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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Bottega Prosecco and grappa tasting with Sandro Bottega.

4. The Date and Time: Wednesday, November 9, 2011   2:30 PM to 6PM

The Event: Bottega Prosecco and grappa tasting with Sandro Bottega.

The Venue: National Club

The Target Audience: wine press and lifestyle writers – about two dozen in all.

The Availability/Catalogue: everything is available through the normal distribution channels. The Ontario agent is Noble Estates.

The Quote/Background: Sandro, an enthusiastic speaker, led us through the tasting, beginning with a history of winemaking in the region. Prosecco should be drunk fresh, in under a year. He emphasized how we should taste grappa, a lot like nosing a Scotch or cognac. His company also makes the hand-blown bottles for the grappa.

The Wines:

 

**** BEST -- Four Stars (91+ in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Vino dell'amore Moscato Petalo NV, 6.5% ABV  +588780, $13.05

 

***1/2 BETTER -- Three and a Half Stars (8890 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Bottega Vino dei Poeti Rose NV, 11.5% ABV, made with pinot nero and raboso. $12.95, coming to LCBO.

 

*** GOOD -- Three Stars (8587 in Quality/Price Rating terms):

-Vino dei Poeti Prosecco NV, 11% ABV, +897702, $13.80

 

We also nosed and tasted the Bottega Club Grappa (+478156, $29.60), the most popular at the LCBO. Grappa Prosecco ($49.95) and Grappa di Moscato ($46.95) were very aromatic, reflective of the glera and muscat grapes. But they are not yet available in this market. The most expressive was the Grappa Amarone, with a healthy chocolate aroma. It'll be here soon at Vintages for $54.95. As an added treat, we also sampled the Giandula Bottega, a liqueur composed of grappa, milk cream, chocolate, hazelnuts to 17% ABV. It's +600379 at $27.15.

 

The Food: there was a full-scale luncheon buffet (or light supper), with salads, charcuterie, smoked salmon, veggie ravioli, skewered chicken, cheeses, and a wide range of petit fours with coffee. All the proseccos and grappas were available for re-tasting.

The Downside: The first half hour of the seminar was too general, and I wondered if Sandro's enthusiasm was going to last through the whole presentation. It did.

The Upside: a comparative grappa tasting led by an expert.

The Contact Person: spuritt@hotmail.com and noble@nobleestates.com

The Event's Marketing Effectiveness and Execution (numerical grade): 92.

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