco."
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