Prosecco: what to know about the most loved white wine!

The Prosecco is a wine suitable for a thousand occasions: from the aperitif to the appetizer, to the final toast, it is always perfect. The Prosecco is a DOC white wine (Controlled Designation of Origin) or DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin) depending on its origin. It is a wine rich in quirks and peculiarities. The Prosecco reached the peak of popularity around the 1990s as an IGT wine (Typical Geographical Indication), obtaining the DOC designation only in 2009.

The greater public interest has significantly increased the demand, which has heightened the interest in its production, of course, always with increasing attention to its quality. This is why today the designation for many Prosecco wines is DOCG, especially for the types of Asolo, Conegliano Valdobbiadene, Rive or Cartizze.

The passion for this wine on the part of producers and the great appreciation from the global public has led to an unprecedented record in 2014: surpassing Champagne in terms of units sold worldwide.
 

PROSECCO AND SPARKLING WINE: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

A common mistake is to refer to Prosecco as sparkling wine, but that is not necessarily the case: let’s see the difference. One category of wines is that which produces foam upon opening the bottle, due to the presence of carbon dioxide produced by fermentation (thus natural, not added). This is Sparkling Wine, which is sold in variations of dry, extra dry, and brut, terms that indicate the sweetness of the sparkling wine. Sparkling Wine is a category of wines and can therefore be produced in any area or from any grape variety.

The Prosecco, on the other hand, being DOC or DOCG, must come from specific regions in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, or from the Glera, Verdiso, Pinot Bianco, Grigio or Nero vines and only with the Charmat method. The wine is produced through the alcoholic fermentation of the sugars present in the grapes, which are transformed into alcohol and carbon dioxide. To obtain Sparkling Wine, a second fermentation is necessary to retain carbon dioxide, creating the famous bubbles.

Therefore, as for the varieties, there is no difference between Prosecco and Sparkling Wine as it depends on the level of sugars present, and so we will always talk about dry, brut, and all the intermediate shades. But this does not mean that Prosecco is a Sparkling Wine, as it can simply be fizzy, a version with less carbon dioxide, or even still also called quiet. Still Prosecco is suitable for pairing with appetizers or light first courses. It has a straw-yellow color and tastes fresh and slightly fruity.
 

MILLESIMATO: WHAT DOES THIS TERM MEAN?

A vintage wine is produced from grapes from a single vintage, more specifically when at least 85% of the grapes are harvested in the same year. This is why a specific year must follow for these wines. Therefore, the vintage is the harvest year. The term comes from the French millésime, which translates to vintage. Normally, wineries decide to produce a vintage sparkling wine, whether it is a Franciacorta classic method or a Prosecco, only in particularly favorable vintages regarding the quality of the grapes, to be sure to deliver a product worthy of the name. In this case, it is precisely called vintage wine.
 

PROSECCO AND FRANCIACORTA: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

The Franciacorta is a classic method sparkling wine that is made through a different procedure than Prosecco, which uses the Charmat or Martinotti method. According to the classic method, the wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle to give it an appreciable perlage, meaning fine and persistent bubbles. Among the wines produced with this method, Franciacorta is certainly the most appreciated by the public and is often compared to Prosecco, which remains one of the most known and loved.

The Franciacorta DOCG is produced in the Brescia area, in Lombardy. The grapes used are of the Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir type, although the use of Pinot Bianco up to 50% is allowed. The types are Pas Dosé, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Sec or Dry, Demi-Sec. It is a savory wine with a pleasant freshness, with a creamy and elegant carbonic character, and on the nose presents notes of wilted flowers, citrus fruits, and dried fruit. The perfect pairing is with fish, white meats, refined cold cuts, and moderately elaborate risottos (to know other differences between Franciacorta and Prosecco we have written a mini-guide here).

As for the Prosecco, the area of origin is that of Veneto between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, while the grapes are mainly Glera. The production method is the Charmat or Martinotti, and the types are Brut, Dry and Extra Dry. Prosecco is savory and of pleasant freshness, with creamy carbonic texture. The aroma is floral, of jasmine, white roses, and aromatic herbs, fruity of pear, apple, and apricot. It pairs excellently with seafood cruditės, cold cuts, fresh cheeses, and eggs.

Also visually the two wines are immediately recognizable by some differences. The Franciacorta has thin and persistent bubbles, with a refined perlage that rises slowly upwards. The Prosecco instead has less fine bubbles, with a quicker rise, although today some Prosecco wines present a perlage similar to Franciacorta and may deceive the eye.
 

PROSECCO SUR LIE, OR PROSECCO COL FONDO 

The Prosecco Sur Lie is produced according to the ancient method for making sparkling wines and thus presents traces of yeast at the bottom. In fact, "Sur Lie" means above the dirt, meaning above the yeasts. The method used is Martinotti, so the second fermentation takes place directly in the bottle. Here, the spontaneous alcoholic re-fermentation occurs, due to the activation of the yeasts previously added with sugar. In Prosecco Sur Lie, the deposited yeasts remain in the bottle, resulting in a cloudy wine, dry and harmonious.

The choice of how to enjoy it is up to you: you can choose to gently swirl the bottle to stir up the sediment and enjoy it cloudy, or decant it and let it rest to enjoy it clear. Particularly beloved is the one from Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a traditional wine that enhances the aromatic characteristics of Glera. It is a soft and floral wine, suitable for aperitifs and dishes with delicate flavors, perfect also for pairing with cold cuts and cheeses, but also with vegetable or fish first courses.
 

FANCIFUL COCKTAILS WITH PROSECCO DOCG FROM GIUSTI WINE

Among the favorite production areas, the area of Asolo is one of the most renowned. Here, in fact, Glera is used to produce superior Prosecco or DOCG, such as those from the Giusti Wine company, known on the Montello side in the municipality of Asolo at an altitude of 250 m. Among the Prosecco wines from Giusti Wine, standout is the Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut, the Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry, and the Prosecco DOC Treviso Rosalia Extra Dry, which stands out from the others not only for its area of origin but also for its freshness, slightly lower alcohol content, and pleasantness that makes it suitable for lighter summer aperitifs.

The Prosecco is particularly indicated for  cocktails, mixed as preferred, for example with a refreshing lemonade like that made with Femminello Tomarchio lemons, for an explosion of freshness on a hot summer day. But Prosecco will surprise you with the mixtures it lends itself to. Try the "Peach Passion", pouring Extra Dry Prosecco over a scoop of peach ice cream. Or the "Pink Grapefruit Mimosa", made by pouring Prosecco and grapefruit juice into a carafe, adding agave syrup. If you love the taste of lemon but want a more energetic solution than the first one mentioned, you can use limoncello to create the "Limoncello Cooler", taking care to put the glasses in the freezer 15 minutes before preparing the cocktail!

However you enjoy it, with Prosecco there are always a thousand good reasons to create a pleasant moment of conviviality. Cheers! 

Antonella Iannò

S&M