Brown Brothers Prosecco Brunch

Brown Brothers hosted a Prosecco Brunch at the American Club in Sydney last week with a masterclass where four different wines were tasted side by side.

“To Brown Brothers, wine is a journey,” Ross Brown explained as he co-presented the session with daughter Katherine Brown and Andrew Harris, Wine Educator at Brown Brothers.

Brown Brothers Prosecco Brunch

Brown Brothers have been making wine in the King Valley, Victoria for 125 years and it was in the early 2000s that they decided to have a hand in Prosecco. They planted vines in 2005 at the foot of the Alps, an important position to this style of wine with rolling hills, volcanic soil and a cool climate. To get the right acidity, the grapes need to grow in high altitudes, and their vineyards have a similar position to the Prosecco vineyards in Valdobbiadene in Italy where Prosecco originates.

Four wines were on taste with an accompanying brunch., not a food and wine pairing as such but an opportunity to take food across a range of different Prosecco.

Brown Brothers Prosecco Brunch

The first wine on taste was the Brown Brothers 2011 Limited Release Prosecco which is found on premise. This style is unique to Australia as Italy does not produce vintage Prosecco – it is a wine that is meant to be drunk young.

The 2011 vintage is tight, crisp and fresh with green apple and pear characters. The grapes are picked early and the wine is made using the traditional Charmat method as it is made in Italy.  The juice is pressed quickly before it goes through a primary fermentation with and yeast added in a pressurised tank. As the yeast eats the sugar, the CO2 bubbles are formed. This vintage has 11g to 2g residual sugar resulting in a crisp and zesty style of Prosecco.

The second wine comes from Italy, Carpene Malvolti Prosecco Di Congliano Extra Dry from Glera grapes grown in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG. Italian Prosecco is often labeled as extra-dry but this does not denote zero dosage. This wine is dry but not as tight on the palate, with a rounder, fuller mouthfeel and extra sweetness.

Brown Brothers Non Vintage Prosecco is a blend of different vintages. The wine comes from parcels of fruit picked two weeks later that the vintage counterpart which gives a riper fruit to the wine with more residual sugar (14g to 15g).

The last wine on taste is the Brown Brothers Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & Pinot Meunier NV. This sparkling wine uses three classic grape varieties used for making champagne. These are grown at 80m above sea level, higher than the Prosecco vineyards. The long slow ripening adds a backbone of acidity to the richness of this wine with a lot more complex character.

L-R: Andrew Harris, Katherine Brown, Ross Brown

The tasting was accompanied by tasty bites of smoked salmon with cream cheese, a lemon sorbet with cherry tomato, soft poached egg and mixed berries with pashmak – each highlighting the versatility of the sparkling wine with different types of food.

Brown Brothers have recently introduced their BB Mini Range which includes Prosecco, handy for picnic baskets and stylish sipping during the holiday season and will be launching a Hidden Vineyard event in December.

The Brown Brothers Prosecco Brunch was held on Wednesday 24 October 2012 at the American Club for media guests.

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