"The Aperol Spritz is not a Good Drink": this is how The New York Times tore apart our beloved Spritz, the trendiest drink in the world, especially in the United States where everything that has to do with Italy is appreciated - food, fashion, and above all the Italian lifestyle, that way of life, so unique and characteristic of Italy. Thousands rose to the defense of the Spritz, with comments all over social media against the article. Yet The New York Times had crowned the Spritz the “Aperitif of 2018.” What happened? In all fairness, the article was not against the cocktail itself, but criticized the use of sub-par Prosecco in its preparation. And we can only agree. If you only prepare delicious dishes with the finest ingredients in your kitchen, then to drink an excellent Spritz you have to start with an excellent Prosecco. Indeed, the best: Prosecco Superiore.
A brief history of the Spritz
It seems that the trend of drinking Spritzes began in the 19th century, when Austrian soldiers in the Veneto region began to “spray” Italian white wine with sparkling water to dilute it a little (in German spritzen means spray). A pleasant drink, which, however, was missing something. That “something” was a touch of bitter, which arrived with the invention perfected in 1919 in Bassano del Grappa by the Barbieri brothers, who created an alcohol infused with 30 secret ingredients including orange peel, roots, herbs and spices.
It was a success and the Spritz became the orange beverage that had to be on the tables of Venetian bars. There was a red version, too, in the original Venetian variant that uses Select – but also Campari – instead of Aperol. A colored wave that spread from the Veneto region first along the boot and then to bars around the world, for an irresistible Italian-style aperitivo.
Better if Superiore
In short, to paraphrase Virginia Woolf: “You can’t think well, love well or sleep well, if you haven’t eaten and drunk well.” Quality, beauty and pleasure always go hand in hand. And when making a Spritz this starts precisely from the choice of Prosecco, the ingredient which can’t be missing: highly imitated but irreplaceable. In a hypothetical quality pyramid, at the base we find the vineyards of the Veneto and Friuli plains that produce Prosecco DOC; and at the top, the rolling hills of Valdobbiadene, Conegliano and Asolo with their Prosecco Superiore DOCG. The Valdobbiadene vineyards especially differ from the others thanks to their altitude and slope: features that ensure the grapes will have proper exposure and perfect ripening. The strong fluctuations in temperature due to the particular location halfway between Venice and Cortina and the fresh winds arriving from the Dolomites exalt the characteristics of Glera, the main grape variety used to make Prosecco. And only from the steepest vineyards, heroically and methodically cultivated by hand, do the diverse and unique nuances of Prosecco Superiore arrive.