There are plenty of cheap and quaffable choices available when it comes to Prosecco DOC, but for just a few dollars more you can take a real step up with Prosecco Superiore DOCG wines, especially from quality producers like Adami. Over the last decade, producers in the hilly Prosecco Superiore zone have moved toward less-sweet styles to keep up with changing market demands, applying meticulous vineyard management to achieve the perfect grapes these dryer styles require. The Adami family bought the Col Credas vineyard in the early 2000s. It lies in the Rive di Farra di Soligo, one of the 43 rive sites notable for their steep slopes and favorable exposures. The family experimented with the vinification of grapes from Col Credas for a decade, eventually concluding that wines from this site reached their best expression with just a few grams of residual sugar, and releasing Col Credas as a single-vineyard wine for the first time in the 2011 vintage. Ten years later, the 2021 Col Credas Extra Brut is firm and taut, with golden pear and citrus flavors that are pure and refreshing as they glide on a line of cool acidity.  The wine finishes crisp and dry, with lingering saline notes that call for a plate of freshly shucked Wellfleet oysters.  

This Prosecco is linear and focused, almost austere in its laser-like acidity and cool salinity. Notes of lemon pith emerge, but the wine is more about precision and freshness than fruit. Ideal for oysters or grilled scallops.

This wine is soft and silky, with lightly tangy flavors of yellow apple and white peach brightened by a surge of salinity that cleanses the finish.

Here's a fun way to interpret the versatile Glera grape. The Adami 2020 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Sui Lieviti Col Fondo Brut Nature has a very distinctive bouquet with mature fruit, apricot, crushed stone and panettone-style baked brioche. The wine is tight and streamlined to the palate, with firm beading, but the bouquet really is special. You could push this wine for an extra year or two of bottle age, and you might see some yeasts deposits at the bottom. This is a 9,200-bottle production.

Kapriol Produced from juniper berries and aromatic herbs such as cardamom, mint and bay leaves. Delicate straw/yellow; aromas of chamomile, lemon zest and pekoe tea. Full bodied with impressive richness on the palate and a dry, herbal finish that is powerful. Enjoy this over the next 5-7 years. 38% alcohol.

The NV Extra Dry Prosecco Superiore dei Casel is smoky and decidedly dusty in character, as notes of dried flowers and hints of ginger give ways to freshly sliced pear. This cascades a chiseled bead of bubbles across a vibrant acid framework, as a mix of saline-minerals contrasts its ripe orchard fruits. The balance of energy, depth and sweetness here is quite impressive, as the Dei Casel tapers off long and unexpectedly fresh

The NV Brut Prosecco Garbel mixes savory and sweet with a bouquet of crushed rocks and dusty dried flowers complementing hints of green melon. This is silky in feel without a hard edge in sight, as juicy acidity enlivens its candied citrus fruits. The Garbel takes on a tropical flair through the finale, mixing hints of kiwi with vivid young mango. The final takeaway is how remarkably fresh and clean it leaves the palate. This is a total pleasure to taste.

Fermentation aromas of yeast, tamarind and biscotti, melded with salted lemon rind, tonic and rosemary. The finish is pithy and nicely phenolic, finishing with an emphatic bite. Long and clean. Best of all, thoroughly intriguing. Savory, refined and persistent. Loads of character. Drink or hold.