Keep Cool with Pink Bubbly on Ice from Italy

Anyone who says that Miami is paradise is surely not talking about our beloved city in August. With several more months of sticky heat and potentially wild storms before a bit of reprieve, this time of year always finds us looking for ways to cool down.

Luckily for us, there is something very refreshing making its way over from Italy that is brand-new to wine lovers everywhere. This Italian pink bubbly just may be the saving grace of the summer. Say hello to prosecco rosé!

For those of you who are fans of the popular sparkling wines – primarily out of the Veneto region of Italy – you already know there’s never been an official pink version. It was not until last year that the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies’ National Wine Committee approved changes to the prosecco DOC laws allowing an official rosé from the region, under very specific conditions.

For a wine to be labeled Prosecco Rosé DOC, it must be at least 85% glera grapes (which is the primary grape in all prosecco), and it can be up to 15% pinot noir, called “pinot nero” in Italy. Additionally, it must be aged for a minimum of 60 days, twice as long as traditional prosecco, and it must be “millesimato,” or vintage-dated. Sweetness levels in these bottles will range from “brut nature” with 0-3 g/l of sugar to “extra dry,” which can have a touch more sweetness at 12-17 g/l.

Wine lovers may be quick to point out that they have had a sparkling rosé from Italy before, and this is true. However, these wines are likely labeled “spumante,” which means “sparkling wine,” and they are produced without any official rules or designations. Meaning they can come from any region in Italy and include any grapes. This differs from the official Prosecco DOC or Prosecco Superiore DOCGs, which are highly regulated when it comes to permitted grapes, regions and production methods.

Both prosecco and spumante rosé wines can be excellent quality and perfectly refreshing on a hot August day, so here are a few bottles to help you keep cool.

La Marca is a household name for prosecco drinkers, so it should come as no surprise that the brand has released its own prosecco rosé. This bottle was on the sweeter end of the four mentioned, but only by just a touch. The wine has notes of strawberry, ripe red cherry and citrus on the nose. In the palate, it has a medium weight but is light in strawberry freshness, leading into a zesty finish. La Marca is a quintessential brunch prosecco, and now with the rosé here in Miami, your table has options. You can find a bottle of La Marca Prosecco Rosé for about $15 at Total Wine or other retailers around town.

Corvezzo Prosecco DOC Rosé Extra Dry is a wine made by a family-run winery that has the largest acreage in Italy of certified organic glera grapes. The winery is certified fully organic in Europe, covering both viticulture and production in the winery, and all of their wines come from 100% estate-grown grapes. On the label, they identify the wine as organic and vegan.

The Corvezzo Prosecco Rosé 2019 is slightly drier than the La Marca, but still with that refreshing prosecco sweetness. A soft sparkling wine with more floral notes in the nose, along with that signature strawberry and red fruit freshness from the pinot nero. This is a beautifully balanced wine with length in its finish. An excellent accompaniment to lightly friend dishes or seafood, this wine retails for about $13 and is in the Miami market starting this summer.

La Gioiosa Prosecco Rosé Brut 2019 is an aromatic prosecco with more rose and even orange aromas, along with some pomegranate and kiwi flavors. A nice balance between fruit and floral, the wine represents this new category well. Silky and more full-bodied, La Gioiosa also is labeled “brut,” indicating that there is up to 12 g/l of sugar present. With a bit of weight to it, the La Gioiosa prosecco rosé could be paired with a lighter meal, perhaps a chickpea salad with mint and tomatoes. You can find a bottle for around $15 at 305Wines.com.

Lastly, we have a wine that is perfect for those who appreciate a completely dry style of sparkling wine. The Spumante Zero Rosé is part of a family of wines from EDM Prosecco Zero, a partnership between local South Florida sommelier Ervin Machado and Italy’s Peninsola Wines. These proseccos and spumante have the lowest possible amount of sugar at under 3 g/l. This rosé is made from merlot grapes grown in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, and it is very dry with darker fruit flavors like black cherry. Prosecco Zero wines are light bubblies with serious freshness. Miami’s Wine by the Bay carries Spumante Zero Rosé for around $22.