🍷 Prosecco

Prosecco is an Italian protected designation of origin for wine from the Glera grape grown in nine provinces of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Most of it is sparkling, refermented in large pressure tanks, and with about 660 million bottles a year it is the largest Italian wine designation by volume and value. ⁵⁷

Area and climate. The grapes come from Belluno, Gorizia, Padua, Pordenone, Treviso, Trieste, Udine, Venice and Vicenza. The Alps shield the vineyards from cold northern winds, the Adriatic brings sirocco rain in summer, and at the end of summer the dry bora and large day–night swings keep acidity and aromas in the grapes; the soils are mostly alluvial silty clay with dolomite gravel that drains well. ⁷

Grapes and yields. The grape is Glera, also called Serprino. For sparkling and semi-sparkling wines up to 15 % of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio or Pinot Nero fermented off the skins may be added, an option extended to frizzante in 2025. Yields may reach 18,000 kg of grapes and 135 hl of wine per hectare, and Pinot Nero for rosé 13,500 kg and 101.25 hl. ⁷

Types and strength. Prosecco can be still, spumante, frizzante or spumante rosé. Still and frizzante wines need at least 10.5 % total alcohol and spumante and rosé 11 %; spumante ranges from brut nature to demi-sec, rosé from brut nature to extra dry, and still and frizzante wines from dry to medium sweet. Aromas recall white flowers, apple, pear, exotic fruit and citrus. ⁷

How the bubbles are made. Spumante gets its bubbles from a natural second fermentation in large pressure tanks, the Charmat or Martinotti method, which lasts at least 30 days and at least 60 for rosé. ⁴⁷ Frizzante may instead referment in the bottle: it can then be slightly cloudy, with notes of bread crust and yeast, and the label must say «rifermentazione in bottiglia». ¹⁷

Rosé. Prosecco Spumante Rosé adds 10–15 % of Pinot Nero fermented on the skins to Glera. It is pale pink with notes of red flowers, strawberry and raspberry, and its label must show the word millesimato and the vintage. ¹⁷

A long history. The earliest documents describe a delicate white wine from the karst around the village of Prosecco near Trieste, and under an agreement of 1382 Trieste sent the Austrian rulers 100 «orne» of its best Prosecco each year. ³⁷ Writers praised Prosecco from the Berici hills in 1754 and from the Treviso hills in 1772; sparkling Prosecco appeared in the mid-19th century, and after the Conegliano oenology school opened in 1876, Carpenè and Martinotti developed refermentation in large closed tanks. ³

Hills and DOCG. Alongside the DOC, the hillside designations Conegliano Valdobbiadene – Prosecco and Asolo Prosecco are protected separately as DOCG. ²⁹¹⁰ Since 2019 the hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, 9,191 ha, have been a UNESCO World Heritage site for their ciglioni, small vine plots on narrow grassy terraces used since the 17th century, and the bellussera vine training of the 19th century. ⁸

Shoppers usually weigh Prosecco against Champagne, cava and «sparkling wine» in general. Sparkling wine is a broad category, while Prosecco is a protected Italian designation from nine provinces, made mainly from Glera. ⁷ Champagne has its second fermentation in the bottle; spumante Prosecco has it in large pressure tanks for at least 30 days, which keeps the focus on grape aromas such as white flowers, apple, pear and citrus. ⁴⁷ Brut, Extra Dry and Dry describe sugar, not quality, and Extra Dry is sweeter than Brut. ¹¹

Look for the word Prosecco with DOC or DOCG, the Italian forms of the EU PDO symbol (protected designation of origin). «Spumante» means full sparkling, «frizzante» a lighter fizz, and Brut, Extra Dry and Dry run from driest to sweeter. ⁷¹¹ «Treviso» or «Trieste» names the province, and since 2025 DOC bottles carry a tricolour state seal. ¹⁵ Supermarkets and wine shops sell it.

Why it matters to you. «Treviso» or «Trieste» on the label means the grapes come from that province and the wine was made there, and since 20 November 2025 Prosecco DOC bottles carry a tricolour state seal against counterfeiting. ¹⁵ Prosecco is not Champagne: the bubbles usually form in the tank, not in the bottle. ⁷ The WHO stresses that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. ⁶