The scourge of Prosecco

[Mick Mac]

I'm not really a bubbly fan, and I'm growing very tired of Prosecco offers.

Why do very decent restaurants think it's a worthwhile or generous inducement to offer a free glass of Prosecco.

Bottomless brunches, I'd quite like to try, but these are now also coming with bottomless Prosecco. There is nothing I'd rather drink less, than Prosecco. It would put me off my meal.

"Free glass of Prosecco" - woohoo.

Each to their own.

[malumbu]

Go out of my way to buy cava or any other cheap bubbly when I need to celebrate. Prosecco seemed to suddenly turn up at the turn of the last decade. Personally I prefer a bottle of light Mexican style beer with a lime in the top (I think we called this lager and lime when I was a kid) or other fruit flavoured lager or cider (just like lager and black when we were kids).

Is prosecco simply a fad?

[Loz]

Prosecco passed champagne a few years ago in terms of sales value. Its bubble (ha!) does not look like bursting any time soon.

But if you want to be ahead of the game, it seems Franciacorta is going to be the Next Big Thing.

[malumbu]

Of course English sparkling wine is now superior, ah I remember Concorde

not included the embedded link as this dominates the post

That was horrid wine made from imported grape juice - more seriously

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/20/english-sparkling-wine-beats-champagne-in-paris-blind-tasting/

In fact I expect we will only be drinking our own stuff, oz, NZ and South African in a couple of years time..... None of this continental rubbish!

[Loz]

Not terribly surprising about English sparkling - similar latitude and similar chalk soils. The problem with English sparkling at the moment is price - it's not cheap. That will come down over the next decade as production ramps up and they can get a supply of reserve wines, which will also help with consistency.

'Tis very nice, though. As is the still Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.

[uncleglen]

add to that californian merlot

[Nigello]

I think the process of making prosecco is cheaper than that of Champagne; the former is secondary-fermented in large tanks.

Dry sherry is nice and a real palate sharpener or "craft" English cider could be good if you want to stay local.

[Loz]

Nigello Wrote:

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> I think the process of making prosecco is cheaper

> than that of Champagne; the former is secondary-fermented in large tanks.

Correct. Prosecco is secondary fermented (the fermentation that creates the fizz) in a pressurised tank and then filtered before bottling. It's also done quite quickly to preserve the fruit flavours.

Tradition method (aka Method Champenoise) does the secondary fermentation in the bottle, usually for over a year to get extra flavours from the yeast cells.

> Dry sherry is nice and a real palate sharpener

Ooh, I do love a good sherry. Fino with tapas and oloroso or palo cortado for sipping by the fireside.

[Robert Poste's Child]

I wonder if Prosecco is mainly a female thing? It's lighter and fresher than champagne and has more instant festivity about it than a glass of Chardonnay, which is probably what it has replaced in female affections. I'm not a big fan but to my sisters, female friends and colleagues it's like catnip.

[malumbu]

What's craft English Cider? You get apples, press them, leave them, and drink the product. I drank Bulmers trad in the 80s which was as close as you get to farmhouse cider produced on a commercial scale at that time. It was cheap and strong, due in part to the low end market and cheap production.

Now Bulmers traditional is a high end high price highly marketed product that tastes synthetic (to me) due to the processing and perhaps additives. Oh and it is effectively a different company.

Unless of course you are talking about the wonderful Bulmers Pomagne, that was us plucky Brits taking on those garlic eating frogs, who had the temerity to take us to court as the product was so wonderful and was better than champagne. Actually it wasn't a tacky 70s product that we drunk around the scout camp fire but goes back to the time of the first world war (just found that out) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomagne

[Sue]

Concorde! Pomagne!

I never thought I'd hear those names again :))

[malumbu]

No Sue. On the same thead, but not in the same sentence. I am sure that you have enjoyed Pompmagne.

Nobody ever enjoyed Concorde or anything similar, even at Agbigail's party.

[Seabag]

Omar Khayyam Anybody ?

*pop*

[JohnL]

malumbu Wrote:

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> Go out of my way to buy cava or any other cheap

> bubbly when I need to celebrate. Prosecco seemed

> to suddenly turn up at the turn of the last

> decade. Personally I prefer a bottle of light

> Mexican style beer with a lime in the top (I think

> we called this lager and lime when I was a kid) or

> other fruit flavoured lager or cider (just like

> lager and black when we were kids).

>

> Is prosecco simply a fad?

In my time Lager and Lime was any lager with a lime cordial added as opposed to lager top - which has lemonade added to it.

[maxxi]

Asti Spumante (emphasis on the spu...) - Martini made a particularly foul one.

[randombloke]

Back in the 80s I worked for Oddbins. At that point the most popular wines were Liebfraumilch and all German wines. Thereafter new world varietals were the flavour of the month, Chardonnay and Shiraz especially. In the noughties it was Sauvignon blanc and then Pinot Grigio and Zinfandel. Quite how Pinot Grigio and Prosecco have become so popular is beyond me as they were both second class Italian wines and yet they fly out of the door. Personally I'd rather a Cremant de la Loire or Cremant de Bourgogne. As for a cheaper alternative to Champagne I'd always go for a Lindauer Special Reserve Pinot Chardonnay.I think some wines just become modish and people just ask for the name, My favourite Champagne based on comparative tastings was Roederer Cristal and yet it got ruinously expensive and almost embarrassing to admit to it as it was all over Bling bling Rap videos by people who probably had no idea why is was so good. (High dosage to balance the acidity of the Pinot Noir). Picpoul seems to be appearing all over the place so is that the latest fad? You read it here first...

[JohnL]

Malbec is the trendy red isn't it.

Or am I way behind :)

[Loz]

randombloke Wrote:

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> Quite how Pinot Grigio and Prosecco have become so popular is beyond me as they were

> both second class Italian wines and yet they fly out of the door. Personally I'd rather a Cremant

> de la Loire or Cremant de Bourgogne.

Cremants are also Trad method. The 'joy' of prosecco is the ripe fruit flavour from the tank method.

> Picpoul seems to be appearing all over the place so is

> that the latest fad? You read it here first...

Picpoul has been and is pretty much on the way out. Rose is looking pretty massive this summer.

[Loz]

maxxi Wrote:

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> Asti Spumante (emphasis on the spu...) - Martini

> made a particularly foul one.

Martini still make it, though they have all dropped the 'Spumanti' - it's all just 'Asti' now. It is better than it was (less sickly sweet) but does rather make prosecco taste rich and complex in comparison.

Lambrusco briefly threatened to make a comeback, but I think the danger has safely passed...

[Louisa]

Give me prosecco over champagne any day. Cheaper, tastier, and less pretentious. I welcome the arrival of prosecco, it makes cava look embarrassing, and it makes champagne look ordinary. It's something that anyone can enjoy too.

Louisa.

[Henry_17]

Prosecco Jellies available next to the robotills in our very own ED M&S.

Whatever next.

[KalamityKel]

An interesting read... I guess drinking prosecco through a straw in a pint glass is not the done thing... oh hang on is that cider? Darn I'm confuzzled!

I still view presecco as something "special" - at least all the fancy bottles under my desk make it look special - although to be honest I dont drink much these days anyway and I guess if you have the "good" stuff (what you consider good personally) then it no longer becomes special?

Why is it popular? If we're told something, whether by advertising, shops/bars etc, is the "in" thing then we're silly enough to believe it...

[NewWave]

I HATE Prosecco.

It really doesn't agree with me and makes me spaced out and really unwell.

Funnily enough white wine does the same thing.

However I'm fine with red and rose wines, Cava and champagne.

Its bloody annoying the way Prosecco has become a huge thing.

give me Cava any day.

I think Cava is downright naff tbh.

[Jules-and-Boo]

I like prosecco for making bellinis (peach, but guava is better), but not on it'a own

[Seabag]

Maybe throw the Prosecco into the Lido as a form of protest

Or actually just give up drinking, then no more dry this or I don't like that threads.