Step Up Your Game with Altaneve Prosecco Superiore

Altaneve, Bubbles that Rise Above the Rest

Sparkling wine is fun, fashionable and just delicious. One such sparkling wine is Prosecco, the popular Italian sparkling wine, which is everywhere these days. In fact, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Prosecco region as a whole, and the 10th Anniversary of Prosecco Superiore! Sounds like a party to me. We’ll be celebrating with our friends in the #ItalianFWT group.

Did you know that last year, Prosecco surpassed Champagne, not in terms of volume, but in terms of production and consumption? Although price is likely a factor, according to The Associated Press, Prosecco’s production “eclipsed Champagne’s five years ago and is now 75 percent higher at 544 million bottles.”  How, though, do you sift through these bottles to find quality Prosecco bubbles for your glass? A few things need to be taken into consideration: location of production, producers and production methods. Think Prosecco Superiore.  Think Valdobbiadene. Think, for example, Altaneve.

Hills of Valdobbiadene

Map of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG c/o Consorzio di Tutela del Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene

Views of Valdobbiadene c/o Altaneve

Let’s zoom in a bit on Valdobbiadene.  Here, the hills or steep slopes, which run from east to west, can reach up to 70% gradient and lie at elevations between 50-500 meters. This lends itself to excellent sun exposure. The higher hills are further away from the assuaging affects of the Adriatic sea on the east, and are instead impacted more by the Alpine breezes from the Venetian Prealps.  The elevation, along with the semi-continental climate and considerable diurnal temperature variation contributes to fresh acidity and aromatic complexity of the grapes. Altaneve provides an awesome example of this. Here’s why. 

Altaneve

Although Altaneve made its entry into the U.S. in 2013, the Noto family, originally from Calabria, has over 10 generations of winemakers. David Noto, the Founder, eventually moved to Northern Italy to begin producing sparkling wines from the old vines and steep hills of Valdobbiadene.  Altaneve, in Italian, translates to “high snow,” referring to the snow-capped mountains in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains (Monte Cesen) where it is produced. This same fact is manifested in the logo, which is a snowflake in the letter ‘A.’ The soil is composed of calcareous limestone, which, along with its proximity to the Adriatic sea, contributes to the notable minerality. The producers of Altaneve use the oldest vine clones of Glera that lead to more complexity and pronounced taste. Moreover, according to Altaneve, “we cannot terrace our vineyards, because the Glera vine enjoys a lot of water, but he roots of the vines cannot sit in stagnant water so we must promote the runoff leaving the vineyard slope as steep as possible.”  Therefore, the harvest is manual, selecting only the best grapes.  Then, Altaneve sparkling wine is produced in harmony with the DOCG regulations, via the Charmat Method, using 100% Glera grapes, although the required minimum is 85%, with the remaining 15% of local varieties. The Charmat or Martinotti Method is best for Prosecco, as it helps to yield a lighter body, sparkling wine. Altaneve rises above by employing an extended second fermentation. Although prosecco can be produced in tranquillo, frizzante and spumante styles, the Prosecco Superiore designation can only be used for spumante style wines.  Hence, Altaneve’s high elevation location and climate, along with its method of production make remarkable prosecco that is absolutely delicious and luxurious.  Moreover, all of Altaneve’s wines are all-natural, sustainable, vegan and gluten free with low sulfites and low calories.

The Wining Hour ft. Altaneve Prosecco 

Map of the Rive c/o Consorzio di Tutela del Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene

Altaneve 2017 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G

Altaneve Sparkling Rosé NV 

Altaneve Sparkling Rosé is an exclusive blend of 70% Pinot Nero grapes from Oltrepò Pavese and 30% Glera grapes from Valdobbiadene. Since this bubbly is not produced exclusively in the Valdobbiadene Superiore area, the requirements are different and it is a non-vintage wine. However, it is also produced via Charmat. It is placed in stainless steel tanks for 30 days at 17° C, then in autoclaves for 60 days. Altaneve Rosé is a pale salmon pink with enticing aromas wild berries and dried rose petals.  It tastes of strawberry, red cherry and flint minerals, which is likely from the Pinot Noir, while the Glera grapes contributes more delicate floral and fruity flavors.  Approximately 450 calories and 11.5% ABV.

The Wining Hour with David Noto of AltaNeve