What is Prosecco Sur Lie
Sur Lie is a French term, translated into Italian as “col fondo”, which means literally “on the sediments” and thus, on the yeasts. Prosecco Sur Lie is made according to the ancient method to produce Spumante wines, used before than the modern machines for the “spumantization” process have been invented and it has some sediment on the bottom of the bottle.
Prosecco Sur Lie: how it is produced
Prosecco Sur Lie is not subjected to the phase of the second fermentation in autoclave, that are tanks under pressure used for the traditional spumantization as in the Martinotti Method, given that the secondary fermentation, like in the Champenoise Method, happens directly in the bottle.
After the first fermentation of the must, wine is poured into demijohns where it rests for the whole winter until March-April, when the temperatures increase, to bottle it. Thanks to the favourable atmospheric conditions and the higher temperatures it starts the spontaneous alcoholic secondary fermentation in the bottle, given by the activation of the yeasts added in advance together with sugar.
The best moment to bottle is when we start to see bubbles in the wine, caused by the activation of the yeasts. This means that the fermentation is going to start and it is better to bottle and leave the bottles to rest in the dark at a temperature of an average of 12-15°C until the fermentation is not completed, around 20 days.
At this stage, Prosecco Sur Lie is ready, in comparison to the Champeniose method here the degorgement or “sboccatura” does not occurs. It means the removal of the pomace fell on the bottom of the bottle, because in the Prosecco Sur Lie the sediment remains in the bottle and the final result is a cloudy, dry and harmonious wine with a deposit of yeast on the bottom of the bottle.
Prosecco Sur Lie: characteristics and how to taste it
Prosecco Sur Lie can be tasted in two different ways, cloudy or clear. In the first case it is sufficient to twirl the bottle to move the sediment that are going to dirty the wine. If, instead, you prefer a clear wine, it is necessary to pour the wine in a jar and leave it rest until the sediments lay down again on the bottom.
Prosecco Sur Lie, both Doc and Docg, is experienced a renewed success in the last years, in particular, in the area of Prosecco Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. It is a wine that talks about history and tradition, able to give back all the aromas of Glera. Its perlage is delicate and peppy and the taste is light and floral; its bouquet is faithful to the peculiarities of Prosecco, with intense floral notes and fruit, in particular white fruit. Some Sur Lie has a taste that can vary towards bread crust and yeast. In the mouth it is fresh and mineral, the yeasts on the bottom make it a soft wine, perfectly paired with aperitif and dishes with delicate tastes. It is perfect paired with cold cuts like sopressa and salami or cheeses, aperitifs but also first courses with vegetables or fish, like fried fish.
