5 things you might not know about Prosecco

Britain imports the most Prosecco

Britain can’t get enough Prosecco, we love it. Last year, 560 million bottles of Prosecco were exported from Italy, making Britain their number one market. Sales of Prosecco to the UK have risen by 163% in the last five years.

 

Prosecco can only be produced in certain areas of Italy

Prosecco can only be made from a designated area of Northern Italy, which is only an hour from Venice. A magnificent place to visit if you’re planning a trip to Italy. Just one hectare of vineyards within Cartizze is estimated to be worth up to 2 million euros, making it the highest valued land for wine in Italy. The Prosecco region is smaller than Champagne, but produces more bottles.

 

 

Rosé Prosecco does not exist yet

Prosecco can only be made from white grapes, 85% must be made from the Glera grape. The other varieties which can be added include Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir vinified white. Be ready though as Rosé Prosecco could become a reality very soon!

 

There are different levels of quality of Prosecco

DOC is the standard level Prosecco which you can tell by a blue label on the top of a bottle. It is produced from 9 provinces spanning the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions.
DOCG is a superior Prosecco which you can tell by a brown label on the top of a bottle. It can only be made in the Treviso province of Veneto on the hills between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.
Cartizze is the highest level of Prosecco. It is a hilly area in the town of Valdobbiadene.

Not all Prosecco is sparkling

There are 3 different types of fizz for Prosecco: Spumante, which is the most fizzy, Frizzante, a semi-sparkling which has a more gentle fizz and Tranquillo, which has no fizz at all. This is the least-known style of Prosecco.