Co-op Irresistible Prosecco — And Aperol

With two alcohol-curious adult children in the house, I’ve begun expanding my range of drinks beyond just fermented grape juice. My latest left-turn on a hot bank holiday weekend was Aperol Spritz.

A mark-down supermarket offer meant I had the Aperol. Now, I just needed the spritz.

The Aperol Spritz recipe calls for Prosecco and soda; soda is basically supermarket fizzy water, which we buy regularly in our hard-water area, so that just left the fizz. Anything too special would be wasted, so my requirement was the best budget Prosecco I could buy locally, i.e. from a supermarket (rather than from, for example, an independent wine merchant).

Some quick internet trawling suggested that the Co-op’s Irresistible Prosecco offered the required price vs quality ratio — under £10 with universally reasonable-to-good ratings.

Setting off to my local branch, I accidentally managed to spook the in-store security guard by striding in, grabbing a bottle, sticking it in my bag and then ostensibly heading for the exit, whereas I was actually just finishing off the rest of my shopping by heading back to fresh veg section.

When I re-appeared again at the front of the shop, breezily emerging from an aisle in the direction of both the tills and the exit, he was there again waiting for me with jaw set as if anticipating some potential in-store action. I’m sorry to report that I disappointed him by making my way to the self check-outs, removing the bottle from my bag and law-abidingly completing my transaction before safely exiting the building.

Back home in the garden, we sourced the necessary jigger, ice and bottle of supermarket fizzy water for my and Mrs CWB’s inaugural tasting. #1 child drily remarked that, initially dismissive of it as a girly fad, she’d acquired something of a Private Lives- style habit of a poolside early-evening sipper in Montenegro the previous summer.

As an aside, we have some large, round Bormioli wine glasses that look pretty much like the branded pub Aperol goblets that seem to have sprouted up like the proverbial fungi, so went with those. Ill-prepared for a hot bank holiday weekend, we were low on ice, so just stuck the Aperol and Prosecco in the freezer for a good hour’s chilling whilst finalising dinner preparations.

Aperol is a liqueur from northern Italy — the same part of the world that gave us vermouth. Orange in colour, it has bittersweet, woody-herby, botanical flavours. For those that understand the reference, it is like a grown-up Irn Bru.

I generally consider that adding other drinks to wine is not a great idea — if the wine is good, why spoil it? If it is not good, why would adding something improve it? Albeit, the cocktail world of mixologists might have something to say about this.

Tasting the Prosecco in isolation the following day, I think it probably does actually both improve and is improved by the Aperol.

The bittersweet spiciness of the Aperol matched well with our seafood-based coconut Thai curry and also works as a lazy-summer aperitif.

Bright orange in colour, light on alcohol, but with a bittersweet and refreshing taste deriving from the infusion of a blend of high-quality herbs and roots. Aperol was created by the Barbieri brothers and launched in 1919, soon becoming one of the Italians’ favourite liqueur, now taking the world by storm. The original recipe has remained unchanged and a secret to this day.

Aperol is a social connector that brings people together. It is about enjoying positive and light-hearted moments, even at home, with whoever you want. You just need a few ingredients to recreate the Italian aperitif mood. The drink perfectly matches with food: try it with some snacks and appetizers!

The aperitif ritual born in Veneto sees the Aperol Spritz served with some traditional snacks called ‘’cicchetti’’, small dishes that usually include tiny sandwiches, plates of olives and tiny portions of local dishes.

Co-op Irresistible Prosecco (£9 / £7.50 on offer, multibuy discounts, The Co-op)

Our Prosecco has won the Which award for best Prosecco on the high street multiple times. A firm favourite.

10.5%

Glera blend

pale sandy yellow; fresh green apple and conference pear; citrussy and fresh with orchard fruits, sherbet white peach and a twist of white pepper. Some residual sugar but finishes dry.

Thoroughly pleasant.

Drinks nicely on first opening. Can be cellared briefly for greater complexity.

Decanter Bronze medal.

Good Housekeeping Institute Taste Approved

Sylvia Wu for Decanter

Originally published at https://cambridgewineblogger.substack.com.