“Under the Tuscan Sun” In a Bottle

How often has a sip of wine triggered a memory or summoned an emotion for you?  Our very special offer today, six bottles of Val D’Ora Prosecco for $10.99 each, does it for me.  It transports me to two places:  two weeks in Umbria spent hanging out with Gary Capps—a co-owner of Auburn’s Tres Pazzi—and attending a dinner during a writer’s symposium at Meadowood in Napa a few years ago when I had the good fortune to be seated next to Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun.

My visit to Italy was in 2007 on the heels of a divorce, and I relished the opportunity to escape my reality in a distant place.  It was pivotal sequence for me of being immersed in a remote village culture and being welcomed at Gary’s annual retreat with great food and rustic wine.  The villa was always full of wine lovers, and I know we drank a bit of Prosecco.

And then chatting with Ms. Mapes for almost two hours is a random experience I won’t forget.  She spoke to a group of wine writers in the afternoon and then joined us for dinner.  She arrived late and sat next to me at the end of the table, where we consumed a magnificent meal paired with an ocean of Napa’s finest wine.  We didn’t drink prosecco that evening, but I bought her book and rented the movie (with Diane Lane and Sandra Oh) and in my mind’s eye, I can see myself seated outdoors with a huge Italian family consuming liters of the stuff.

Val D’Ora Prosecco has been absent from the racks at Carpe Vino for a very long time, but it’s back and you’ll want to stock up for summer, starting with our Memorial Day weekend kickoff.  It is the perfect beverage for enjoying near your pool, during any kind of cookout or camping, as an aperitif welcome toast or just to pop open after a tough day slogging in the mines.

The thing that makes prosecco so appealing and friendly is it is a frizzante wine—a semi sparkler with millions (perhaps billions) of tiny bubbles that coat your tongue with a tickle and leave it refreshed and begging for food.  It is a fabulous palate cleanser and unlike traditional Champagne with the big bubbles, you’re in little danger of risking a head trip.  It is only 11% alcohol, about the same as a Triple IPA.

Winery Tasting Notes:  “This wine is made from 100% of the most Superior Prosecco di Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. fruit after careful selection and pressing of the best grapes of the year, the must is carefully fermented at controlled temperatures to obtain an elegant straw colored sparkling wine with aromas of white wild flowers and notes of green apple. It has tiny bubbles with a frothy feel on the palate. Enjoy chilled.  Suggested serving temperature: 6-8 °C (42 to 46 °F)
Suggested food to accompany: as aperitif, during whole meal, in particular with fish or shellfish.”

Serving chilled, and keeping it cold, is the key with this wine.  If it starts to warm up, it just isn’t the same, so keep it on ice or in the refrigerator after you open.

This wine is retails for $12.99 per bottle and we’ve got 28 cases that arrived yesterday on offer for $10.99 when you purchase six or more.  That’s a modest 15% savings, but at this low price point there just isn’t much room.

Besides, we’re the only joint in the region currently stocking this just-released juice.  So take off your shoes off and crush the

 

 

. . .or you may just want to come in and pick up a case.

Salute!

gary