This week it was my lovely girlfriend’s birthday, so I decided to grab a bottle of Prosecco on the way home. O’Briens currently have a sale on their range of Itaian wines across their stores with discounts of 20%-35%. This Guerrieri Rizzardi Prosecco Frizzante was reduced down to €11.95 and fitted the bill perfectly.

Prosecco is produced in the north east of Italy and is made from the Glera grape, which was originally named Prosecco. People often see it as an alternative to Champagne, although the flavour profile and production methods are completely different. Both go through a secondary fermentation, with Champagne this takes place within its own individual bottle, known as the traditional method. Some high quality Prosecco producers will make their Prosecco this way, but most carry out the secondary fermentation in stainless steel tanks. This is a lot less costly and gives a more fresh and crisp style. It also preserves the wine’s floral and ripe fruit character.

Guerrieri Rizzardi is a frizzante Prosecco. Frizzante is a word used on the labels of Prosecco and other Italian sparkling wines to indicate it’s style. Below are some of the terms used on these labels and what they mean:

Tranquilo – This is still Prosecco and wouldn’t really be something that is found, here in Ireland.

Frizzante – This is semi sparkling. This type of Prosecco is meant to be drunk in one sitting and not put back in the fridge to be finished tomorrow, as it will lose its fizz pretty quickly. Due to there being less pressure in the bottle it is subject to lower duty taxes than other sparkling wine, making it a much more attractive option due to it’s lower price.

Spumante – This is (fully) sparkling Prosecco and will have much more consistent bubbles. The wine will hold it’s fizz longer and the bottle will always have a mushroom shaped cork and metal capsule securing it. Due to the extra pressure in the bottle, this type of Prosecco will be more expensive because of the added duty that has to be paid to bring it in to Ireland.

Superiore – This will normally be preceded by the names Conegliano Valdobbiandene or another area that produces high quality grapes. These Proseccos will be of premium quality because the grapes will have come from one specific area known to produce excellent wine.

This Guerrieri Rizzardi Prosecco is a beautifully fruity wine and has lovely notes of white peach, ripe pear and aromatic floral notes, that remind me of a summer evening in the garden. An absolute steal, at the current discounted price. As is usual with Prosecco, this has a moderate alcoholic content of 11% and with Paddy’s Day looking likely to be wash out, this will bring a little sunshine into your day.