Zonin Prosecco, Next Sparkling Selection
Here’s the typical scenario with bubbly: Often, there’s that one bottle of expensive sparkling wine on hand, but it’s slowly gathering a depressing coat of dust, waiting for an occasion “worthy” of its pop-and-fizz. Basically, unless you buy a boat, get a corner office, or somehow make it to those last sleepy seconds of New Year’s Eve, there’s no “excuse” to pop that bottle. However, that perception should expire.
These days, we want our bubbles now, please and thank you. So, to make a moment, any moment, really pop, Zonin Prosecco is a perfect choice.
Priorities have shifted, and fun doesn’t wait for Friday anymore. This is an era of celebrating the everyday joys of life, no matter how large or small. Many of us are dining out more, and when we’re not, we’re turning our apartments into mini-restaurants, hosting dinner parties like next-gen Ina Gartens. Life feels worthy of lots of bubbles, right? That doesn’t mean we want to settle for ho-hum affordable bubbly. Meaningful moments deserve meaningful bubbles, which is why this is a really good time to get to know a sleek and sparkling dynamo called Zonin Prosecco.
In fact, for such an on-trend-looking retro-chic bottle — redesigned in 2021 aligning with Zonin’s 200th anniversary — some may be surprised to know the Zonin family of Vincenza, Italy, has been working the wine game for over 200 years. That’s seven generations of one family, working together, growing and perfecting its foothold in the world of Italian wine. And in all that time, as winemaking expertise has passed down from generation to generation, one product has been the focus of the Zonin brand: Prosecco.
In this day and age, when we’re craving authenticity as much as something fresh and palatable, a brand like Zonin checks all the boxes. Deep roots and generations of passion? Check. An easy way to elevate any moment, whether it’s an urban rooftop picnic or an impromptu riverside girls’ night? Check. Doesn’t break the bank? Check.
If you think about it (and we do), Prosecco in general is probably the best kind of sparkling wine for the kind of everyday celebration we’re all craving these days. Produced exclusively with Glera, a white grape variety native to the Veneto region of Italy, it’s made using the Charmat method, meaning the wine gets its second fermentation in steel tanks rather than bottles (on those bready, yeasty lees). The result is a sparkling wine with a more fruit-forward palate and a fresher, brighter acidity — ideal for everyday sipping.
If Prosecco is good for the everyday, Zonin Prosecco is what you want to elevate it. There’s passion in each bottle that can’t be matched. For one thing, the Zonin family nurtures its grapes. The family owns the largest Glera vineyards in Italy, with green, winding vines planted across sloping hillsides of Gambellara, in the heart of Veneto, one of the two main Prosecco-producing regions in Northeastern Italy. And because it owns the vineyards, Zonin is able to oversee production of its Prosecco from the literal roots to the pop of the cork.
For Zonin’s classic Prosecco, half the juice is stored cold while the other half goes through a cold primary fermentation, after which point they’re combined for the second fermentation (where the bubbles are born) in traditional steel tanks. Because half the juice is unfermented prior to that second fermentation, there’s more of the Glera grape’s residual character, as well as subtle sweetness, layers of fleshy fruit, and bright acidity. The end result is that Zonin Prosecco is ridiculously sippable.
It’s also very pairable. Zonin produces both classic Prosecco and Rosé Prosecco, and while the Rosé’s 15 percent Pinot Noir content makes it an elegant pairing for brunch or a casual supper, the classic Prosecco has the versatility to bring to any occasion. Made with Glera grapes from the Verona region (of Romeo and Juliet fame), it pops fresh and bright, pouring with elegant lemon and straw-golden hues. There’s a tender fleshiness in the body — think white peach skin and golden delicious apple — as well as a bouquet of zesty citrus and subtle almond on the nose. Finally, the sipping experience is elevated by those tickling, frothy, and (let’s admit it) fun bubbles, which amplify the aromatics and prepare your palate for the next sip.
FYI, that’s only what’s in the glass. Because it has such a dynamic profile — acid, fruit, aromatics, bubbles — Zonin Prosecco pairs beautifully with food. You’ll want to pair it with everything. Think fresh seafood with its balance of sweetness and salinity; rich, nutty cheeses; the tangy acids and unctuous fats of a classic charcuterie board; even the vegetal complexity of vegan main dishes.
And since it clocks in at a moderate 11 percent ABV, it’s an easy sipper that won’t pummel your palate, making it a go-to for a picnic, dinner party, or (maybe most importantly) the kinds of sudden, no-reason, treat-yourself celebrations we should be incorporating into our everyday lives. If that’s not enough to get you reaching for a bottle, let the pros convince you: Zonin Prosecco won the 2019 Sommeliers Choice Award for “Sparkling Wine of the Year by the Glass.” That means it’s the bubbly sommeliers prefer to pour, and, therefore, the one we prefer to drink.
Let’s be real — we’re all living life by the glass these days. Why not keep them filled with bubbles?
This article is sponsored by Zonin Prosecco.
