Greenish, straw yellow color; apple, citrus on the nose; green and yellow apples, pear, lemon zest-citrus on the palate.
Great balance, graceful fruit, very pleasant wine that has no overpowering elements—it simply is polite, easy drinker with delicious, delicate fruit flavors. Very fine, persistent bubbles.
Elegant in the mouth with superb, food-friendly acidity (3.1 pH). Made in almost dry style—on the border of brut and extra dry. With its dryness and acidity, this is an excellent “cleanse the palate” pour. Serve as an aperitif—Prosecco wines are perfect as aperitif wines—or to complement light first courses in a meal. Typical light alcohol for this style: 10.5%.
In a revival of an old Prosecco tradition, the cork is secured by a hand-tied string. With lower atmospheric pressure, there is no need for spumante/Champagne wire cage. Frizzante is “gently sparkling.” Frizzante has between 2.0 and 3.5 bars of atmospheric pressure—this has 2.3–2.5 bars. In contrast, spumante and Champagne typically have 5 to 6 bars.
The winery was established in 1978 by the Ceschin family, whose winemaking roots date back to the 18th century. Fabio Ceschin, fresh from earning a degree from the Wine School of Conegliano, made the family dream come true and remains at the helm, although today his wife and three children assist alongside him. The glera grapes for this effort come from the Hills of Treviso area—one of the most beautiful areas of the Veneto region, the heart of highest quality Prosecco winemaking. “Il Colle” is Italian for “The Hill.” The winery is located between the iconic Prosecco-Veneto towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.
Il Colle presses some 1,500 tons of grapes each year, one-third from the family vineyard and the remainder from nearby small vineyards. The winery employs state-of-the-art equipment and enforces strict cleanliness and quality-control measures. It is a forward-looking, modern winery making wonderful wine while honoring ancient traditions. Il Colle Prosecco di Treviso Vino Frizzante has very limited U.S. distribution, but is working to change that. $10-13
Other photos: Cashin family; Il Colle winery and vineyard.
