Category: Rosé

Why Bottega has earned a place on my holiday table

When I curate my holiday sparkling wine selections, I look for producers that balance heritage with contemporary relevance, wines that perform beautifully in the glass, and brands that understand today’s global wine culture – where aesthetics, accessibility, and experience matter as much as craftsmanship. Bottega S.p.A. consistently delivers on all three. Its sparkling wines combine technical precision with visual presence, making them equally compelling for holiday celebrations, intimate gatherings, and gifting. This year, Bottega Rose Gold Brut, Bottega White Gold Venezia, and the Bottega Mini Sparkling Icebag Set stood out for their versatility, polish, and unmistakable sense of occasion – exactly what the holiday season calls for.

Location & Estate Philosophy

Bottega’s main operations are located in Bibano di Godega, near Venice, at the heart of the Prosecco DOC area. Family-owned vineyards remain central to production, anchoring the brand firmly in its Veneto roots.

The estate is surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, set against the gently rolling hills of northern Veneto. It includes:

Vineyards in the Prosecco DOC and DOCG zones, supporting Bottega’s flagship Glera-based sparkling wines

Distillation facilities, reflecting the family’s long-standing expertise in grappa and liqueurs

Ornamental gardens and rural architecture, expressing Bottega’s philosophy of Italian style, sustainability, and aesthetic harmony

Bottega: Venetian Sparkle, Global Ambition, and Wine Tourism

In a region where history clings to the landscape as richly as the wines themselves, Bottega S.p.A. has carved out a distinctly modern identity. While many northern Italian producers lean heavily on medium aevum origins, Bottega’s rise is decisively contemporary.

Instantly recognizable worldwide, Bottega has become synonymous not only with quality sparkling wine, but with its iconic metallic bottles: gold, rose-gold, platinum, and white, designed to capture attention in an increasingly visual wine culture. Distributed in over 150 countries, the brand stands today as one of Italy’s most visible ambassadors of Italian sparkling wine and contemporary lifestyle branding.

Tasting Notes and Pairing

Bottega Rose Gold Brut

Crafted from Pinot Noir, this wine opens with an expressive bouquet of mixed berries, currants, and wild strawberries, layered with delicate floral notes.

On the palate, it is fresh, supple, and finely structured, offering vibrant red fruit flavours supported by balanced acidity and a refined, persistent finish.

It is perfect as an aperitif and pairs effortlessly with vegetarian and fish-based dishes, sushi, and crudités, while also complementing white meats, soft or aged cheeses, and light, fruit-forward desserts. This is a sparkling wine designed for celebration without compromise.

Bottega White Gold Venezia

This wine offers a more linear, mineral-driven expression, wrapped in a polished white-metal bottle that signals elegance before the cork is even pulled. Aromatically, it leans toward white flowers, citrus zest, subtle mineral notes, and a delicate brioche nuance.

The palate is precise and structured, with bright acidity and flavours of lemon curd, green apple, chalk, and delicate pastry notes.

This wine shines as an aperitif and pairs beautifully with seafood, shellfish, risotto, grilled fish, and lighter poultry dishes. Its freshness and restraint make it a sophisticated choice for extended holiday meals and refined entertaining.

Bottega Mini Sparkling Icebag Set

The Bottega Mini Sparkling Icebag Set, featuring Gold, Rose Gold, Vino dei Poeti Prosecco, and Petalo Moscato, represents one of Bottega’s most successful modern innovations. These mini bottles are chic, portable, and impeccably styled, perfectly aligned with contemporary gifting and entertaining trends, making them ideal hostess gifts.

Wine Tourism in 2025

Bottega’s hospitality and tourism initiatives reflect broader shifts shaping global wine tourism in 2025, where immersive storytelling, design-forward spaces, and cultural engagement now define luxury.

Experiences include:

Guided winery tours exploring sparkling wine production, distillation heritage, and vineyard landscapes

The “Bottega Wine & Art” concept, where curated art installations position the winery as a cultural destination blending wine, design, and craftsmanship

Gastronomic tastings and pairings rooted in Veneto’s culinary identity, featuring local cheeses, seafood, and seasonal specialties

High-visibility travel retail experiences extending wine tourism into airports, cruise lines, and luxury hotels worldwide

Bottega in 2025: A Sparkling Holiday Essential

As sparkling wine continues its global rise and wine tourism evolves into a fully immersive lifestyle experience, Bottega S.p.A. occupies a compelling space between tradition and modernity. Its wines offer freshness and precision, its bottles deliver undeniable theatre, and its Venetian-rooted identity provides authenticity. For the holidays and into 2026, Bottega proves that bubbles, substance, and style can exist in perfect balance.

Emirates Elevates Luxury Inflight Experience with Dom Pérignon Rosé  Champagne in First Class

Emirates has further strengthened its reputation for offering one of the world’s most exclusive inflight wine and champagne selections by introducing Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2009 to its first-class menu. This distinguished cuvée will be available for a limited time across all Emirates routes departing from Dubai.

The airline maintains exclusive global rights to serve Dom Pérignon Champagne onboard, including the Dom Pérignon Vintage 2015 and the Dom Pérignon Plénitude 2 2006, which already feature prominently on its first class offering.

Emirates has invested more than USD 1 billion into its wine program over the past 16 years, with its dedicated wine cellar in France currently holding a remarkable 6.5 million bottles. This long-term commitment underscores the carrier’s dedication to curating a refined and unparalleled gastronomic experience in the skies.

Dom Pérignon Rosé 2009

Dom Pérignon Rosé 2009 is crafted with a higher proportion of Pinot Noir than its classic counterpart, is renowned for its intense color, bold structure, and layered complexity. Emirates describes it as embodying the richness of a “generous growing season,” with tasting notes highlighting a bouquet of rose petals, orange oil, and saffron, followed by vibrant flavors of raspberry, cherry, cassis, and fig, deepened by undertones of liquorice and gingerbread.

By adding this celebrated vintage to its portfolio, Emirates reinforces its position as a leader in luxury air travel, where fine wine and Champagne form an integral part of the passenger experience.

Research Findings: High-Power Ultrasound Improves the Quality of Spanish Rosé Wine

A recent study by Spanish researchers concluded that ultrasound improves wine quality by shortening maceration time.

In 2019, The International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) approved the use of ultrasound to favor the extraction of grape compounds, its application in obtaining superior quality red wines has been widely studied.

Spanish researchers have turned their attention to rosé, a booming market that has experienced strong growth over the past 15 years. A research team from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, and the University of Murcia in Spain used high-powered ultrasound technology to treat crushed Monastrell grapes, a process known as sonication. They compared the resulting rosé with the wine obtained after a four-hour maceration period.

The research team described the improvements in color and sensory profile of the sonicated wine compared to the macerated sample, here are their findings: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.12757

Professor Encarna Gómez Plaza, from the University of Murcia explained the importance of the research for the wine industry. He stated that “the ultrasonic application was primarily designed to reduce maceration time in red wine vinification. However, experiments with white wines have shown that the aromatic fraction can be increased by sonicating crushed grapes. Therefore, we decided to study the effect of ultrasound on rosé wines, something that had not been done before.”

Prolonged maceration can cause oxidation of certain compounds in the wine, leading to a bitter taste and other undesirable effects.. This is where ultrasounds come in. Ultrasonic sonication causes the cells in the skin of the grape to rupture, allowing the desirable compounds to be extracted in a significantly shorter steeping time, thus reducing the adverse effects of oxidation.

Sensory analysis of the wines by a panel revealed that the ultrasonic rosé had superior aromas

“Sonication resulted in wines with intense aromas of red fruits and flowers, with higher scores than wines from macerated grapes,” the authors note.

Analysis of the chemical composition supported this claim: ultrasonication improved the extraction of several volatile aroma-enhancing compounds, such as terpenes, which can give off a floral or citrus fragrance.

The team hopes that this study will draw attention to the potential of ultrasonic technology to produce high-quality rosé wines. Now they are studying other applications of high-power ultrasound in the wine industry.

French Rosé Rebounds in the U.S.

After three years of annual declines of rosé wine shipments from Provence, 2022 exports to the United States rose 4% to 1.9 million 9-liter cases, according to Impact Databank. Import volume is still below pre-pandemic levels, but Provence rosé’s shipment value is higher than in 2019, up to a new all-time high of €143.4 million ($151.1 million). French rosé remains one of the few bright spots in an otherwise sluggish U.S. wine market.

While rosé’s continued popularity can be credited primarily to Provence, brands from elsewhere are making inroads; some are doing so by emulating their Provençal counterparts, while others are capitalizing on varietals and styles different from those traditionally championed by the French. Aside from Provence, other areas which registered rosé wine growth in 2022 include Beaujolais (doubling its import value last year), Rosé of Cabernet d’Anjou from the Loire Valley (+5%) and French rosé not from a specific appellation or from a specific grape (+35%).

The top five French rosé brands combined for solid 5% growth in 2022, according to Impact Databank. Aside from the largest labels, impressive gains were also achieved by Diving into Hampton Water—made in partnership with Gérard Bertrand—which grew over 50% last year, and 90+ Cellars (+11.5%) from Latitude Beverages. Other double-digit gainers in French rosé last year included Maison No. 9 from E.&J. Gallo (+10%) and The Pale by Sacha Lichine from Shaw-Ross International (+13%).

Some rosé labels from outside France are also making headway in the U.S. market: Chile’s Natura Rosé (+18%) from Banfi Vintners, and from California, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Rosé (+15%) from Constellation Brands, and up-and-coming brand Angels & Cowboys (+51%) from Share a Splash Wine Co.

Top Five French Rosé Brands in the U.S.
(thousands of 9-liter case depletions)
RankBrandCompany20212022Percent
Change1
1Whispering AngelMoët Hennessy USA5655711.1%
2La Vieille Ferme2Vineyard Brands3974144.3%
3Gérard BertrandGérard Bertrand USA34539013.0%
4MiravalVineyard Brands1581643.8%
5The Beach
by Whispering Angel		Moët Hennessy USA1501628.0%
Total Top Five31,6161,7015.3%

Source: Impact Databank

Pays d’Oc Hosts the 2023 Rosé Wine Session of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

The 2023 Rosé Wine Session of Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is due to take place in Montpellier, in the heart of Pays d’Oc.  This year there will be over 50 international judges who will get the opportunity to discover the region’s incredible range of wines, from 8 to 10 March 2023.

For the past 30 years, Pays d’Oc winegrowers have been instrumental in the success of varietal wines and the reputation of this Protected Geographical Indication. To express their creative spirit, they can draw on a vast array of 58 grape varieties and 120,000 hectares of vineyards set between the sea and the mountains, soaking up the multiple influences of a temperate Mediterranean climate. A significant 30% of Pays d’Oc production is now rosé, equating to nearly 300 million bottles of wine annually. This is France’s leading IGP rosé producer region, focusing primarily on the Grenache noir, Cinsault and Syrah grape varieties.

The Pays d’Oc wine region embraces four departments in Languedoc-Roussillon which is part of the broader Occitanie region: Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude, Hérault, Gard and six localities in southern Lozère. Forming an arch along the Mediterranean, it stretches from the Spanish border to the Rhone delta. Its 120,000 hectares of vineyards are home to myriad landscapes and contrasting weather patterns. The land is shaped in terraces facing the Mediterranean and combines mountains, high-level plateaux, mountain foothills, mid-level plateaux and coastal plains. The climate in Pays d’Oc is Mediterranean, with Atlantic influences to the West and continental influences to the East. Four prevailing winds sweep across the region – the Mistral, Tramontane, Marin and Autan. These weather conditions ensure the vines stay healthy and the fruit ripens naturally. A mosaic of soils – clay-limestone, limestone, gneiss, schist and gravel at the foot of the hills – instils Pays d’Oc wines with their inimitable character.

Varietal Wines

92% of the IGP Pays d’Oc range of wines are single varietals, which means they come from just one grape variety. Varietal wine is the cornerstone of the designation and production specifications feature a whopping 58 different grapes to choose from. The range embraces both world famous ‘star’ grapes like Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Viognier, but also lesser known varieties, some of which have a distinct Mediterranean accent, like Grenache, Rolle, Syrah and Carignan. This extensive array of varieties promotes an endless range of aromatic characters. In terms of output, IGP Pays d’Oc production volumes are consistent from year to year, with each vintage producing between 5.5 and 6 million hectolitres of wine across all three colours.

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