DiCello Prosecco DOC NV

Greenish-gold color; pear, green apple on the nose; pear, white peach, apple on the palate.

Delicate in the mouth, delicate flavors, nicely dry; very simple, easy drinker; some acidity, but nothing special; steady but restrained perlage. The producer on the label is Santo Stefano Belbo, which is a comune (municipality/town) in the Province of Cuneo in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy famous for wine production, mainly Moscato d’Asti and Asti Spumante. The maker likely is one of the several wineries or co-ops in the small town (population around 4,000).

By law, Prosecco must come from the Prosecco region in northeastern Italy, so this likely is made by wine group based in Santo Stefano Belbo with a Prosecco operation in the Prosecco region. There is no winery website or depth of information on the web about the maker, which is fairly common for a commodity wine maker providing wine to grocery stores with an “exclusive” store label applied. In the industry, such bottles are called “shiners” because the winery makes the wine without a label, then applies whatever label the store wants to apply. Many wines found at Sam’s Club or HEB (Texas’s largest grocery chain) that you cannot find elsewhere are shiners.

DiCello Prosecco principally is sold in Sam’s Clubs. It is simple, entry-level Prosecco at a low price; do not expect any complexity or nuances of flavor. Works as a second or third bottle, large party pour where wine is not the focus, or as base for cocktails or mimosas. For a few dollars more you can ramp up the quality. Classic balancing act—for same money, two bottles of this or one bottle of that? At Prosecco prices, I opt for better quality.

DiCello Prosecco DOC NV is nice enough for what it is, but Prosecco can be more than this without scorching your pocketbook. $6-10

Di Cello Prosecco DOC NV