Italy, Italy, Italy

Ok so I have been back from Italy for almost a week and I haven't event posted anything. I must be crazy, right? Well, let's just say that I am feeling kind of overwhelmed, so much food and so much wine and now i have to figure out what to write about. Well, sitting around not writing isn't very interesting so I might as well just get on it.
First of all I should start with the fact that i went to Treviso, a city just outside of Venice in the Veneto that is (relatively)famous for its radicchio. In terms of wine, the Veneto is famous for a couple of things, and abounds with misconceptions: Valpolicella, a wine that can be made in several ways (including Recioto and Amarone) boasts wines that range from easy drinking and refreshing to decadent and incredibly dense and sweet, is readily available at most wine retailers; Soave, a white that can be brilliantly expressive of minerals, fruit and aromatics, but often thought of as cheap, poorly made quaffing wine; Prosecco, the grape responsible for many sparkling wines from low quality, high volume production wines to delicious, expressive, low quantity wines from the hill of Cartizze. Besides the aforementioned, the Veneto produces a lot of beautiful wine including the famous sweet wines of Maculan, crisp and refreshing Lugana and Bianco di Custoza, and of course, the often maligned Bardolino.
The focus of this last trip was definitely Prosecco, a grape that produces yummy sparkling wines of the same name and can be quite a good value. Prosecco, by nature, is light and pleasantly aromatic, usually smelling strongly of peaches and, as such, tastes best when it has abundant acidity. A wine like this does not scream for oak nor does it benefit from aging. Let's get one thing straight: Prosecco is all about freshness. When matched with food that is typical of the Veneto Prosecco showed me that often the best wine for a meal is one that doesn't interfere with the flavors of the food. While I would never say that a well made Prosecco has no flavor, it certainly does not have the aggressive nature of an aged Champagne. That is, it is clear that Prosecco evolved as a wine suited to everyday drinking, serving as a crisp, refreshing foil to the rich, starchy food of the region. Speaking of the food, I think I need to do a separate post because the food I had was so unbelievable that if i keep writing about it here i will never finish this post.
Anyways, Prosecco reaches its ultimate expression when it comes from Cartizze, a very small area that consists of hills, steep slopes and little calderas. It is here that you get the best of the following: Southern disposition, high altitude, optimum drainage, and clay soil. The result is wines with body and fruit, freshness, acidity, and minerality. Cartizze was extremely steep, with little hills and slopes interweaving and forming a beautiful patchwork. Land is crazy expensive and it makes you wonder why wine that doesn't age well can cost so much.
Well, it is getting late and I think it is time for me to go to bed so I can be somewhat productive tomorrow. I will do a post about the beautiful food of the Veneto very soon- I PROMISE!!
Mark!