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Prosecco Superiore Brut

Sommariva
Discount Eligible $14.95
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All those words after “Prosecco” may be a mouthful, but they are of critical importance. This appellation designates the most qualitative zone for producing Prosecco, a series of dramatically steep slopes in the foothills of the Dolomites whose wines are subject to strict DOCG quality standards. Representing less than a quarter of the total land planted to Prosecco—crucially, excluding the vast, fertile plains to the south—this area is home to breathtaking hillside vineyards that are on another planet when it comes to terroir. It is only logical that, like the Côte d’Or and the Langhe, the Conegliano Valdobbiadene subzone has been granted UNESCO World Heritage status.
     All this to say that Prosecco is not generic sparkling wine, and Sommariva is not generic Prosecco—pour a round of this gentle, floral, enlivening Superiore DOCG to see what I mean.

Anthony Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: sparkling
Vintage: NV
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Glera
Appellation: Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore
Country: Italy
Region: Veneto
Producer: Sommariva
Winemaker: Caterino & Cinzia Sommariva
Vineyard: Up to 25 years
Soil: Mineral-rich and Rocky Clay
Aging: All vinification in stainless steel
Farming: Sustainable
Alcohol: 11.5%

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About The Region

Veneto

map of Veneto

Italy’s most prolific wine region by volume, the Veneto is the source of some of the country’s most notorious plonk: you’ll find oceans of insipid Pinot Grigo, thin Bardolino, and, of course, the ubiquitous Prosecco. And yet, the Veneto produces the highest proportion of DOC wine of any Italian region: home to prestigious appellations like Valpolicella, Amarone, and Soave, it is capable of excelling in all three colors, with equally great potential in the bubbly and dessert departments.

With almost 200,000 acres planted, the Veneto has a wealth of terroirs split between the Po Valley and the foothills of the Alps. While the rich soils of the flatlands are conducive to mechanization, high yields, and mass production of bulk wine, the areas to the north offer a fresher climate and a diversity of poor soil types, ideal for food-friendly wines that show a sense of place. Whether it’s a charming Prosecco Superiore from the Glera grape, a stony Soave or Gambellara from Garganega, or a Corvina-based red in any style, the Veneto’s indigenous grape varieties show real character when worked via traditional production methods.

Since his first visit in 1979, Kermit has regularly returned to the Veneto to enjoy its richness of fine wines and local cuisine. Our collaboration with Corte Gardoni, our longest-running Italian import, is a testament to this. The proximity of beautiful cities like Verona and Venice, with their deep culinary heritage, certainly doesn’t hurt, either.

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Where the newsletter started

Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch

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