Cinzano was founded by brothers Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano in 1757, when they opened a small shop in the hills surrounding Turin, Italy and began creating vermouth. But the house of Cinzano would go on to write an important chapter in the history of sparkling wines in Italy, creating the country’s first ever spumante.
King Charles Albert asked the Cinzano brothers, already suppliers of vermouth to the royal Savoy court, to create a new high quality product from the Santa Vittoria d’Alba estates.
The goal: to emulate the incredibly popular French champagne that dominated the wine export market across the globe.
The result: the birth of the Cinzano sparkling wines in 1840.
By mid-19th century, the Cinzano family boosted production of their traditional products while continuing with their experimental work on a Pinot-based Champagne. During the same period, they rented the Royal Estates of Santa Vittoria from the crown, building a wine pressing structure in Santo Stefano Belbo (in Piedmont, Italy) and opening commercial offices in Chambery, France. With their infrastructure firmly in place, the Cinzano family moved on from their craftsmen shop and into large scale wine production, expanding its reach and export across the globe.
What characteristics of your wine are influenced by the physical landscape of your winery?
“Importantly, Cinzano Prosecco is marked as D.O.C. meaning Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Registered Designation of Origin). This means Cinzano Prosecco is made from grapes grown in a limited area of north-eastern Italy near Trieste and the Treviso hills. Only Prosecco marked as D.O.C or D.O.C.G are true Prosecco wines from this original Prosecco region.
Cinzano Prosecco is from the best vine-growing areas of the Colline Trevigiane and produced through a natural fermentation process.”
TASTING NOTES
Perlage: Fine, numerous and persistent
Colour: Straw yellow
Aroma: Fruity, floral, slightly herbaceous, with green apple and pear notes
Taste: Fresh and mild at the same time, with good persistence
Alcohol Strength: 11% vol.
Residual Sugar: 20g/l
Food Pairing?
“Very easy to pair, Cinzano Prosecco is a perfect fit for every kind of aperitivo, as well as first and second courses made with seafood, white meat and vegetables, even when citrus fruits are used in preparation.
Also, pairs well with spicy food when aromatic but not too hot, like curry chicken and tandoori chicken.
Nice for veggies, it can be a nice pairing with legume dishes and soups. Very good with fresh cheese and savoury vegetable tarts.”
How long can you shelf your winning bottle of wine for?
Cinzano Prosecco is meant to be drunk young and cold. Serve well chilled (4-6 degrees Celsius).
Who would your wine appeal to?
“An easy-going wine drinker. Cinzano Prosecco is perfect as an aperitivo, or for mixing in cocktails such as the Aperol Spritz. Perfect for everyday entertaining.”
How would you describe this wine to someone who's never had this grape varietal/blend before?
“Cinzano Prosecco is fresh, fizzy and fruity, with mostly apple and pear-ish flavours. It has a sweet scent and a soft touch in the mouth.
Prosecco is an easy-to-drink wine that adapts to many kinds of food and represents joy, happiness and celebration better than any other wine. Its rustic, simple expression can be less intimidating than other sparkling wines such as Champagne which makes it easier to enjoy. The majority of Prosecco wines are extra dry or dry, which means they have a note of sweetness, making the wine smoother and counteracting the acidity of the grapes to provide a pleasant freshness.”
FAST FACTS:
Founders: The Cinzano brothers, Giovanni Giacomo Cinzano and Carlo Stefano Cinzano in 1757
Current Owner: Gruppo Campari
Location: Treviso hills region, Veneto, Italy
Wine varietals produced:
Available in NZ: Cinzano Prosecco D.O.C.
