West Valley Wine Group

Thu, Dec 4 · 5:30 PM MST

•

Online

Thursday Virtual Happy Hour: Prosecco

Online

Prosecco is an Italian DOC or DOCG white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco, in the province of Trieste, Italy. It is made from the Prosecco grape (renamed "Glera" in Italy in 2009), but denomination rules allow up to 15% of the wine to be other permitted varieties. Prosecco is almost always made in sparkling or semi-sparkling style (spumante and frizzante, respectively), but a still wine (tranquillo) is also permitted. Within the larger designation are two small DOCG areas, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco in the hills between the comuni (municipalities) of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, and Asolo Prosecco around the nearby comune of Asolo. Prosecco Superiore is always spumante and comes only from these DOCG areas.

Unlike Champagne and Franciacorta DOCG, Prosecco is usually produced using the alternative Charmat–Martinotti method, in which the secondary fermentation takes place in large stainless steel tanks rather than in each individual bottle, making the wine less expensive to produce, and the minimum production time is 30 days. Higher quality Prosecco using this method will ferment the wine over a longer period, up to around 9 months (Charmat Lungo). Nevertheless, the production rules for both the DOCG's also allow the use of the traditional method of secondary fermentation in the bottle, known in Italy as Metodo Classico. DOC and DOCG rules allow up to 15% of Prosecco wine to be a blend of Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Chardonnay, Pinot bianco, Pinot grigio, or Pinot nero (vinified white).

## We have a choice of videos to watch including:

1. https://youtu.be/AB0tvEeba8g?si=gMBDqA5JkP0ab0jz - What is Prosecco? - Alti Wine Exchange (7:45)
2. https://youtu.be/nvBfPtEtzeI?si=TNq3jc9wNSkjuVEL - Prosecco: All About the Sparkling White Wine from Prosecco, Italy - V is for Vino (3:21)
3. https://youtu.be/R_IaeVfJg6Q?si=78ibI0a75pnCQU4o - How to Find the Best Prosecco - Wine Folly (6:19)

So, pick up a bottle and watch a couple of videos. Let us know what you’re drinking and eating, and, if possible, the region from which your wine comes. Do you have any comments (positive or negative) about the videos? And, as always, tell us what’s going on in your life - what's happening with you, how you're feeling about things, updates, successes, challenges - as much or as little as you’re willing to disclose. We are in this together. And - thank goodness - we have wine!

Cheers!!

Thu, Dec 11 · 5:30 PM MST

•

Online

Thursday Virtual Happy Hour: Cremant

Online

Crémant is a group of sparkling wines made with the same technique as Champagne, but from outside the Champagne region. Do you have “Champagne taste on a beer budget?” There is a group of sparkling wines that will satisfy your desire for high quality bubbly. Crémant employs labor-intensive secondary bottle fermentation, as does Champagne. There are a wide variety of styles to choose from, as Crémant is made in eight different appellations throughout France (and can also be found in neighboring Luxembourg).

### Crémant d’Alsace

• White: Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
• Rosé: 100% Pinot Noir required for rosé

### Crémant de Bourgogne

• White: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with occasional use of Gamay, Pinot Blanc, Sacy, Pinot Gris, Aligoté, and/or Melon de Bourgogne
• Rosé: Pinot Noir and sometimes Gamay

### Crémant de Limoux

• White and Rosé: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac (locally called Blanquette), Pinot Noir

### Crémant de Loire

• Primary Grapes: Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir
• Others: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Arbois, Pineau d’Aunis, Grolleau, Grolleau Gris

### Other Crémant:

• Crémant de Bordeaux: Primarily Merlot along with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and/or Muscadelle
• Crémant du Jura: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Savagnin, Pinot Gris, Poulsard, Trousseau
• Crémant de Savoie Jacquère, Altesse, Chardonnay, Chasselas, Aligoté
• Crémant de Die Primarily Clairette, possibly with some Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and/or Aligoté

## We have a choice of videos to watch including:

1. https://youtu.be/av0ZvyqyRxM?si=aMD3yslLNMwp3XYl - Crémant, the best French Sparkling Wine Next to Champagne! - Wine Living (6:20)
2. https://youtu.be/0GC7tVmHniw?si=W3Qch4zImHZjk-lG - Cremant vs Champagne - Know Wine In No Time (6:56)
3. https://youtu.be/DdEFflCGd7I?si=U4F5kxS27rYVdYUm - What Is Crémant Sparkling Wine? - Fine Wine Facts (3:00)

So, pick up a bottle and watch a couple of videos. Let us know what you’re drinking and eating, and, if possible, the region from which your wine comes. Do you have any comments (positive or negative) about the videos? And, as always, tell us what’s going on in your life - what's happening with you, how you're feeling about things, updates, successes, challenges - as much or as little as you’re willing to disclose. We are in this together. And - thank goodness - we have wine!

Cheers!!

Thu, Dec 18 · 5:30 PM MST

•

Online

Thursday Virtual Happy Hour: Champagne/Sparkling Wine

Online

Champagne is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, specific grape-pressing methods and secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle to cause carbonation.

The grapes Pinot noir, Pinot meunier, and Chardonnay are used to produce almost all Champagne, but small amounts of Pinot blanc, Pinot gris (called Fromenteau in Champagne), Arbane, and Petit Meslier are vinified as well.

Sparkling wines are produced worldwide, but many legal structures reserve the word Champagne exclusively for sparkling wines from the Champagne region, made in accordance with Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne regulations. In the European Union and many other countries, the name Champagne is legally protected by the Madrid system under an 1891 treaty, which reserved it for the sparkling wine produced in the toponymous region and adhering to the standards defined for it as an appellation d'origine contrôlée; the protection was reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. Over 70 countries have adopted similar legal protection.

## We have a choice of videos to watch including:

1. https://youtu.be/DD2PBFq0aqs?si=4grKfkZQNiHwOKoi - How Is Champagne Made? - No Sediment (6:49)
2. https://youtu.be/aeoDjbAUBBI?si=LIrvKrDARkW3iz2N - Understanding Champagne in 5 minutes or less! - Jacky Blisson MW (4:40)
3. https://youtu.be/9tVT71WXSIs?si=G4ZNEXwl5KD-ffb- - The Ultimate Guide to the World’s BEST Sparkling Wine - No Sediment (9:01)

So, pick up a bottle and watch a couple of videos. Let us know what you’re drinking and eating, and, if possible, the region from which your wine comes. Do you have any comments (positive or negative) about the videos? And, as always, tell us what’s going on in your life - what's happening with you, how you're feeling about things, updates, successes, challenges - as much or as little as you’re willing to disclose. We are in this together. And - thank goodness - we have wine!

Cheers!!