This summer isn't exactly going to be the summer you had imagined it was going be. It will not be a summer of 12-hour park days, or street parties, or wanderlust. This summer is for finding joy in crafting, cooking (or not) and escapism. Oh, and for dreaming of summer 2021, which already has a contender for its official drink — newly approved Rosé Prosecco.
If you've ever tried "getting into wine," you’ve likely learned that wine and other spirits are heavily policed. Every country and region holds its exported wines and spirits to very specific standards that moderate everything from sugar content to grape variety. You can't just make bubbly wine and say it's Champagne.
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Prosecco was one such bubbly drink. Until recently, Italy's Prosecco DOC Consortium strictly forbade pink Prosecco wines. However, after a unanimous decision on behalf of Italy's Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry's Policies National Wine Committee, Rosé Prosecco will be a bona fide part of the region's bubbly offerings.
Winemakers have been making pink Proseccos for years and Italian authorities have been teasing the possibility of Rosé Prosecco for some, but 2021 will see the first batch of certified Rosé Prosecco that meets Italy's very high standards for proper Prosecco. According to the announcement, drinkers can expect Rosé Prosecco to be "pink, more or less intense, shining, and with a persistent foam."
Rosé has been a warm-weather staple since at least 2017. If rosé was your drink of choice in recent summers, you were probably pulling into summer 2020 looking for something new. Luckily, Rosé Prosecco is on track to be next summer's official beverage.