- A high-quality Italian wine
- Generally dry and mainly either fully sparkling (spumante) or lightly sparkling (frizzante, gentile)
- Generally lower in alcohol than most wines: about 11 to 12 percent by volume
- Unlike Champagne, it’s appreciated for its fresh, light, simple taste and complex aromas
- Flavour is intensely aromatic and crisp, with hints of yellow apple, pear, white peach and apricot
- Great as a mix for cocktails
- The main ingredient in the Bellini cocktail and Spritz cocktail, commonly in a Mimosa, and the Italian cocktail, Sgroppino
- A less expensive, quality substitute for Champagne
- Mass world-wide increase in popularity since the late 90’s
- In Italy, Prosecco is enjoyed as a wine for every occasion. Outside Italy, it is most often drunk as an aperitif, much like Champagne.
- Produced from the Glera grapes in theProsecco – the bare factsregions in Italy, and traditionally in the hills north of Treviso
- Is now produced in other countries, such as Brazil, Romania, Argentina and Australia
- To guard against cheap imitations, an association of traditional Prosecco growers instituted a protected designation of origin status for Northern Italian Prosecco under European law
- Tastes different to Champagne due to the fact that secondary fermentation takes place in tanks (spumante varient), as opposed to in the bottle
- Approx. 150 million bottles are produced annually
- Production amounts to hundreds of millions of Euros annually
- According to the EU Sweetness of wine Regulations, Proseccos are labeled “Brut” (most dry), “Extra Dry” (medium dry) or “Dry” (most sweet).
- Unlike Champagne, it grows stale in the bottle over time
- Should be drunk as young as possible, generally within 3 years of vintage
- Top-quality Prosecco can be aged for up to seven years
Read more about Prosecco:
Heavy on flavour, light on the pocket book
