The Veneto in Northeast Italy is home to beautiful wines, from incredible Amarone della Valpolicella on the red side to clean and crisp Pinot Grigio, smooth and elegant Soave and sparkling Proseccos in the whites. In this review we’ll focus on the white (and pink) side, with three wines from the region that highlight quality and value, as well as a commitment to organic farming. All three wines we review below deserve your attention.
Pinot Grigio is well known to most wine drinkers. Many versions are fairly straightforward, and provide easy drinking, lighter style wines perfect for summertime. There is much more to the grape however, also known as Pinot Gris in other parts of the world. They can have more structure and body than many realize, and some versions are truly impressive wines. These are harder to find, and can get a bit pricey as well.
Prosecco is a sparkling wine made with the Glera grape, primarily. It uses the Charmat method, or tank method, to instill the carbonation that provides the bubbles upon opening. Unlike in Champagnes (or similar wines), where the second fermentation occurs inside the bottle, with Prosecco that happens in a pressurized tank. This allows a large volume to be processed at once, and the finished wine is then put into the bottles under pressure and corked. Generally Prosecco is drunk young, so you don’t get the fine structure of tiny bubbles you see in a Champagne. These are generally fruity and fun.
Corvezzo has the largest acreage in Italy of certified organic Glera and Pinot Grigio. It was started in 1960, by the grandparents of the current owner, Giovanni Corvezzo, who is also the winemaker. He believes that the organic farming produces superior grapes, pointing to the thicker skins and resulting aromatic profile. That switch to organic took a long seven years, between 2010 and 2017, but Giovanni believes it was well worth it. Today Corvezzo’s wines are made with a mix of estate grapes as well as purchased grapes from trusted growers who maintain the organic growing method.
Here are the three wines we have to review from Corvezzo:
2020 Corvezzo Pinot Grigio Delle Venzie DOC – this is softly crushed and pressed cold. Processing and aging
was 95% in concrete tanks and 5% in oak barrels. It is 100% Pinot Grigio. Our thoughts:
The wine is a light, golden straw color. The nose is not huge but still rich with fruit, including tropical fruits along with apple and pear. There are white flowers as well. On the palate it is smooth, with some noticeable body and texture. It stays clean throughout and finishes long. This well balanced wine has more nuance and complexity than your average Pinot Grigio. 12% alcohol puts it on the lighter side. Overall is it a very well made wine and a steal at the $13 SRP. Super high quality to price ratio here. Highly recommended.
2020 Corvezzo Prosecco DOC Rose – also cold crushed and pressed, this underwent a second fermentation in tank using the Charmat method. It is primarily Glera with some Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir). Alcohol
checks in at 11.5%. Let’s see what’s in the bottle.
A pale, goldish pink in color, the wine brings strawberry and citrus notes, along the lines of a tangerine or clementine. It is brisk and vibrant on the palate, very clean and fresh and quite fruity. The finish is clean and long and sums up a really impressive prosecco. It drinks almost like a Champagne, with class and elegance. You get a firestorm of bubbles in the glass, which are very persistent. Beautiful wine, with a quality level that goes so far beyond its price. Great value and very highly recommended. Also $13.
2020 Corvezzo Prosecco DOC – this sees the same processing as the Rose above. The grapes are Glera (85%) and other allowed varieties (15%). With 12 grams per liter sugar it is just off dry. On the lighter side at 11.5%
alcohol. What did we think?
Lots of bubbles here, and a light, golden straw color. The nose is bright apple, white peach and pear. It is crisp and balanced on the palate, and fresh. Nice fruit persists throughout, ending in a clean, long finish. Overall this is a very nice prosecco and another excellent value.
We can sum up this review very easily. Buy these wines, whether you are looking for organic, vegan or anything else. They are all extreme values.
Corvezzo = value in our book.
A votre sante!
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