Reviewed by:
Antony Anderson
The Wine Matchmaker
https://winematchmaker.com.au/
Prosecco is a sparkling wine from Italy, made from the Glera grape. It’s produced in nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions of north eastern Italy, close to the border with Austria and Slovenia. To be called Prosecco, wines must be certified to have come from a designated area, and denoted with the letters “DOC” or “DOCG” on the label.
Rebuli is a well known producer of Prosecco from the heart of the DOCG region in Valdobbiadene. Established in the 1980s by Angelo Rebuli they make a full range of Prosecco from Rose, DOC and DOCG prosecco right through to the pinnacle or “Grand Cru” of Prosecco called Superiore di Cartizze.
Unfortunately Angelo passed away this year leaving the business in the capable hands of his sons:
- Mauro: Winemaker;
- Paolo: Viticulturist whose responsibility is for the care of the vineyards,
- Gianni: Runs the financial side of the business and looks after foreign clients.
Rebuli sources grapes throughout the DOC and DOCG Prosecco regions, and processes them in their modern winery in Valdobbiadene, making a wide range of Prosecco and still wine.
Most Prosecco is produced using a process called the Charmat method (or Martinotti method in Italy): the still base wine is placed in a stainless steels tank with yeast and sugar, which causes a secondary fermentation and creates the bubbles. Importantly, the time in the tank also allows the wine to stay in contact with the yeast cells (called lees), which adds complexity to the wine. And the longer the time spent on lees, the more complex the wine becomes.
DOCG Prosecco may also use the traditional method, which carries out the secondary fermentation in a bottle like Champagne, rather than in a stainless steel tank like the Charmat–Martinotti method. This creates more complex wines with fine bubbles and yeasty characters.
An entry level Prosecco made from 100% Glera grapes. It spends two months on lees, and at 16 g/L of residual sugar, it is on the upper end of the Extra Dry category, although the sugar is reasonably well masked by the high acid.
Colour - Medium yellow colour.
Nose - Aromas of green fruit (ripe pear, green apple), citrus (lemon, lime), and stone fruit (fresh apricot).
Palate - Mouth filling mousse with course bubbles, and a cleansing acid that cleans up the residual sugar.
Flavours of citrus (lemon, lime) and green fruit (ripe pear, green apple, and quince).
A typical style, refreshing, and well-made DOC Prosecco.
Rebuli Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG
This Prosecco shows complexity and concentration from its lower yields of 100% Glera, and manual handling. 16 g/L of residual sugar places it on the upper end of the Extra Dry category, but it is very well balanced by the high acid. This Prosecco is a noticeable step up in quality from DOC Prosecco.
Colour -
Medium yellow colour.
Nose - Aromas of green fruit (pear, green apple, quince), earth, lees (toast), floral (orange blossom), herbs (thyme, fennel), and mineral notes.
Palate - Fine creamy mousse with persistent bubbles, and firm acid that balances the residual sugar.
Flavours of green fruit (ripe pear, quince, green apple), citrus (lemon, lime, orange), and herbs (thyme).
A well-made example of a high quality DOCG Prosecco.
Rebuli Rose Vino Spumante Extra Dry
Made from 95% Glera and 5% Red Verona, this Rose is aged for three months on lees adding an unexpected level of complexity. At 17 g/L of residual sugar, it’s on the upper end of the Extra Dry category. Although, with its lower acid the sugar is noticeable which adds body and texture to the wine.
Colour - Medium pink-orange colour.
Nose - Aromas of red fruit (raspberry, strawberry), dark fruit (blackcurrant), green fruit (pear, green apple, quince), citrus (lemon), floral (rose petal), and slight lees characters (toast).
Palate - Fine bubbles with a short creamy mousse.
Flavours of citrus (lemon, lime), green fruit (pear, quince, green apple), red fruit (strawberry, raspberry), black fruit (blackcurrant), and hints of balsamic on the finish.
Very fresh with a surprisingly level of complexity. One of the highlights of the tasting.