Prosecco – Italian sparkling wine

One of the most magnificent wine tourism destinations is the Prosecco Veneto region of Italy. Towards the northern part of Italy and spreading out over some 43,500 hectares of vineyards within classifications of styles and standards, the Prosecco region attracts visitors globally and holds UNESCO status.  The Glera, also known as the Prosecco grape, is it’s main ingredient with the production method being via the Charmant method, in which the secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tank.

Anything up to 800+ million bottles of Italian Prosecco are produced annually and there are plans to reach 1 billion in years to come. The wine is known as being young, fresh, fruity and vibrant and is most certainly best drunk within three years of production, although high-quality Prosecco may be aged for up to seven years where the aromas and flavours change to deliver a more dried fruits / honey taste experience.

The Prosecco region holds wonderful architecture and vineyards with breath-taking views – Here’s a tour of the winery Villa Sandi and the DOCG region

The UK has a great love affair with Prosecco with import figures steadily increasing over the last ten years where today some 150 million bottles see there way to our shores to quench this love affair with these popular Italian bubbles.

You are able to enjoy Prosecco at very competitive prices with many supermarkets stocking options from £6 a bottle upwards. Though Prosecco has flooded the cheap fizz option market, there are different quality levels and prices that can equal that of Champagne depending which label / winery you choose from. There are also options on sugar levels so dryer and sweeter options can be explored – Mostly it is Brut, Extra Dry and Dry that is produced in styles of spumante and frizzante (also Tranquillo which is still wine).

Prosecco is produced in different classified regions and under different authorities:

• Prosecco DOC
• Prosecco DOCG (Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore)
• Prosecco DOCG (Colli Asolani)
• Prosecco DOCG (Superiore di Cartizze)

What does Prosecco taste like? You can expect very fruity and floral characters to include apples, pears, lemon, honeysuckle, white floral, citrus, wet stone and much more. Alcohol levels will usually be a touch lower than traditional method sparkling wines such as Champagne – Prosecco being at 11.5% whereas Champagne is 12/12.5%.

If you would like a more in-depth read about Prosecco we suggest our article entitled ‘Understanding Prosecco Better‘.