Before You Purchase Your Party Season Prosecco, Read This

Julie Dupouy unpacks Prosecco’s enduring charm …

Enjoyed on its own or as a deliciously refreshing Aperol Spritz, Prosecco is widely consumed for its uncomplicated and approachable fruity style, but also for its affordable price tag. Prosecco is the world’s number one bubbly in terms of quantity produced – a whopping 638.5 million bottles were filled in 2022. There is undeniably a place and time for Prosecco but it still makes me wonder: are we loyal to Prosecco because of its quality or because of its price?

Prosecco is produced in the North East of Italy in the provinces of Friuli, Venezia, Giulia and Veneto. It is sold under different appellations – the most common being Prosecco DOC. To this, the geographic mentions, Treviso and Trieste can be added, as long as the harvestings, wine making and bottling all take place entirely within these two provinces. Two smaller areas within the historical province of Treviso have also gained a DOCG status, namely, Asolo and Conegliano Valdobbiadene. What are the main differences between Prosecco, Champagne and Cava?

It starts with the grape varieties. For Prosecco, the lead role is played by a grape called Glera and must make up 85-100 per cent of the wine. Cava uses the traditional Maccabeo, Xarel-lo and Paralleda varieties plus some international ones. In Champagne, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir make up 97 per cent of the total vine plantings of the region. Apart from the grape varieties used, the vinification itself is the most significant point of difference.

Most Prosecco wines go through a second fermentation in the tank while Champagne and Cava must be re-fermented in the bottle. The carbon dioxide produced during this second fermentation is trapped and dissolves in the wine, creating the bubbles that we love so much. Following the fermentation, Prosecco wines do not go through a prolonged ageing on their lees (yeast deposits) and this keeps focus on their primary fruit aromas compared with the more savoury, complex biscuity notes of Champagne and Cava.

However, a small amount of Prosecco wines are produced using a traditional method and still undergo their second fermentation in bottle. They are not filtered and are labelled as “Col Fondo” when frizzante or “Sui Lieviti” when fully sparkling and produced under the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG. Those wines tend to be more refined, complex and mineral, with a creamy effervescence. There are various types of Prosecco on the market. They can be divided into three levels of effervescence: still, frizzante and spumante. Frizzante is by far the most popular style in Ireland. Semi-sparkling, it is light, fresh and fragrant. Taxed as a still wine at €3.19 rather than a sparkling wine at €6.38, due to its lower level of effervescence, it offers superb value for a charming bubbly option.

They are charming uplifting wines to be shared with good company and most importantly they come with a pop to celebrate another good year under the belt.

In 2020, pink Prosecco hit the shelves and one might wonder what took it so long. Pink and bubbles seems to be an obvious compliment and when it finally arrived, it flew. Blended with 10-15 per cent of Pinot Noir, pink Prosecco now represents just under 10 per cent of the total production. A glamorous addition to the Prosecco family, it arrived just in time to jump on the upward trending rosé wave of the past few years.

Sparkling wine labelling can be pretty confusing and Prosecco is no exception. “Extra dry”, the most common style on the market, has a sugar content of 12-17g per litre of wine – the equivalent of two to three cubes of sugar per bottle. Yet, it would lead most consumers to think that its level of sweetness is rather low. Combined with its exquisite fruitiness and bright acidity, it easily manages to charm and seduce even the most disciplined when the weekend rolls around.

For those of you who simply prefer the taste of drier wines, “Brut”, “Extra Brut” or “No Dosage” are the styles to look for and they are steadily growing in popularity. I have recently tasted some delicious drier examples and I believe they truly deserve a brighter spotlight and a nod of respect.

So what’s next for Prosecco? As demand steadily grows for wines produced organically and biodynamically, Prosecco has a little catching up to do but thankfully, there are some examples starting to appear. With the volumes of Prosecco moving around the globe, carbon footprint is a consideration. Innovative packaging to reduce its impact is also emerging, so be ready to find your favourite bubbles more commonly sold in cans or on tap in restaurants. However, because the Italian legislation only allows glass bottle conditioning for Prosecco, its wines sold in alternative packaging have to take the gamble and classify themselves as “table wines” on labels. Perhaps, a change in the wine laws in the old world countries is needed to support the mitigation of climate change. In the meantime, look out for the examples below and keep them chilled as year-end rolls around. They are charming, uplifting wines to be shared with good company and most importantly they come with a pop to celebrate another good year under the belt. @julie_dupouy