|
 When I had visited Mionetto seven years ago in July 2007 as a part of the visit to the Prosecco producing area in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene belt, I was really impressed with the passion of Sergio Mionetto, the middle-aged grandson of Francesco Mionetto who founded the winery in Valdobbiadene in 1887.
Prosecco producing people are generally very proud of their culture, history and traditions, and of course their Prosecco. Sergio is one such proud winemaker proud of his heritage. I had noted in my article in delWine then that it was ‘an antiquated yet modern winery near downtown Valdobbiadene and maintaining traditions too. Where else would you find women sealing the Frizzante with threads instead of foils? Sergio loves to talk of his wine and the process he uses, and is hanging on to the traditions, even if cosmetically.’
Mionetto is a quality wine producer whose wines are being imported now by Hi Spirits in three variants. The entry level Mionetto comes as Mionetto La Pieve and Mionetto Vivo Rose. (Think Economy class wine by a fine airline like Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific or Indigo in the budget class). If you don’t mind spending a little extra and travel business class with a Class and Brand value attached to it, there is Mionetto Prestige Prosecco which I tasted last week and found it one of the top Proseccos selling in India now.
Mionetto Rose is priced at Rs.1650 and is the best value-for-money wine in the range. One wonders how it has been kept lower than the Le Pieve (Pee-eh-vay) which is slightly higher at Rs. 1800. The ‘business class’ Prestige DOC sells for Rs.2100 in Delhi. It has elegant bouquet and bubbles, peachy nose and fruity and crisp flavours. Bubbles are lively but not too much on the face. The green apple flavours and a full mouthfeel with a medium after-taste makes this wine very engaging. The alcohol is low at 11% so it not only feels light but goes well with food. The 12 gms sugar makes it perfect for the Indian palate that does not like very dry bubblies of less than 8-10 gms/liter of residual sugar.
Although all three variants have been kept at Rs. 1800 in Gurgaon, as a special case, Sanjeev Gupta of Hi Spirits has agreed to give the Mionetto Prestige Prosecco DOC to the readers of delWine for Rs. 1500 each when purchased in Gurgaon and bought in a case (Home Delivery for 12 bottles is free in Gurgaon). Please call Sanjeev Gupta at 981060333 and say you read it in delWine. Be advised that only 2 bottles of alcohol are allowed to be carried inter-state and if you want to drink in Delhi you do need to bring 2 per car at a time. If you need to buy in Delhi for a banquet, you will get a special price of Rs.2000.
 If you are looking for the entry level variants only, you need to pay Rs. 1300 for La Pieve and Vivo Rose in Gurgaon. You may avail of discount of Rs. 50 only on both the basic variants in Delhi on the MRP of Rs. 1750 and Rs.1600.
The bubbly is ideal with appetizers but can also handle various vegetarian meals, is ideal with pizzas, and pastas and grilled fish and chicken dishes. You will enjoy it even with savories and conversation with friends.
A note of clarification is in order. Till 2009, the producers of Prosecco claimed they were making Prosecco with Prosecco grape till the global popularity gave ideas to many people to start making Prosecco as the GI certification may not be given for a grape variety which has been Glera for over a couple of centuries. While the grape used is the same-Glera, it had been earlier overlooked and the producers called the grape Prosecco since that was popular. Now for other business reasons they have redesignated the area of production allowing IGT wines to become DOC and many of the DOC wines in this famous belt re-classified as Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene and elevated to the DOCG status. Mionetto Prestige Collection recommended is a DOC Treviso.
Subhash Arora
Neither Indian Wine Academy nor delWine stand to gain from the recommendation in any way. It is purely to help our readers to the best of our ability-editor
Tags: Prosecco, Champagne, Conegliano Valdobbiadene, Mionetto, Sergio Mionetto, Hi Spirits, Glera |