Fragolino champagne: an overview of taste and types + whether to buy
Fragolino is considered to be one of the most popular champagne brands - straight from sunny Italy, named after the grape variety of the same name, which is known in Ukraine under the familiar and familiar name "isabella".
The very name Fragolino comes from the Italian Fragola - "strawberry", which already indicates a mild strawberry flavor and a pleasant pink color of champagne.
Ban on the production of Fragolino in Europe
Few people know that the production of this champagne does not currently depend on the Fragolino variety - now producers add berry juice and flavors to champagne to bring the taste of the drink as close as possible to strawberry.
Why producers do not use grapes for this purpose?
The fact is that the Fragolino variety is now banned in Europe - during the examination, it turned out that in the process of wine production, the berries of this grape release dangerous methanol, which not only negatively affects the taste of wine, but also makes it dangerous and poisonous.
A small dose of methanol (10 ml)!) leads to severe poisoning and blindness, 80-150 ml - to death.
Therefore, you will not be able to find the original Fragolino anywhere, except in Italy itself - there are still small production facilities for this wine, but they are not exported to other countries.
How to distinguish a fake from the original
The fact that the original recipe of Fragolino champagne does not correspond to the original recipe does not mean that producers are trying to deceive consumers by selling a fake for a tidy sum.
Not at all - due to the ban on the variety that gives the same unique strawberry flavor, the production uses freshly squeezed strawberry juice, and the gastronomic value of this drink is not inferior to the original.
Both you are protected from dangerous methanol and producers meet all the standards of wine production.
In order not to stumble upon low-quality alcohol, you should pay attention to the manufacturer. Fragolino champagne is the most famous and well-established producer in the market:
Fiorelli (Italy)
Novellina (Italy) - sells not only strawberry Fragolino, but also peach wine, which is made from white grapes with the addition of peach juice
Fruco Shulz (Czech Republic)
Fresito (Chile)
Types of Fragolino
Most often, two types of strawberry Fragolino champagne prevail on the market:
Fragolino Rosso - sweet red wine, rich pink color, with a pronounced strawberry and strawberry flavor.
Fragolino Bianco - semi-sweet white, more tart, but still has a characteristic berry flavor.
How to drink Fragolino
Serve Fragolino chilled to 6-8 degrees in champagne glasses - "flutes", "tulips", "cups".
Dried fruits, cheese, various sweets, such as meringue, fruit pies, cakes go well with the wine.
Your celebration will be a success if you have Fragolino on it. Its pleasant, delicate taste is perfect for a romantic dinner, birthday, bachelorette party.
Update: 14.07.2018
Category: Wine and Vermouth