Saturday, February 04, 2017 11:21:08 AM
It is good. In truth, there is not a whole lot of variation among Proseccos- they are simple, fun, un-nuanced, festive wines much in the same mold as Cava from Spain. They, of course, rarely, if ever, can compete with Champagne but they do not have to and in many instances can be more approachable than Champagne. They are usually significantly cheaper than Champagne (i.e. from the Champagne region in France), less rounded and smooth, slightly sweeter at times, and do not carry with them as wide array of notes from the terroir (read individual characteristics due to climate and geology of where they are grown) as Champagne. Again though, Bellissima, or any prosecco, does not have to compete with expensive, heady, Champagne. The Prosecco and Cava market is hot now and that won't change as consumers look beyond the champagne aisle. While champagne will always be king, i have found it perhaps even more fashionable, sexier if you will, to serve cavas and proseccos in place of champagne at events - especially if the crowd is younger, fresher, slightly more hip. But even older, more mature folks are embracing economical cava and prosecco I have seen lately.
Indeed, I have had some rot-gut Proseccos and most of the easily acquired stuff pedaled in USA markets is borderline at best. The bottle I had, I think compared favorably to Parini and Ruffino and La Marca - some of the most easily attainable large-scale prosecco makers that sell in the American market. These usually can be found in Wegmans, Publix in SE Florida, Total Wine, ABC I believe etc. With that said, there are some amazing proseccos out there that I have tried which I would say were slightly better but also more difficult to find in the USA depending where one was located and more expensive often. But again, Bellissima does not have to compete with Italy's best prosecco, especially if it keeps the price where it needs to be. The organic angle to me is just a selling point and I would not ever consider that when buying a wine of any kind, so I cannot speak to how much that will , or will not, add to the value. Generally, in my experience, being in the the wine/event industry people do not really care whether a wine is organic or not.
I cannot speak to the non-sugar or sparkling wine versions. In total, Bellissima prosecco was a very good, if not a spectacular prosecco, that I found to be superior than most of the wide-spread, easily attainable swill that dominates the USA prosecco market. I think at $19.99 it is slightly overpriced and as we go forward I am seeing it being sold at a better price point - slightly above the swill and slightly below more exemplar variations within the class. $14.99-15.99 is where I would see it settling rather well imo. It is a good product - one that I can definitely see becoming more of a household name than the Parinis, Ruffinos, La Marcas (if production ever could rival those). The bottling is sexier, the presence of someone like Christie Brinkley has appeal to many, the story appeals to Americans, it is a sexy concept which, if marketed correctly, could become a great alternative for younger folks who are not necessarily snobby oenophiles. In the end, it does not have to compete with Italy's greatest Proseccos (although, as I said the differences in prosecco are rather thin to begin with) to be VERY successful. We may wish to drive a Ferrari, but you would be wealthier if you owned Honda.
As I mentioned, I have been in/around the wine industry for almost two decades. I have blogged for, and reviewed wines at one of the biggest wine-reviewing periodicals in the country for a time in graduate school. This is not to toot my wine credentials, I am no James Suckling or Robert Parker by any means, but simply to say that I have bought here relatively heavily and settled into holding this recently. If I didn't think this could capture a portion of the USA market I would not have bothered. Now how ICNB eventually profits, how the company is managed, how they treat shareholders is a different animal that I have no bearing on. But the product itself, as a prosecco, - IMO stands in a very good position and there is nothing to worry about on that front as long as quality control remains high (which it will I believe) and MOST IMPORTANTLY if production can meet demand. There are a lot of great wine stories out there that fizzled in a few years because they simply could not bring enough wine to the market (a bad weather season, fungus, bugs, poor quality control, poor marketing, bad distribution, etc).
Indeed, I have had some rot-gut Proseccos and most of the easily acquired stuff pedaled in USA markets is borderline at best. The bottle I had, I think compared favorably to Parini and Ruffino and La Marca - some of the most easily attainable large-scale prosecco makers that sell in the American market. These usually can be found in Wegmans, Publix in SE Florida, Total Wine, ABC I believe etc. With that said, there are some amazing proseccos out there that I have tried which I would say were slightly better but also more difficult to find in the USA depending where one was located and more expensive often. But again, Bellissima does not have to compete with Italy's best prosecco, especially if it keeps the price where it needs to be. The organic angle to me is just a selling point and I would not ever consider that when buying a wine of any kind, so I cannot speak to how much that will , or will not, add to the value. Generally, in my experience, being in the the wine/event industry people do not really care whether a wine is organic or not.
I cannot speak to the non-sugar or sparkling wine versions. In total, Bellissima prosecco was a very good, if not a spectacular prosecco, that I found to be superior than most of the wide-spread, easily attainable swill that dominates the USA prosecco market. I think at $19.99 it is slightly overpriced and as we go forward I am seeing it being sold at a better price point - slightly above the swill and slightly below more exemplar variations within the class. $14.99-15.99 is where I would see it settling rather well imo. It is a good product - one that I can definitely see becoming more of a household name than the Parinis, Ruffinos, La Marcas (if production ever could rival those). The bottling is sexier, the presence of someone like Christie Brinkley has appeal to many, the story appeals to Americans, it is a sexy concept which, if marketed correctly, could become a great alternative for younger folks who are not necessarily snobby oenophiles. In the end, it does not have to compete with Italy's greatest Proseccos (although, as I said the differences in prosecco are rather thin to begin with) to be VERY successful. We may wish to drive a Ferrari, but you would be wealthier if you owned Honda.
As I mentioned, I have been in/around the wine industry for almost two decades. I have blogged for, and reviewed wines at one of the biggest wine-reviewing periodicals in the country for a time in graduate school. This is not to toot my wine credentials, I am no James Suckling or Robert Parker by any means, but simply to say that I have bought here relatively heavily and settled into holding this recently. If I didn't think this could capture a portion of the USA market I would not have bothered. Now how ICNB eventually profits, how the company is managed, how they treat shareholders is a different animal that I have no bearing on. But the product itself, as a prosecco, - IMO stands in a very good position and there is nothing to worry about on that front as long as quality control remains high (which it will I believe) and MOST IMPORTANTLY if production can meet demand. There are a lot of great wine stories out there that fizzled in a few years because they simply could not bring enough wine to the market (a bad weather season, fungus, bugs, poor quality control, poor marketing, bad distribution, etc).
ShadowElite is all about that hustle so his opinions should not be construed as investment advice of any kind.
