Sustainability has become an increasingly hot topic over the last few years, closely related to a range of buzzwords that you may have heard, e.g. ‘carbon footprint’, ‘environmental impact’, ‘eco-friendly’. While once considered a loose conglomeration of ideas, mainly confined to non-conformists and eccentrics, an increasing number of mainstream companies and organisations are now leading the way in tackling climate change. This of course includes businesses in the food and drink processing industries, a logical move to make, seeing how the effects of climate change can have catastrophic effects on harvests and food production. There has also been an increase in demand in the current market urging the need for clear, demonstrable green credentials from suppliers.
I recently attended an informal evening with an intimate group of fellow food/drink enthusiasts, led by sommelier Emily Harman, who briefly talked us through the topic of ‘Sustainability within the Prosecco DOC region’, giving us an insight into how the Consortium is incorporating sustainable measures into their regulation of the Prosecco DOC region. Since every agricultural system overlaps with a natural ecosystem, a certain environmental impact is inevitable.
As of September 2018, the Consortium has commenced collaboration with several professionals designed to support winegrowers to improve the vineyard management, aiming at achieving not only a better yield, but also the best organoleptic properties for quality sparkling wines (an initiative intended to improve Prosecco DOC’s qualitative standards, from both the organoleptic and sensorial point of view).
We tasted three labels that demonstrated each winemakers’ choices for a sustainable production, all paired with some Italian dishes from the new menu at Passo.
First up was the 47 Anno Domini Prosecco DOC Extra Dry Organic Vegan Millesimato – 47 Anno Domini uses sustainable strategies that accommodate the soil and climate variability. This family-owned company follows strict protocols and are certified organic AND vegan. Slightly sweet with fruity and floral notes, the gentle persistent bubbles was rather pleasant – combined with an appealing packaging and a very reasonable retail price of ~£10, I would definitely consider stocking up on this at home.
This was followed by La Jara Organic Prosecco Spumante Brut, a dry sparkling wine that leaves a clean palate due to its low sugar content and its acidity. The taste is fresh with aromatic notes, which paired well with the selection of charcuterie, cheese and delicious garlic pizza bread.
Sharing a strong synergy with the land surrounding the vineyard, La Jara have utilizes the soil’s distinctive properties that enable the grapes to fully express their noble characteristic and complexity of aromas throughout their wines – the rich limestone deposits that run through the soil, retain heat during the day which in turns helps the vines during the area’s colder nights.
Last but not least was the Perlage Prosecco DOC Extra Dry Organic “Sgajo” (“Sgajo meaning smart and exuberant) – Perlage is recognized worldwide as one of the first Italian Organic Sparkling Wineries, widely focusing on biodynamic viticulture, that definitely help the organic procedures to become more efficient. An organic sparkling wine with aromatic notes of apple, apricot and a slight hint of banana, it paired well with the delectable vegetarian dishes at Passo such as the chargrilled honey aubergine and the roast cauliflower.
- I was invited as a guest – views and photos are my own.
