Friday, June 28, 2019

Nino Franco celebrates 100 years of Prosecco success

Primo Franco is a renowned figure in Italian wine.  As the third generation to head the ground-breaking Prosecco winery in Valdobiaddane, his commitment to producing delicious wines has helped the brand reach its 100 year anniversary in 2019.

The historic winery was started by Antonio Franco.  In 1919, he created Cantine Franco in the hilltop village of Valdobbiadene.  Primo took over the business in 1982, and he traveled across Italy and around the world to bring Prosecco to a wider audience.  His outreach efforts, along with quality improvements he introduced in grape cultivation, helped make Prosecco the widely popular beverage it is today.  

Primo hosted a media dinner in New York at Avra Estiatorio, where his range of crisp wines paired beautifully with Greek seafood dishes.  The range of wines poured included: 

Rustico Prosecco - With generous mousse and a brioche-laced nose, this wine had good body and notes of pear.  The wine sells for $24. 

Faive - This rose wine's name is from Venetian dialect, loosely translated to sparks from a fire.  This uplifting beverage had flavors of a summer fruit bowl of raspberries, strawberries, and pomegranate. A wonderful rose sparkling for $29. 

Vignetto della Riva di San Floriano Valdobiaddane Prosecco Superiore DOCG - A single-vineyard wine from the San Floriano vineyard, this Prosecco had a more structured body, with notes of white peaches and bosc pears and a good length.  This retails for $37. 

Primo Franco Valdobiaddane Prosecco Superiore DOCG - With lively acidity and long length, this is Prosecco with distinction.  The grapes are grown on high hillside vineyards, and the flavor profile includes ripe golden delicious apples, a whiff of citrus, and roasted almonds.  This wine sells for $37. 

The Nino Franco portfolio offers strong, diverse interpretations of Prosecco that prove that this DOCG region can make serious, delicious wines.