I’ve been a member of the Association of Wine Educators (AWE) for quite a few years. Every now and then I travel with them to learn more about wine. It’s a continual and life time learning curve. Love it.

This week I ‘travelled’ to Prosecco on a virtual tour. Well, to be precise it was to the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG – the top quality within Prosecco DOC . It was brilliant. How does a virtual tour work?

First, our host needed to be super organised. A lot of material was sent out in advance – notes, books, cheese and wines. Remember this was for a ‘small virtual bus load’ of AWE members who, for once, weren’t all together in the one room! We were spread across France, the UK and, in my case, Ireland.

Next an itinerary was sent. It included four sessions each with its own Zoom meeting ID. This was where the quality came in. We were treated and joined by the Consortium’s Marketing Manager, Head Viticulturists and Winemakers. In addition, we were presented to the Unesco World Heritage Site by its manager, food and wine pairing with a leading local restaranteur and a leading sommelier in London. In addition, (yes there was more!), Sarah Abbot MW (Swirl Wine Group) who works closely with the Consortium in the UK guided us through tastings that highlighted each of the major differences across the region along with a presentation from five leading producers with their wines. As I say – brilliant. Top drawer quality.

I will write more on Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Right now I want to emphasise that very high quality Prosecco is just that. Very High Quality. In addition, there are styles produced that make these wines unique in the world of wine, often made by really top notch wine making techniques, extrordinarily brilliant to match with food and all coming from Glera grapes grown on hills that are a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Learn more about AWE. We learn. We teach.