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Even 60-70 years ago, the name “Prosecco” referred to the grapes from which this Italian sparkling wine is made, but now “Prosecco” is a name controlled by origin, and the variety itself, to avoid confusion, has received a new name – Glera. Other grape varieties may also be included in Prosecco: Verdiso, Perera, Bianchetta, Chardonnay, any representative of the Pinot family (blanc, gris or noir), however, the proportion of third-party berries should not exceed 15%.
Historical information
In the XNUMXth century, a wine from the city of Trieste called “Ribolla” was popular in Italy. Manufacturers claimed that this is the same ancient wine that Pliny the Elder mentioned in his writings, and whose healing properties were glorified by the wife of Emperor Augustus, Livia.
In order not to confuse a wonderful drink with wines from neighboring regions with the same name, Ribolla from Trieste was given a new name in honor of the small village near which this wine appeared – Prosecco. Interestingly, according to one version, the name of the village comes from the Slavic word “clearing” – a cut through a narrow strip in the forest.
Until the 1960s, Prosecco was quite sweet and differed little from Asti Spumante, but then the production technology improved significantly. Now Prosecco sparkling wine has a strength of 10-12%, almost dry and is divided into three categories according to the content of residual sugar: brut (up to 12 g/l), extra dry (12-20 g/l) and dry (20-35 g/l). l).
The first official mention of Prosecco dates back to 1593. From that moment on, the name can be considered fixed. In 2009, Prosecco wine received DOC status and was “registered” in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, a little later, two zones stood out in a more elite category of DOCG. Despite the fact that since the beginning of the XNUMXst century, Glera grapes have been grown not only in Italy, but also in Brazil, Australia, Romania and Argentina, real Prosecco can only come from these Italian regions. In other European countries, sparkling wine is also made from the same grape variety, but according to international law, the drink must be called differently.
Types of Prosecco
According to the content and intensity of the bubbles, Prosecco DOC is divided into three types:
- Spumante (highly carbonated);
- Frizzante (slightly carbonated);
- Tranquillo (quiet without gas).
The share of the latter type rarely exceeds 5% of the total production, such wine is almost never exported and is little known in the world.
The categorization of Prosecco is a little confusing, with new rules coming into effect in 2009, with many of the terms remaining the same, although given new meanings.
The list of DOC regions today includes the following areas: Belluno, Gorizia, Padova, Pordenone, Treviso, Trieste, Udine, Venice, Vicenza.
Prosecco Superiore DOCG comes in two varieties:
- Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG (made only in Treviso);
- The Rive subcategory is wine from a specific small area of this appellation, there are 43 such places within Conegliano Valdobbiadene.
- Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG (products from the town of Asolo).
The very best Prosecco comes from the vineyards on the Cartizze hill – the wines are awarded the highest Grand Cru category. According to legend, winemakers got to these places last, as a result of which the berries overripe, and the wine got a special “sunny” flavor. However, blind testing did not confirm the special status of Prosecco with Cartizze – the sommeliers did not note the exceptional taste and rated this variety no higher than the others.
Also, sometimes on the label you can find a mention of the category IGT – the name of the geographical area. This Prosecco was produced until 2009 (before obtaining DOC status), the rules governing IGT wine are less strict than under the name controlled by origin.
It’s easy to get confused in all this, so let’s briefly summarize:
Till 2009 year:
- Prosecco IGT – all wine produced outside the DOC regions.
- Prosecco Raboso IGT is a pink sparkling wine made primarily from the Raboso variety. Now such wine is called differently, but many old-style bottles have been preserved in the collections.
- Prosecco DOC. Then it was only the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region.
After 2009:
- Prosecco DOC – since 2010 this wine can be produced in any of the 9 regions of Belluno, Gorizia, Padova, Pordenone, Treviso, Trieste, Udine, Venice, Vicenza.
- Prosecco DOCG – roughly speaking, what used to be a DOC, and now “received a promotion”: the regions of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and Montello e Colli Asolani (Montello e Colli Asolani).
Production features
One of the main reasons why the term “Champagne Prosecco” is incorrect is that the Charmat method is used to produce this sparkling wine, not champagne. Secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel autoclaves, and not in the bottle (although the regulations do not prohibit this). Thus, bottled wine does not age gracefully, but stagnates and loses its taste, so it is customary to drink Prosecco young – no older than two or three years.
However, recently the point of view has been actively promoted that aged Prosecco also has its own charm, but this largely depends on the initial quality of the raw materials (which can be very different), storage conditions and other factors.
Until the 1960s, the “country method” was popular, meaning the wine was left to ferment in the bottle, but the yeast sediment was not removed after fermentation. The result was a cloudy drink with an imperfect taste that needed to be smoothed out by adding sugar.
well-known manufacturers. The following producers are known in the DOCG region: Nino Franko, Bisol, Villa Sandi, Mionetto, Merotto and Bottega produce more affordable wine.
Differences from Champagne
| Champagne | Prosecco | |
| Production region | Champagne, France | Veneto, Italy |
| Grape sort | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir | Glera (old name – Prosekko) |
| Production technology | costly “traditional” bottle re-fermentation followed by sediment removal | an affordable charm method – to saturate with carbon dioxide, the wine ferments again in tanks, then the drink is poured into bottles |
| Taste | citruses, white cherry toasts, almonds, cheese tones | honey melon, cream, pear |
| Caloric value | ~128 kcal | ~121 kcal |
| Price | from $ 40 | from $ 12 |
How to drink Prosecco
Like other sparkling wines, Prosecco is served chilled to 5-7°C in tall, thin-walled flute glasses. This is a very democratic wine, which is drunk not on special occasions, but as an aperitif (before meals) or just for pleasure on any occasion.
In Italy, even budget Prosecco was sold in cans until the wine received DOC status. Now, according to the rules, the drink is allowed to be sold only in glass bottles, so manufacturers had to change the packaging.
Unlike Champagne, Prosecco has a not so complex bouquet: in a light, fresh aroma, notes of yellow apple, peach, apricot, pear are felt. Italian sparkling is a part of many popular cocktails: Aperol Syringe, Bellini, Mimosa, Merchant of Venice, Prosecco also perfectly replaces its more expensive French counterpart.
Prosecco can be eaten with salty snacks, fish dishes, cheeses.
