AOC Fine Wines Featuring Holiday Prosecco from Italian Winemaker, Ida Agnoletti

NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Each month, the wine sellers of AOC Fine Wines bring the most interesting wine expressions from around the globe to the local tables of Manhattan (NY), Westchester (NY) and Fairfield (CT) counties. Their emphasis on sharing artisanal wines from the truest and most native vineyards is seen in the wide array of red wines, white wines and sparkling wines they offer, suited to a host of wine lover's palates and budgets.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111221/NY26056LOGO )

As the holidays approach, AOC Fine Wine's is featuring the vineyard of Ida Agnoletti, winemaker from the Treviso region of Italy. Since planting in 1999, Agnoletti's red wine creations have expanded to include her own, widely regarded Prosecco, Frizzante, semi-sparkling and still Prosecco offerings.

AOC recently sat down with Agnoletti to learn more about her approach to winemaking and vineyard cultivation. Dubbing herself a "producer, with a good dose of madness," Agnoletti is a somewhat unconventional winemaker with deep respect for the traditions of her region. She emphasizes the essence of viticulture and the land, primarily the preservation of wine's raw material – the grapes. Her hand-harvested vineyard receives no herbicides and uses only minimal, natural fertilizer treatments when needed.

Part of the unique nature of her wines comes from her dedication to maintaining a smaller, carefully focused operation. With vineyards planted on a slope in a Piedmont area called Montello, Agnoletti maintains 16 acres in northeastern Italy. Though capable of doubling her business, she currently produces 50,000 bottles of wine annually. My goal is to "produce with integrity, do justice to the terroir on which it grows, and in so doing, produce non-standard wines," explains Agnoletti.

The "non-standard wines" she refers to are her somewhat newer line of sparkling and semi-sparkling choices. Her Selva 55 is a Prosecco named for "the forest" and her house number. Though not labeled a Prosecco, the semi-sparkling wine offers a slight tinge of golden apple in its fine bubbles. Similarly, her Tranquillo is a unique Prosecco that is appears still in the glass with a more pronounced fruit and slight fizziness in the mouth. 

Proseccos are increasing in popularity as a less expensive alternative to champagne, and are often featured in cocktails such as peach Bellinis and other mixed drinks with fruits like pomegranate and citrus. Proseccos are typically categorized as dry or extra dry sparkling wines.

Agnoletti believes that fine wine comes from nature, not technology and manipulation. "A great wine should be healthy, natural and elegant," she says. In addition to her more celebratory offerings, Agnoletti maintains her stable of more traditional wines in her family of reds that includes:

Merlot
La Ida, Merlot
Ludwy, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend
Manzoni, a Pinot Bianco and Riesling blend
Seneca

AOC Fine Wines provides access to Agnoletti's unique Italian flavors, priced from $16-27 per bottle, in their Greenwich, New Rochelle and Manhattan wine stores or online at www.aocfinewines.com. Free wine delivery is available throughout Manhattan and Westchester and Fairfield counties, as well as free gift-wrapping.

This holiday season, AOC is extending invitations to join their Holiday Wine Club featuring monthly wine delivery and complimentary access to bi-weekly wine seminars featuring a range of vineyards and regions. The education and "night out" components of their wine club make membership a unique gift opportunity for business associates, family and friends.

SOURCE AOCFineWines.com