Springfield Business Journal_2020-12-21

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 27 DEC. 21-27, 2020 I t’s that time of year when Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s festivities are upon us. I sincerely hope the current coronavirus unpleasantness will not too dramatically upset your plans. Part and parcel of those festivities are the spar- kling wines that often are erroneously referred to as champagne. Champagne is a sparkling wine from a specific district in France that usual- ly comes with a fairly hefty price tag. There are, however, other sparkling wines that offer similar elegance and a festive feeling at more affordable prices. One example is an Italian sparkling wine called prosecco. Champagne, which is made from chardonnay and/or pinot noir grapes, is fermented in the bot- tle it will be sold in, and it’s very labor intensive. Prosecco wines are made from the native Italian glera grape by the Charmat bulk process: The juice is fermented in a closed container, and the carbon dioxide produced by fermentation naturally car- bonates the wine. This process results in an excellent wine that can be produced at a more popular price. Put fine grapes together with the Italian love of wine, and you come up with a good fit for the holidays. La Gioiosa Valdobbiadene Prosecco Supe- riore Extra Dry ($18) This fruity offering presents the true extra dry style in all its glories. This selection is not too dry but also not too sweet. It also is a wine that dis- plays all of the beauties and flavors that one seeks in sparkling wine and at a very attractive price. The La Gioiosa Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore is a bright wine with a subtle aroma of pears, apri- cots, peaches and grilled pineapples. This carries over to the flavor, where it is enhanced by bubbles and continues on to a pleasantly crisp finish. Valdo Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Cuvee 1926 Extra Dry ($22) This choice presents a wine that accents trop- ical fruit flavors and aromas. The flavor of pine- apple and peaches predominate with a honey and almond background. There also are famil- iar yeasty overtones and a crispness matched by few wines. This all-purpose wine should not be reserved strictly for special occasions. It can and should be served with almost any meal and not just dessert. Prosecco Superiore Brut ($20) Here is a high-quality sparkling wine that can stand head and shoulders with the best of them from anywhere in the world at a reasonable price. Two things are immediately noticeable when the wine is poured: its greenish golden color and the constant stream of fine bubbles, both signs of a better wine. The aroma is a compendium of sum- mer flowers with honeysuckle being the most obvious. The flavor is crisp with a pleasant lem- on-like flavor backed up by a fresh bread-like sensation that ends in the impression of toasted nuts. All of these aromas are reprised in the fla- vor with the addition of grapefruit and spice. Adami Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Bosco Di Gica Brut ($20) I realize these Italian words may be a mouth- ful, but the quality makes up for the pronuncia- tion difficulties. This wine is very dry. Mountain grown grapes endow the wine with a creamy melon, citrus and pineapple flavor and aroma. The wine trails off with a yeast and toasted bread aftertaste that lingers in the mouth for a long time. This is a great wine to accompany a win- ter holiday dinner because it can stand up to ham or turkey, as well as assorted side dishes, sweet or not. Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net. OPINION Most read SBJ.net story reminds of simpler times Sparkling wine a good fit for holidays T he year 2020 was not for the faint of heart. A crippling health pandemic, reces- sion, protests over police brutality and a mind-numbing presidential election cycle came together in a way that is unlike anything most of us have ever experienced. Looking over the top SBJ.net stories of the year, those pain points certainly dot the horizon. But there also are stories that point to simpler times and brighter futures. Let’s time-travel a bit with the top 10 most read online stories of 2020. 1. “Raising Cane’s to make Springfield debut” The hype train’s been speeding along all year on Raising Cane’s market entry. This article has almost three times as many views as the next closest sto- ry on this list. Surprised? I was. Prior to this year, I had never heard of Raising Cane’s. During the res- taurant’s Nov. 3 debut, lines reportedly have been as long as an hour. I guess Springfield residents really, really love these chicken fingers. 2. “Mercy execs retire early in response to pandemic” Health care has been among the hardest hit in- dustries this year, and front-line employees deserv- edly have gotten a lot of recognition for what they do. In May, Mercy announced Jon Swope and Dr. Fred McQueary, two executives who helped shape its Springfield-area operations, would retire in June to help the health care system “navigate the diffi- cult financial terrain ahead.” 3. “Lululemon to enter Springfield” While I had heard of Lululemon, I was not ter- ribly familiar with the athletic-wear chain. The re- tailer entered Springfield with fanfare in June, launching a pop-up store concept in Brent- wood Center North. If shoppers like it as much as readers, Lululemon may convert it to a full store. 4. “City, county officials enact stay-at-home order” This is one of those things that you never expect- ed would happen. But as the coronavirus pandem- ic took hold in March, local government officials sought to stem the tide by requiring residents to stay at home. Even after the lockdown has lifted, this one’s still being debated. 5. “WOW temporarily closes; Bass Pro stores remain open” Tourism and hospitality were decimated amid the pandemic, and it remains unclear when busi- nesses in the industry will recover. The Wonders of Wildlife aquarium was an early attraction to close temporarily, with sister business Bass Pro Shops soon to follow. 6. “Forbes: Johnny Morris’ net worth drops by nearly $2B” This one’s an oddity, as it’s a story from 2019. The Bass Pro founder actually climbed the ranks to place No. 181 on Forbes’ 2020 list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. He had an estimated net worth of $4.1 billion, according to Forbes research. This article was hot around the time Payne’s Val- ley opened at Morris’ Big Cedar Lodge, pointing to probable Google searches that increased views. 7. “City amends order to allow bars, theaters” The local economy slowly began to reopen in late April and early May. Face masks have become the central issue in recent months as the city receives the vaccine. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has tem- porarily closed again after reopening briefly, and the Gillioz Theatre also is on temporary hiatus. I’m hoping for a swift recovery for these Springfield gems. 8. “Costco plans Springfield market entry” Costco has been a request from Springfieldians for years, and we’re finally getting one. Let’s hope the pandemic is contained so we can peruse goods freely in fall 2021. Costco is likely to spur future de- velopment. 9. “O’Reilly bringing BigShots Golf to north Springfield” I wonder what it’s like to own a large portion of an intersection in Springfield. Businessperson Tim O’Reilly doesn’t have to wonder. His new BigShots Golf attraction is across the Glenstone Avenue and Kearney Street intersection from his DoubleTree hotel and convention center, as well as the Fairfield Inn next door. I can see cross-promotions boosting business at both properties. 10. “Destination Branson? City bets on region- al travel, pent-up demand” The tourism town began to prepare for the sum- mer season, following a record year of visitors – 9.1 million – in 2019. Officials say numbers are like- ly to be down this year as the pandemic continues to hurt the tourism industry. However, tourism of- ficials predict that when travel returns, it will start regionally on drivable trips, which would be a win for the Ozarks. Springfield Business Journal Web Editor Geoff Pickle can be reached at gpickle@sbj.net. Send letters and comments to sbj@sbj.net FROM THE WEB Geoff Pickle WINE REVIEW Bennet Bodenstein