So, you like a good Prosecco sparkling wine. You like the crisp citrusy flavors, the refreshing acidity, and of course the bubbles!
Yet, you wouldn’t mind if the style came with a little more variety, something a little different to taste and experience next time you buy a bottle?
Corvezzo Winery is an organic producer in Veneto, Italy, launching a new concept of Prosecco bubbly. Not only does it referment in the bottle which is not standard for Prosecco, but it also comes with the evidence of it: the lees are left in the bottle…
Consequently, the wine is even smoother than your average Italian spumante, and you have to ‘shake it’ before pouring it and observe the lees beautifully going back in suspension in the wine. The string closure instead of a standard wire cage, is also a unique feature.
A guaranteed conversation starter next time you bring a bottle at a dinner party!
The most interesting part being, that this is in fact a traditional Italian way of making Prosecco, that has fallen out of fashion, but that may well be making a strong come back.
Let’s find out more…
How is “Shake It” Prosecco made?
A sparkling Prosecco always comes from a base wine, which ferments twice. The second fermentation happens in a pressurized stainless-steel tank (called autoclave in Italy), so that the wine will have bubbles when you pour it in your glass and sip it.
The final pressure within a bottle of Prosecco must be at least 3 atmospheres, and its appearance is generally crystal clear due to filtration before bottling.
Since Corvezzo’s “Shake it!” is a Col fondo style of Prosecco, the secondary fermentation of the base wine occurs, instead, inside the bottle.
In this case, the final pressure of the bottle must be kept below 2.5 atmospheres.
However, since the wine is not disgorged (the removal of yeast sediments), lees stay inside the bottle and the wine’s appearance is hazy (see it in the 6-second video below).
Taking the past to the future
Once upon a time… there was a traditional Prosecco wine called, in Italian: Col fondo (understand: with the sediments at the bottom).
Our grandparents used to add sugar and yeasts to the Glera base wine and put it into damigianas (Italian word for carboy) during winter. When spring came, and temperature rose again, yeasts woke up and started to transform sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2).
When these CO2 bubbles appeared, they knew it was the perfect time to bottle the fermenting wine. Therefore, they put the bottles in a dark cellar, and let it finish its fermentation.
Since at that time it was not possible for farmers to find muselets (the wire cage that fits over the cork of a sparkling wine), they used strings to tie the cork down and avoid it to be pushed out during re-fermentation in bottle.
Corvezzo truly believes that preserving and popularizing this ancestral tradition is important. This is why the winery decided to revive, a few years ago, this traditional yet very innovative Prosecco.
According to Giovanni Corvezzo, owner of Corvezzo winery, this is:
“a Prosecco for who is looking for something new in the high standardized Prosecco market. Even nowadays, the string closure of our Prosecco is done manually. I think it is nice to know that, even in this consumeristic era, you can find something made with care, just like my grandpa used to do it. It is a chance to discover this old tradition while having fun.”
Other reasons to love it!
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100% organic Prosecco
Corvezzo’s “Shake it!” Prosecco is made only with certified organic Glera grapes (it’s an organic wine), which are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers.
It is always good to know that what is not in the vineyard will never be in your wine glass either!
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100% vegan Prosecco
Corvezzo’s “Shake it!” Prosecco is a certified vegan wine. This means that no animal-derived products, such as casein, albumin, gelatin, or isinglass are used during the winemaking process.
This is important for people sensitive to animal-cruelty issues or for people suffering from food allergies and food intolerance.
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Low Alcohol
Corvezzo’s “Shake it!” Prosecco comes at a relatively low alcohol content of 10.5% abv.
Wine Review of Corvezzo’s “Shake It” Prosecco – What does it taste like?
Score: 89/100 Points
The lees in this bottle of Prosecco, not only make the pouring and tasting experience fun and unique. But they also bring an outstanding oily texture and smoothness to the palate.
As a result, Corvezzo ‘Shake It” Prosecco not only taste very zesty, filled with lime and lemon flavors, but it is also round and soft, deliciously salivating.
Read the full review at: Corvezzo ‘Shake It’ Organic Prosecco Treviso Col Fondo
The fact that Corvezzo Winery is reviving this ancient Cold Fondo Prosecco is good news for Prosecco lovers that want to experience somewhat of a more traditional Italian sparkling wine style, yet with a modern taste and an attractive packaging.
The fact that it tastes like what we love in Prosecco, zesty, fun and approachable, is even better news.
Enjoy 🙂
Check out Azienda Corvezzo Website at corvezzo.it
See it in Video
Read more about the producing winery at Azienda Agricola Corvezzo profile:
Related Read: What is a prosecco? Infographic Wine Guide
The content on this page was written, designed, and developped with Corvezzo Winery, exclusively for Social Vignerons.
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