Sparkling Wine
for Spring
Sparkling Wine for Spring
CHAMPAGNE & PROSECCO
Wine Merchant Stef Fisher on the wines
he’ll enjoy as the weather gets warmer.
WINE MERCHANT RECOMMENDATION
Meet Stef Fisher
Malvern East Wine Merchant Stef Fisher can trace his love of prosecco back to the fi rst time he tasted a Bellini at Harry’s Bar in Venice. This cocktail ignited a lifelong passion for the Italian sparkling wine, and he’s always got an eye out for the next big thing, which is why he’s brought together this list of new takes on prosecco and Champagne.
While the popularity of Champagne is nothing new, “prosecco has gone through the roof in the last year or two, not just Australia but the UK and the USA, too,” Stef says. Why? “It’s a ordable, delicious and an essential ingredient in the ever-popular Aperol Spritz.”
Prosecco, by any other name
"The name prosecco is derived from the Italian village of Prosecco near Trieste, where the grape and the wine may have originated.”
Stef says the prosecco industry is changing faster than regulations can keep up, which is why you’ll see some bottles labelled as spumante or Italian sparkling. The current appellation system for prosecco only allows use of the white glera grape, but a rosé sparkling gets its colour from red grapes like pinot noir. “Even if they can’t say prosecco on the label, these wines come from the same north-eastern region of Italy and are made in a similar way, and you can be one of the first to try them out.”
Spring Magazine: Out Now
We visit Oakridge in the Yarra Valley for seasonal food and wine matching tips, explore alternative red varietals that are excellent drinking as the weather warms up, uncover luxury Champagne recommendations, showcase the latest in wine, spirits, beer, cider, premix, and so much more!