North Italy is a melting pot of cultures and landscapes. Flag-bearers for these northern regions include Barolo and Amarone, but there’s so much more to discover.

And with changes in winemaking and the impact of climate change, new opportunities are opening up for wines which previously languished in the background.

In an interview for Decanter with Tim Atkin MW all the way back in 2010, renowned winemaker Angelo Gaja declared that Italy’s future would lie with white wines.

But one grape variety he omitted to mention was Cortese, the most widely planted dry white variety in Gaja’s native Piedmont.

Let’s start there, therefore, and then look at six other exciting areas in northern Italian winemaking.

Gavi’s renewed ambition

Cortese’s finest expression is in the wines of Gavi and Gavi di Gavi, yet despite healthy sales in both the UK and USA, Gavi has not always been renowned for premium quality.

However, today’s warmer growing conditions combined with a greater belief in the area’s potential, and savvy marketing campaigns are changing all that, and the wines now are far better than they ever been before.

Alto Adige’s flagship white

Though not a native variety – and despite fierce competition – Pinot Bianco (aka Pinot Blanc/Weißburgunder) has become the standout white grape of the Alto Adige, with its magical combination of succulence, freshness and balance.

Versatility is key: whether producing excellent whites for youthful drinking and medium- to long-term ageing, or as the backbone of an increasing number of spectacular local blends, it is the default choice these days.

Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair and columnist Andrew Jefford agrees: ‘Nowhere else does Pinot Bianco like the Alto Adige!’

Sauvignon Blanc’s Collio renaissance

Sauvignon Blanc is a highly prized variety in neighbouring Friuli-Venezia Giulia, but the wines haven’t always lived up to their billing.

Rampant thiols (think passion fruit and cat’s pee) have too often obscured the strong sense of terroir typical in areas like the Collio with its distinctive ponca soils (mineral-rich marl and sandstone).

A less intrusive approach to winemaking favouring indigenous yeasts, slightly warmer fermentation temperatures, and careful use of large oak barrels is starting to have the desired effect and we are beginning to see more ripe, silky textures and salty, mineral notes in the finest examples of Collio Sauvignon.

Valpolicella’s fresh face

According to New Generation Valpolicella’s spokesman Piergiovanni Ferrarese of Villa Spinosa, one of the under-40s winemaker group’s main challenges is to lavish the same care and attention on the Valpolicella Superiore category that growers have previously saved for Amarone.

This frequently means dedicating individual vineyards to the production of Superiore, rather than creaming off the pick of the crop for the appassimento process, and using only freshly harvested grapes to make the wine.

Flying in the face of the success that the appassimento-based wines (Amarone and Ripasso) have brought the area, these wines focus on freshness and elegance – the two defining features of the best Valpolicella.

Schiava’s old vines

How gratifying to see a Santa Maddalena (and moreover, one with bottle age) reap a Platinum Medal at the DWWAs in 2025! The grape here is Schiava (aka Vernatsch), as it is for the Lago di Caldaro denomination which also claimed a Value Gold.

While many Schiava vineyards were pulled up in the 1980s to make way for white grapes, those that remain often have very old vines – some over a century old.

Could this much maligned local variety be about to challenge Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) as Alto Adige’s flagship red? Tastes change and sleek, light, aromatic reds are booming…

Nebbiolo’s Alpine alter ego

While we mainly associate the variety with Piedmont, the notion of Alpine Nebbiolo is gaining traction. Lombardy’s Valtellina remains an underrated and overlooked source of fragrant and elegant reds; the grape, known locally as Chiavennasca, offers the most Pinot Noir-like expression of the Nebbiolo variety.

Though fêted for Sforzato, which like Amarone relies on semi-dried grapes, representative examples from the lesser known denominations of Valtellina Superiore and Valtellina Rosso bring ethereal lightness, finesse and balance associated with Alpine reds to the party.

Add in spectacular, high altitude terraced vineyards with over 2,500 kilometres of dry stone walls and the mystery of why these delightful wines are not more highly sought after only deepens!

Asolo Prosecco’s Extra Bruts

Northern Italy’s most popular wine remains Prosecco. A lot of it is cheap fizz, bought and sold mainly on price, but Asolo Prosecco, for example, is really bucking that trend.

Many of them declare a vintage (versus Prosecco DOC, most of which is non-vintage) and the denomination is pioneering the Extra Brut category with between 0-9g/l of residual sugar – the driest category.

These Proseccos look and taste like the real deal, and growing numbers of estates are regularly achieving exemplary levels of quality. Tasting is believing and, as in Valtellina, the wines are living up to the promise of some outstanding vineyard scenery.

One feature unites these wines: they all share a tremendous sense of place. Great vineyards, attentive winemaking with minimal intervention and a return to the use of larger older, more neutral barrels for ageing are allowing wineries to concentrate on making their products stand out from the crowd.

It’s what makes Italian wine so exciting: its all-embracing diversity, once viewed as a source of confusion, has become its strength.

Get a taste of this year’s trends:

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National Prosecco Day is celebrated annually on 13 August, and what better way to join the celebrations than by popping open an award-winning bottle of the bubbles?

Recently announced, Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) 2025 results saw 173 Prosecco wines awarded a medal by some of the world’s leading wine experts, including one Platinum and seven Golds (two of which are Value Golds – wines under £15).

Well-crafted wines can be found from Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, with the Platinum medal (97 points) awarded to a wine from Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze and four Gold medals (95-96 points) awarded to Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore.

Scroll down to discover 15 top-scoring Prosecco wines from DWWA 2025

Established in 2009, and updated in 2019 to include the official identification of 43 hillside sites or ‘Rive,’ wines from this DOCG have attributed to the recent surge in Prosecco quality, accompanying this wine’s rise in global popularity. At this year’s competition, Nebbia, Brut, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore Rive 2024 received a Gold medal with 95 points.

But it’s not just quality to note of the top-scoring Proseccos from DWWA 2025 – there’s style to consider too, with various examples ranging from floral and fruity characteristics to savoury and nutty.

As a guide, in both Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, Proseccos tend to be more fruity in character, whereas to their west, the smaller DOCG Asolo Prosecco produces styles that are more mineral, savoury and linear.

For complexity, quality and a diversity of styles and sub-regions, the below 15 award-winning Prosecco wines from Veneto are well worth a try this National Prosecco Day and beyond. Discover many more on our results site at awards.decanter.com

What will you be toasting National Prosecco Day with? Share with us on social @decanterawards.

DWWA 2025: 15 award-winning Prosecco wines to try

Ruggeri, Brut, Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze 2023

Platinum, 97 points

Exuberant lemon blossom, ripe pear and apple aromas glisten over the creamy mousse which ripples elegantly through the palate. A fine tension of acidity adds to the charm and culminates in a lush tropical fruit finale. Alcohol 11.5%

Dei Vescovi, Brut, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore 2023 magnum

Gold, 95 points

Enchanting sweet florals, pears and citrus vibrate across the tangy palate, with a soft, supple mousse, salty acidity and freshly cut melon note to end. Alc 12%

Le Manzane, 20.10 Extra Dry, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore 2023

Gold, 95 points

A rush of green apple and lemon energy leaps over the nose and palate with a soft, bready note to follow. Creamy and fresh with a salty finish. Alc 11.5%

Montelvini, Collezione Serenitatis Extra Dry, Prosecco Asolo Superiore NV

Value Gold, 95 points

Delicate fresh green pear and apple infuse gently with the creamy abundance of the mousse, perfectly underpinned by a firm acidity and lush, sweet lemon length. Alc 11.5%

Nebbia, Brut, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore Rive 2024

Gold, 95 points

Scatterings of fresh herbs, jasmine flowers and lemon rind dance under the nose and linger over the fleshy nectarine palate. Long and vital with a fine perlage. Alc 11.5%

Spar, Extra Dry, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore NV

Value Gold, 95 points

Authentic and pure with green apple, lemon and pear fruits which merge flawlessly with the supple, orange blossom mousse. Zippy and crisp on the finish. Alc 11%

Terre del Cima, Extra Dry, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore 2023

Gold, 95 points

Brilliant lemon and apple flavours with hints of almond and bread. Dazzlingly fresh and limpid with a refined mousse and beautiful saline finish. Shows great typicity. Alc 11.5%

Naonis, Extra Dry, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore 2024

Silver, 94 points

Wonderful freshness and fruit with lemon and green apple characters leading on to a harmonious palate with a long, fine mousse. Alc 11.5%

Tenuta degli Ultimi, Biancariva Collalto Brut, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore Rive 2013

Silver, 93 points

A complex, mature style with lots of dried flower, honey and bruised-apple fruit. Very dry palate, fresh and structured, vibrant. Alc 11.5%

Andreola, Col del Forno Brut, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore Rive 2024

Silver, 92 points

Restrained aromatics of lemon rind, white flowers and pear. Complex and zesty on the palate with a fine mousse. Alc 11.5%

Biancavigna, Extra Dry, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore 2024

Silver, 92 points

Hints of alpine meadow and yellow fruit on the nose. Fresh notes of flowers, minerals and sea breeze with a lively finish. Alc 11.5%

Col Vetoraz, Dry, Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze 2024

Silver, 92 points

Fine bubbles and a citrus, acacia nose with pear and marzipan suggestions. Lovely texture, complexity and persistence. Alc 11.5%

Divigna, Valderustè Biologico Extra Brut, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore 2024

Silver, 91 points

Exuberant pear, blossom and white peach aromatics. Lovely purity. Bright and drier than expected on the palate; nice creamy mousse. Alc 11.5%

Luca Ricci, Le Fade Extra Dry, Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore NV

Silver, 91 points

Fragrant almond, lemon and subtle brioche notes on the nose. Elegant with subtle stone fruit characters and a mineral finish. Alc 11%

Sacchetto, Fili Prosecco Extra Dry, Prosecco NV

Silver, 91 points

Clean, floral nose with apple and elderflower characters. Rich and complex palate with fresh, linear acidity and good length. Alc 11.5%

Search all DWWA 2025 results

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In the beginning, there was only one Prosecco: Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene, recognised (initally as a DOC) by Italian wine law in 1969.

Served in households whose kitchen shelves boasted copies of late restaurateur Russell Norman’s Polpo, it broke into the UK as a cool, casual, unpretentious sparkling wine.

By the late 2000s, demand outstripped supply and in 2009, the original Conegliano Valdobbiadene region was elevated to DOCG status, along with neighbouring Asolo, while a new Prosecco DOC was created across a vast area of northeast Italy, running from Vicenza in the Veneto to Trieste on the Slovenian border.

Scroll down for Jason’s pick of Prosecco Superiore

Although the subsequent boom was good for producers in both zones, growers in the original heartlands are now increasingly concerned that their DOCG wines are being perceived as little more than higher-priced Prosecco DOC.

Enter Diego Tomasi, current director of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene consorzio, who has made it his mission to highlight the unique qualities of Prosecco Superiore DOCG and demonstrate what makes it truly superior(e) to Prosecco DOC.

Prosecco Professore

Quietly spoken and elegantly dressed, Tomasi brings with him a wealth of technical knowledge from a distinguished career in the prestigious Conegliano Scuola Enologica wine school.

Affectionately known as Il Professore, his work has demonstrated that complex soils, steep slopes, lower yields and hand harvesting make better wines.

‘Not all Prosecco is created equal,’ Tomasi says. ‘Prosecco Superiore comes from an old terroir. Glera is our indigenous variety and it has been here for 300 years. It is not like the DOC area, where other varieties were removed to plant Glera just because there was a market.’

Under Tomasi’s directorship, new initiatives are being enacted to distinguish Prosecco Superiore DOCG from the wines made on the plains, which are sold as Prosecco DOC.

It’s a challenge; consorzio data for 2023 show that the DOC produced 618 million bottles, overshadowing the DOCG’s 92.5m – meaning Prosecco Superiore is considerably harder to find than the ubiquitous Prosecco DOC.

Tomasi has devoted his professional life to this territory, however, and he is determined to try.

The Rive

One of his focuses has been the 43 Rive (pronounced ‘REE-veh’), created in 2009 when the DOCG was formed, and which currently make up about 4.2% of the vineyard surface.

All Rive wines must display both the name of the Riva and a vintage date on the bottle.

‘A Riva is a steep vineyard that has complex soils, lower yields and a unique microclimate,’ Tomasi says. ‘Only in these sites do we have the maximum expression of aroma.’

Demanding terrain

The vertiginous Rive vineyards are much less fertile than those on the DOC plains, meaning yields here are limited to a maximum of 13,000kg/ha, similar to (and in some instances, and particular sites, lower than) those in Champagne.

‘If you go over this, to 18 tonnes per hectare as in the DOC, you lose a lot of Glera’s flavour,’ Tomasi remarks. The landscape might be picturesque, but growing and harvesting grapes here is nothing short of heroic.

On these daunting slopes, it’s thought to take between 600 and 800 hours a year to work one hectare of vines, compared to about 150 hours on the mechanised DOC plains. Everything has to be done by hand and on foot, and vines are often planted on narrow, hard-to-work terraces less than a metre wide, known locally as ciglioni.

The value of the Rive isn’t just in terroir expression, but also as a focus for sustaining the agricultural heritage of the region.

‘The Rive express hard work, human tenacity, the beauty of the landscape and the union between the vine and its caretaker,’ Tomasi says.

A new approach

Beyond the vineyards, Prosecco Superiore producers are exploring more ambitious methods of making their wines.

While most Prosecco DOC is bottled within a month or two of fermentation, producers in the DOCG are experimenting with keeping the wine in contact with the fermentation yeasts for longer.

Extended lees contact, from four to six months, can ‘create aromatic complexity, harmonise the flavours and enhance the creaminess of the bubbles’, according to Tomasi.

At Ruggeri, winemaker Fabio Roversi has been experimenting with extending lees contact from several weeks, which is typical, to several months or more.

‘At the end of secondary fermentation, we have a resting period of the wine in the autoclave for up to six months, which adds a delicate flavour of breadcrumbs and yeast,’ he says. ‘We want to show how Glera can evolve and gain complexity.’

Nearly all Prosecco Superiore is made using the Martinotti method, which requires a second fermentation under pressure in a specialised tank called an autoclave. This process was developed in Conegliano, and was at one point as unique to Prosecco as the traditional method was to Champagne.

Prior to the production of the first Martinotti-method Prosecco in 1939, the wines were made according to the ancestral method, involving a second fermentation in bottle.

But unlike the traditional method practised in Champagne (also a secondary fermentation in the bottle), ancestral method wines aren’t disgorged of their sediment or given a dosage (the addition of sugar solution before the bottle is resealed), leaving them cloudy and often bone dry.

Growing in popularity

Since 2019, this method has been sanctioned in the DOCG under the name sui lieviti (‘on the lees’). Although current production volumes are comparatively small, Tomasi notes that interest is growing, as the wines lend themselves more easily to pairing with food.

Sales of this style were up by 5% in 2024, to 157,400 bottles, according to the consorzio. Producers such as L’Antica Quercia (above) believe that sui lieviti Prosecco can mature and improve in the bottle, just like a still wine.

Its ‘A’ 2020 is a convincing argument for this style. Reevaluating the received wisdom on lees ageing has also led producers to question the assumption that Prosecco is best drunk in the first year after bottling.

‘Prosecco Superiore can evolve pleasantly over three to five years,’ Tomasi explains. ‘The result is a more grown-up, mature version.’

Some producers now hold wines back in their cellars to gauge the evolution in bottle, although the early signs are that the sui lieviti wines offer much more character after a few years than Martinotti-method Prosecco, due to the preservative qualities of the lees and Glera’s delicate nature.

Evolving styles & pairing with food

In the past, Prosecco Superiore was predominantly extra dry, with a dosage of 12-17g/L balancing out naturally high acids to give an off-dry sparkling wine. This remains the most popular style, accounting for more than half of production, and there are many superb examples, such as the Giustino B from Ruggeri.

But a warming climate has delivered lower acidities than in the past, meaning that – as in other sparkling wine regions – there has been a trend towards lower dosage and a drier style.

Today, brut (theoretically 0-12g/L, but typically not below 6g/L) and extra brut (under 6g/L) are growing rapidly in popularity; according to Tomasi, brut’s market share has risen from 20% in 2014 to 40% in 2024.

Over the same period, extra brut has risen to 3% from almost zero.

Andrea Miotto (second generation winemaker at Cantina Miotto) suggests: ‘Although the extra dry is better for an aperitivo, brut is something that matches well with small, simple dishes. Think about the traditional food of Venice and try sardines, crostini or baccala [salted cod], or even some risotto.’

The next generation

Looking to the future, Tomasi is especially proud of a new initiative called the Young Club, founded in April 2023 and designed to bring together younger generations working in the DOCG.

‘We rely on their desire to improve, their sensitivity to sustainability issues and their ability to embrace change,’ he says. More than 70 individuals under the age of 35 participate, and members hold a variety of roles in the wine industry.

Anna Nardi, director and brand ambassador at Perlage Winery – an organic pioneer – is part of the group.

‘We want to bring fresh ideas and identify areas for improvement,’ she says. ‘It’s inspiring to see young minds collaborating to nurture historic denominations, and refreshing to see competitors viewing one another as colleagues and, often, friends.’

The group’s objectives are to enhance quality, improve communication and increase sustainability. Research trips to Champagne and Franciacorta have been organised, and market research is being undertaken to find out how young drinkers feel about Prosecco Superiore DOCG.

What’s in a name…

But there is one final challenge for Tomasi. The contorted, syncopated vineyards of the DOCG heartlands seem to be reflected in its tongue-twisting name: Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG – and that’s before you even add the name of the Rive.

Tomasi acknowledges that this creates the wrong kind of mouthful, even for native Italian speakers. Consultations are underway to find something catchier, without losing the word ‘Prosecco’, which has its historical origins in these hills.

It’s a slow process so, for now, the easiest way to rediscover the original Prosecco is to look for the ‘G’ in DOCG on the label, and experiment with the top-quality wines being produced under Rive designations.

Jason’s pick of Prosecco Superiore

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Mother’s Day falls on Sunday 30 March in the UK this year, when the trees are beginning to blossom, buds are breaking and there are signs of new life.

Flowers, plants and bulbs make for wonderful presents on Mothering Sunday, but your gifting skills can be elevated by a bottle or two of sparkling wine.

The list of recommendations below includes varying styles of sparkling wine from classic Champagne and Crémant to English sparkling and Prosecco. Prices range from under £20 to over £100.

Scroll down to see our selection of sparkling wines for Mother’s Day

Quick guide to sparkling wine styles:

• Champagne – Mostly made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, this must come from the French region of Champagne. It’s produced using the traditional method, with secondary fermentation taking place in the bottle.
• Traditional method – This refers to wines made using the same method as Champagne, where a second fermentation takes place in the bottle. The key examples are:
• Cava – Sparkling wine from Spain using both native grapes, such as Xarel·lo and Parellada, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Reserva and Gran Reserva Cavas undergo extended ageing in bottle, bringing additional complexity.
• English sparkling wine – The cool climate and limestone soils in southern England are similar to those in Champagne, producing many fantastic sparkling wines.
• Franciacorta – From the northern Italian region of Lombardy, this serious traditional method wine can be both fresh and complex.
• Crémant – There are eight appellations in France where Crémant sparkling wines can be produced, and local grape varieties tend to be used. Examples include Crémant de Bourgogne, Crémant de Limoux and Crémant de Loire.
• Other very good traditional method sparkling wines can be found in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.
• Prosecco – Made in the Veneto region of northeast Italy from the Glera grape, using the tank – or charmat – method.
• Pétillant naturel – This is in fact the oldest method of making sparkling wine, also known as méthode ancestrale. Unlike Champagne, the wine is bottled before it finishes its first fermentation, so the bubbles develop in the bottle. They can be slightly cloudy due to sediment, fairly low in alcohol, with a gentle fizz and sometimes a touch of sweetness. For the more adventurous mothers out there, what’s not to like!

At a glance: top picks for Mother’s Day

Top Champagne pick under £50:

Ayala, Brut Nature, Champagne, France

Top supermarket Champagne pick:

Alexandre Bonnet, Waitrose Brut, Champagne, France NV – £24.99

Top splash-out Champagne pick:

Champagne Stroebel, Pour Toi! Brut Nature, Champagne, France – £119

Top traditional method pick:

Clotilde Davenne, Brut Extra, Crémant de Bourgogne, Burgundy, France – £20.95

Top Prosecco pick:

Bele Casel, Col Fondo Agricolo, Colli Trevigiani, Veneto, Italy 2021 – £22

Top off-the-beaten-track pick:

Domaine Giachino, Don Giachino, Vin Mousseux de France, Savoie 2019 – £36

Sparkling wines for Mother’s Day:

The wines below were tasted by Decanter’s editorial team and experts.

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You might find yourself looking at a supermarket shelf lined with bottles of Prosecco – as one does – to find that some are labelled as frizzante (plural, frizzanti) and others as spumante (plural, spumanti). Are they any different? Are they both in fact Proseccos?

They certainly can be. But they are indeed different, with each term denoting certain technical and stylistic characteristics.

Frizzante (fizzy) and spumante (sparkling) are Italian terms for sparkling wines with different levels of effervescence, i.e. with a different amount and strength of dissolved carbon dioxide (released in the form of bubbles when the bottle is opened). Wines labelled as frizzanti are only gently sparkling, while spumanti wine has significantly more pressure and bubbles.

Although regulations can vary slightly within each PGI or DOC, general regulations – harmonised across the EU for analogous terms – are as follows:

• Frizzante wines have between 1 and 2.5 bars of pressure at 20˚C. They are, by law, defined and referred to as semi-sparkling, and classified and taxed as still wines. Frizzanti can be released to market on crown cap.
• Spumante wines have a minimum of 3 bars of pressure at 20˚C. For quality sparkling wine, for example, one with a PDO or DOC, the minimum pressure is 3.5. (Note that most quality sparkling wines – such as Franciacorta, champagne or crémant – are sold with a pressure of between 5 and 6 atmospheres). Spumanti need to be released to market under cork and cage due to safety requirements (crown caps would not safely hold the pressure).

How is frizzante made

The amount of fizz in a sparkling wine is determined by the winemaking method and the amount of sugar added for the secondary fermentation, if there is one (more on that below). The latter will affect the amount of sugar that the yeasts consume during alcoholic fermentation, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide that is trapped inside the wine. This is released when the bottle is opened, producing those delightful bubbles.

By controlling the length of the fermentation or refermentation, either in vat or bottle, winemakers can condition the final style of wine – the longer the fermentation (i.e. the more sugars consumed and more carbon dioxide released), the more bubbles the final wine will have.

Controlled refermentation

Frizzante wines are most commonly a result of second fermentation in tank, in what is called the charmat method. This is the process used for most Proseccos and, by arresting fermentation before all the sugar is transformed into alcohol, a less fizzy and sweeter wine can be produced.

If this refermentation happens in bottle – as per the traditional method – we have what is called a ‘Rifermentato in bottiglia’. These are often a bit cloudy given that the remaining dead yeasts are still in suspension inside the bottle – like in an undisgorged champagne. The increasingly popular Prosecco Col Fondo is produced this way.

In one go

Instead of a second fermentation, effervescence can be a result of a single fermentation completed in bottle – the méthode ancestrale (ancestral method) of pétillant naturel fame. This effectively entails the conclusion of the first alcoholic fermentation – partially done in a fermentation vessel and temporarily suspended (usually by cooling the liquid) – after the wine is bottled, to then trap some carbon dioxide during the conclusion of the process. These wines are also often left undisgorged (sui lievitti) and sold under crown cap. Prosecco Col Fondo can also be produced this way.

Moscato d’Asti, on the other hand, relies on a partial alcoholic fermentation performed under pressure, in tank, so that carbon dioxide is not lost. Once alcohol level reaches 5%abv, the liquid is chilled and filtered to remove the yeasts, thus producing a slightly fizzy wine with the natural sweetness of the unfermented sugar.

Carbonation

In the case of carbonation, winemakers simply need to control the amount of carbon dioxide artificially added to the wine to achieve the desired frizzante style.

Styles and regions to look out for:

– Prosecco DOC – although most Proseccos fall under the spumante category (and all those at DOCG level are required to be fully sparkling, unless they are Col Fondos), there are Prosecco Frizzanti and Prosecco Col Fondo

– Emilia-Romagna – Lambrusco

– Piedmont – Moscato d’Asti (taste an Asti Spumante alongside to fully understand the difference in fizz levels); Barbera Frizzante; Freisa d’Asti

– Oltrepò-Pavese – Barbera Frizzante

When to drink frizzante

Frizzanti are inherently drinkable and enjoyable, making for ideal aperitifs and party crowd pleasers. But they are also versatile food companions, due to their subtle fizz and – especially in the rifermentato, sui lieviti iterations – incredible texture. Lambrusco with cheese, charcuterie and/or pizza is a classical pairing, but try also a Moscato d’Asti with roast chicken or sushi, a Prosecco Col Fondo with grilled prawns or a chilled Barbera Frizzante with barbecued meat and/or vegetables.

And does the level of fizz change the flavour of the wine itself? Strictly speaking, the amount of carbon dioxide does not affect a wine’s flavour. It can, however, affect our perception of aroma and flavour compounds. On the other hand, frizzante is generally intended as a fresh, openly aromatic, fruit-driven style, markedly different from traditional method sparkling (such as Champagne or Franciacorta) in which secondary and tertiary aromas, derived from winemaking and ageing, tend to predominate. Frizzanti tend to be made from grapes with a distinct varietal flavour profile, purposefully kept through the production process, making them usually very tasty wines.

What is frizzante called outside Italy

Semi-sparkling styles are, of course, not exclusive to Italy.

Here is a brief breakdown of the styles and nomenclature in other countries:

– Spain – as vino de aguja – Txakoli, from the Basque country, produces great examples, with incredible mineral drive and salinity.

– Portugal – as vinho frizante – Vinho Verde is the quintessential example, producing gently prickly wines, both white and red, ideal for summer drinking. But the country is also producing exciting pet-nats, especially in the Tejo and Lisboa DOCs.

– France – as vin pétillant – gently fizzy Muscadet is an absolute classic, perfect alongside an oyster platter.

– Germany – as perlwein.

And of course Pét-nat (pétillant naturel), in France and beyond, has had an exciting comeback, now featuring in wine bars across the globe.

Six Frizzanti to try:

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Prosecco DOC is Italy’s leading wine denomination in terms of both volume and value, producing more than 616 million bottles in 2023, according to annual data from the Prosecco DOC consorzio. And as its popularity continues to soar, quality remains impressively consistent. This year’s Decanter World Wine Awards saw a total of 75 Bronze and Silver medals in all awarded to Prosecco DOC & DOC Treviso wines (with one Gold, for the Il Colle, Prosecco Treviso Extra Dry), while the equivalent total at DWWA 2023 was 74.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 12 top Prosecco DOC picks

Representing the largest protected zone, covering 28,000ha across the northerly regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, the DOC wines are often overlooked in favour of those of the more prestigious Prosecco Superiore DOCG, from a smaller area that lies between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in Treviso province. However, with fewer rules and restrictions under DOC regulations, growers are embracing the freedom and flexibility that come with the territory.

Evolving with consumer expectations and international preferences, Prosecco DOC wines are becoming drier and more nuanced, with better balance and a greater regard for terroir. Even more impressive is how winemakers are responding to the shift towards sustainable production of wine while continuing to retain affordability. Eight of the 12 wines that follow can be purchased for less than £15 a bottle, and all bar one below £20. Of these, a quarter are certified organic. Across the DOCs, meanwhile, more than half of producers express a commitment to reducing their impact on the environment and increasing their sustainability, either by launching their own environmental projects (such as La Gioiosa for Life), making use of renewable energy, or attaining sustainability certification via Equalitas, the national wine supply chain environmental body set up in 2015 by the Federdoc confederation and Unione Italiana Vini.

Indeed, on his recent election as new Prosecco DOC consorzio president, Giancarlo Guidolin of producer Viticoltori Ponte emphasised that key priorities for the organisation will involve ‘maintaining production quality, ensuring sustainability, and focusing on consumers and the local communities to which we are deeply connected’.

While Prosecco DOC remains a staple for celebrations, the quality of the wines listed below shows its potential for more than just parties. Our recommended selection includes wines from UK supermarkets, high street chains and independent merchants.

Prosecco DOC: A dozen standout buys

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In between still and spumante wine styles, frizzante used to be a staple of osterie and traditional trattorie in many regions of Italy. In Campania the bubbles softened the searing acidity of Asprinio; in the Oltrè Po they countered the harsh tannins of the Croatina grape; in Emilia they provided the perfect foil to the richness of the cuisine.

Frizzanti were traditionally made by simply bottling early with a little residual sugar and allowing the fermentation to finish in the bottle. Semi-industrial vat re-fermentation threatened to substitute artisan frizzante, but today it is making a robust comeback – ‘Pet-nat’ is trending.

One Italian online retailer lists over 200 ‘hand-made’ frizzanti, including examples from regions without a sparkling wine tradition, such as Sicily, Puglia and Sardinia.

Scroll down to see notes and scores for 10 Italian frizzante wines

The process

If in the past bottle re-fermentation could be a haphazard process, today it is more controlled. There are two basic systems. The first, a variation of the traditional ‘ancestrale’ method, is to slow down the primary fermentation by keeping the wine at a low temperature before bottling it with the original lees and the residual sugar necessary to kickstart the fermentation.

The alternative is to ferment the base wine completely, add the dosage – usually using some unfermented must from the same grapes, stored at low temperatures – and then bottle. To all intents and purposes, it’s a short turn around metodo classico (traditional method) without the disgorgement.

An artisan frizzante will have a deposit at the bottom of the bottle, and if you tip it gently to put the lees into suspension, you get the slightly veiled look which is the hallmark of the category. A well made frizzante ticks a lot of the boxes of contemporary drinking: it is bone-dry by definition, low in alcohol, and seductively easy to drink.

It is not all about glou-glou, however – we are seeing an increasing number of wines with spontaneous fermentation and extended lees contact, making for a more complex wine with style-defining notes of autolysis.

The prerequisites for the base wine of an artisan frizzante are the same as those for a metodo classico – high acidity and low sugar – but interestingly, frizzante is almost exclusively the domain of native varieties: Glera, Garganega, Verdiso from the Veneto; Ribolla Gialla in Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Lambrusco di Sorbara, the semi-aromatic Pignoletto and the sharp and juicy Spergola from Emilia-Romagna.

Bottoms up

The biggest frizzante production comes from the province of Treviso in Prosecco country, where the style, known as ‘Col Fondo’ (literally ‘with bottom’, the bottom being the lees deposit at the bottom of the bottle) represents the rural tradition at the roots of the world’s favourite modern bubbly.

The Col Fondo version of Prosecco was excluded from the upgrade of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore to DOCG status in 2009, but reintroduced with the new name of ‘Sui Lieviti’ (‘on the lees’) in 2019. There was a catch, however – the Sui Lieviti category only applies to spumante, not to frizzante.

Consequently, a number of producers have refused to accept the new label to remain faithful to the traditional style of Col Fondo, and use a crown cap closure to visually distance themselves from Sui Lieviti.

Others have embraced the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG for their frizzanti. Do note, however, that the ‘Superiore’ name used for Prosecco spumante may not be used for still or frizzante wines.

Some names to look for are: Bele Casel and Bresolin from Asolo; Adami, Antica Quercia, Bellenda, Malga Ribelle, Malibran, Miotto and Spagnol from Conegliano Valdobbiadene.

Wild vines

The other frizzante stronghold in Italy is Emilia. The reputation of Lambrusco plummeted catastrophically as a result of industrial winemaking in the 1990s, but in recent years it has started to regain some of its rightful dignity.

Metodo ancestrale wines represent a drop in the ocean of an average annual production in excess of 50 million bottles [Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco] but they capture the authenticity of a deliciously zestful food wine.

Lambrusco can be made from half a dozen very different grape varieties. The pale Sorbara is the best known, together with the deep ruby and lightly tannic Grasparosso and the wild and brambly Salomino, but there are numerous variations on the theme in a region of great diversity.

In general the style is less leesy than the wines of the Veneto, with more immediate fruit. Alongside their charmat method Lambrusco, the following producers all make excellent metodo ancestrale wines: Bellei, Cantina Sociale di Carpi e Sorbara, Cavicchioli, Cleto Chiarli, Camillo Donati, Vittorio Graziano and Ermete Medici.

Serving suggestions

Serving and drinking frizzanti depends a little on the grape variety and the context, but with the exception of Lambrusco di Sorbabra – which demands an ice bucket – the wines are best cool rather than chilled.

Aficionados drink Col Fondo with the lees in suspension, but if you prefer them clear you can stand the bottle up for a couple of hours and pour carefully, or decant and leave the sediment in the bottle.

The white wines in general make a superb aperitif, but a bottle also disappears in a twinkling with tapas or the cicchetti of Venice. Lambrusco di Grasparossa and the red frizzanti in general are made to drink with rich pasta dishes (nothing beats them with lasagna) and if you find yourself in Naples, the only thing to drink with pizza is a light and spritzy Asprinio.

10 Italian frizzante wines to try:

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Champagne and Prosecco are two of the world's premier sparkling wines and they have some elements in common, but also important differences.

Geographical location, permitted grape varieties, production method and flavour profile all play a role in understanding these two wine styles.

Champagne comes from the eponymous region of northern France, to the east of Paris, while Prosecco is from the northeastern Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, for instance.

What Champagne and Prosecco have in common

Let’s start with some similarities.

Both Champagne and Prosecco are permitted to make rosé sparkling wines; although Prosecco Rosé was only approved in May 2020.

Both are part of France and Italy's respective appellation (denomination) systems – ultimately overseen at EU level.

Vineyards have also been recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. Champagne saw its hillsides, houses and cellars listed by the United Nations body in 2015.

Four years later, UNESCO listed the hillside area in north-east Italy that includes the winegrowing landscape of Prosecco DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita): 'Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene'.

Champagne and Prosecco grape varieties

Champagne can be a blend or single varietal wine, and the region's dominant grape varieties are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

There are eight varieties permitted in total. These include Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, with 'Chardonnay Rose' joining the club last year.

Prosecco is made principally from the Glera grape variety, which must make up at least 85% of the blend.

The variety used to be called 'Prosecco' but its name was officially recognised as Glera in 2009, when the current Prosecco DOC and DOCG zones came into being and were recognised under the EU's Geographic Indications (GI) system.

The move caused a certain amount of controversy in other parts of the world.

Champagne and Prosecco: Production methods

Another key difference between these two wines is how they are made, particularly in terms of how the bubbles are created.

For both Champagne and Prosecco, the base (still) wine undergoes a second fermentation, creating the CO₂ that gives the sparkle.

Champagne is known for the traditional method, while Prosecco is generally produced using the 'tank method'.

In Champagne, the méthode Champenoise or ‘traditional method’ sees the base wine bottled along with yeast and sugars (liqueur de tirage), causing the second fermentation to happen in the bottle.

The wine is then left in contact with the dead yeast cells, so that it can mature. For a non-vintage Champagne the minimum time is 12 months (plus three further months ageing post disgorgement), whereas vintage Champagne must spend three years on its lees.

After this, the yeast needs to be removed. The riddling process rotates and tilts the bottle in small increments so that the sediment collects at the neck.

The neck of the bottle is then frozen and the dead yeast cells released – a process called ‘disgorgement’. Liqueur d’expedition (a mixture of wine and sugar) is used to top up and balance the final wine, in a process known as dosage.

By contrast, many Prosecco producers employ the tank method for the second fermentation.

Rather than being bottled, the base wine is placed in a pressurised tank to which sugar and yeast are added. CO₂ is created and the wine is then filtered to remove the sediment before dosage and bottling.

Champagne and Prosecco: Flavour profiles

These two methods of production can result in quite different flavour profiles for these wines.

The extended contact with the yeast in the traditional method can produce more autolytic flavours – bread, brioche and toast – in some Champagnes, for instance.

The yeast has less of an influence on Prosecco made with the tank method, because there is no extended lees contact.

Most Prosecco is more about the fruit flavour profile of the Glera grape – associated with pear, apple, honeysuckle and floral notes.

However, the wine world often defies generalisations.

Some top Prosecco styles are made with the traditional method or undergo lees ageing, which can result in a more complex wine.

Get first access to DWWA 2026 results on 17 June

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Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW, Andy Howard MW and Susan Hulme MW tasted 198 wines with 1 Outstanding and 27 Highly recommended.

Prosecco: Panel tasting scores

198 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 1

Highly recommended 27

Recommended 138

Commended 23

Fair 7

Poor 2

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their spumante sparkling wines from DOC Prosecco and Prosecco Rosé, DOCG Prosecco Asolo Superiore or DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, with retail pricing at £7.99 or above.

Synonymous with sparkling wine now, Prosecco was relatively unknown outside Italy 20 years ago, yet today it is renowned worldwide, as evidenced by its meteoric rise in popularity – more than 600 million bottles were produced in 2022, of which over 70% is exported globally.

The area in northeast Italy where Prosecco is produced spans just under 40,000ha across the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia; the one constant is Glera, the white grape used for the vast majority of production, known for its fresh acidity and aromatic notes of apple blossom, peaches and lemons. Add carbon dioxide and a touch of residual sugar, and you have a fresh, fruity fizz that goes down a treat.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores from the Prosecco panel tasting

Prosecco is sold under a few denominations related to the area where the grapes are grown. The large Prosecco DOC (28,000ha) is diverse in terroir and is known for fruity, light-bodied wines. In contrast, the DOCG regions of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore (approaching 9,000ha) and Asolo Prosecco Superiore (some 2,000ha) represent the historical centre of production – in the steep foothills of the Alps, they produce wines that are very aromatic but lean and steely, often tasting drier than their DOC counterparts.

Given the vast amount of production, one would expect variations in quality, but our judging panel was pleasantly surprised by the consistency found here, with 83% receiving scores of 86 points or higher. The Prosecco DOC wines were ‘light, easy-drinking wines that were designed for early consumption, but very few elevate themselves above this consistent baseline’, said Andy Howard MW.

For the wines from Prosecco DOC Treviso – a sub-zone of the wider DOC area – Susan Hulme MW found they had ‘in general, more character and better balance’. They were ‘worth looking out for’, according to Howard.

Prosecco DOC Rosé wines were less inspiring: no entries scored above 87pts. ‘It’s as if producers don’t seem sure of what exactly the style for pink Prosecco should be,’ said Howard – the allowed small addition of red wine (15% or less), seemed to mask Glera’s aromatic character in the examples we tasted.

See all Prosecco panel tasting wines

The UK is the top export market for Prosecco Superiore DOCG, so it wasn’t a surprise to see a high number of entries. Both Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG and Asolo DOCG performed well: more than 92% of entries scored 86pts or higher, and 21 wines 90pts or more. This category offers more fruit concentration, with acidity and residual sugar far better balanced than in its DOC counterparts. ‘I liked many of the wines from Asolo DOCG, which had a different, more gentle style than Prosecco DOC,’ said Hulme.

Without a doubt, the standout was Prosecco Superiore di Cartizze DOCG. Cartizze is a 108ha vineyard in Valdobbiadene considered the ‘grand cru’ of the entire region. Three of the four wines tasted were rated 90pts and above, with one (the 195th wine tasted, at the end of two long days!) managing to shine above all the rest and receiving an outstanding score of 95pts (see below).

The takeaway? The Prosecco category offers different things to different consumers. Prosecco DOC proved that, despite the high volumes of production, it still can produce good wines at an affordable price point.

But – as this tasting demonstrated – there are benefits to stretching the budget to a Prosecco Treviso DOC, or a DOCG.

Prosecco panel tasting scores

The judges

Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW is a widely published wine writer, consultant, educator and WSET lecturer. She is a regular judge and contributor for Decanter, and from this year is the DWWA Regional Chair for Tuscany.

Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and a DWWA Regional Chair for categories including Central Italy. A former wine buyer, he now runs his own wine consultancy Vinetrades, focusing on wine education, investment and sourcing.

Susan Hulme MW is a wine writer, editor, educator and presenter specialising in Italy. She runs her own wine training and consultancy company Vintuition and travels regularly to Italian wine regions. Now focusing more on her writing, she is Italian editor for The Wine Independent.

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Be prepared for an overwhelming sense of awe when you see the lush green leaves covering the rolling hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene for the first time, interrupted only by centuries-old stone buildings, brick towers and blue skies. These hills host some of the steepest vineyards in Italy – and some of the best sparkling wines, too, in the form of Prosecco Superiore DOCG.

It’s an area worth exploring over a couple of days in order to admire the manicured hills that have been a UNESCO world heritage site since 2019. And just an hour away lies Venice; a perfect excursion.

The south-facing vineyards which cover the slopes at 100-500m above sea level turn their backs to the forests on the north side of the hills, enjoying all the sun they can get. A moderate climate and a lot of rain, combined with constant winds, allows Glera, the main grape of Prosecco, to thrive. Other local varieties, such as Glera Lunga, Verdiso, Perera and Bianchetta Trevigiana, are also used in small quantities, along with some international grapes including Pinot Noir – which gives its colour to Prosecco rosé, which was approved as a DOC in 2020.

Most of the grapes for Prosecco DOC are grown on the plains, but the Prosecco Superiore DOCG grapes come exclusively from the dense hillside vineyards between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. The even steeper hills of the Cartizze sub-region (just 108ha) and the ‘rive’ (43 individual localities), require heroic harvesting.

According to Elvira Bortolomiol, the current president of the Consorzio of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG (around 430 winemakers), the growth of Prosecco Superiore demonstrates how consumers are appreciating its quality. ‘We believe that the recognition of the hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has played an important role in giving visibility to its territory of origin, to this extraordinary beauty.’

The Prosecco road

The uniqueness of this territory can be best enjoyed on the Prosecco road (‘Strada del Prosecco’), created in 1966. It’s a 90km loop, best enjoyed on a vespa or e-bike. There are also hiking routes – such as the 15 km Prosecco loop (‘Anello del Prosecco’), which winds through some of the Valdobbiadene villages – to leisurely explore the area’s winemaking and gastronomic traditions.

Isidoro Rebuli, president of Strada del Prosecco e Vini dei Colli Conegliano Valdobbiadene, has seen the area grow into a well prepared international tourism destination. He believes that the denomination will continue to claim a higher status by learning from its own history, for example by paying attention to refermentation in the bottle, traditionally called Valdobbiadene Col Fondo.

If you are in the area in May, you might see the cyclists of the Giro d’Italia race whizzing through Valdobbiadene. In June, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Experience offers events such as wine treks, concerts and vineyard picnics. If you are visiting in early October, look for vintage cars in the Centomiglia race cruising along the hills and through the historic villages.

My perfect day in Prosecco

Morning

Wake up at Villa Clementina in San Pietro di Feletto – northwest of Conegliano – and go for a jog in the hills before returning for a breakfast surrounded by vineyards. Enjoy a wine tasting at Sorelle Bronca, where sisters Antonella and Ersiliana Bronca make three exceptional organic Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive in a series called ‘Particelle’ from their historical family plots. They are also behind the Harvey Nichols brand of Prosecco Superiore DOCG, available in the UK.

Afterwards head to Villa Sandi, where you will be accompanied through underground cellars directly into the heart of a Palladian villa and winery. Try the Cartizze Brut – Villa Sandi is one of the first producers of this drier style of Cartizze.

Hop back to the other side of the hill for lunch at Trattoria alla Cima, where you can bite into juicy meat grilled on an open fire or savour a delicate basil risotto.

Afternoon

After lunch, take a tour at Bisol, a winery where you can appreciate the ‘grand crus’ of Prosecco. Bisol has worked hard to take Prosecco Superiore to new markets, and a visit to its historic cellar and a tasting of its crus is nothing short of a revelation. The Bisol1542 Edizione I Gondolieri bottling is the official Prosecco of the Venice Gondolier Association.

After Bisol, head to Bortolomiol winery, one not to miss when talking about Cartizze – or culture. Bortolomiol has restored a small 19th century silk mill and transformed it into a visitor’s centre, where a wine tasting is an education in the variety of Prosecco styles, interwoven with history. Try the Grande Cuvée del Fondatore Motus Vitae, dedicated to Giulio Bortolomiol, the creator of the first Prosecco Brut in 1960.

Then, if you have time, head to Latteria Perenzin in Conegliano for a cheese tasting paired with lesser-known local wines.

Evening

Stop back at base to freshen up and taste Villa Clementina’s range of Proseccos, before heading to Il Capitello restaurant for a luxurious dinner in a rustic setting, where the charismatic Possamai family welcomes you warmly.

Excursions to Venice

When you arrive in Venice (which can be done as a day trip) you will feel like you have stepped into a 16th century painting. Venice is an endless challenge for its own residents (transporting goods along canals, the swarm of tourists in the summer, and the occasional acqua alta). For the rest of us, it’s a gift of godly proportions.

A cicchetti and Prosecco crawl is a must while navigating the maze of calli and canals in Venice. Make sure to stop at Bar All’Arco near the Rialto bridge, the quintessential Venetian bacaro (wine bar) where you can try small bites along with some natural Prosecco.

Enjoy a glass in one of the campi (squares), or standing at a bar counter at the popular Cantine del Vino già Schiavi. Take a sweet break at pasticceria Rosa Salva sitting in Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo – but watch out for the crafty seagulls hoping to steal your treat.

For an authentic seafood experience, dine at one of the established fish restaurants of the city, such as Al Covo or Antiche Carampane. Be sure to book your table in advance.

Venissa – An alternative Venice

To avoid the crowds and to see Venice like never before, consider taking a boat from Altino (a 10-minute drive from Marco Polo Airport) to Venissa wine resort on Mazzorbo island.

Gianluca Bisol (of Bisol Prosecco fame) revived a 1ha piece of land on the island of Mazzorbo to cultivate Dorona, long-thought to be extinct, and produces from this variety a golden-hued wine in handmade Venetian glass bottles, labelled literally with a gold leaf. Venissa has five rooms and hosts an osteria and a Michelin star restaurant. From Mazzorbo you can walk to Burano island, just over a wooden bridge, famous for its lace artisans and colourful houses.

Your Prosecco and Venice address book

Where to stay

Villa Clementina

Formerly known as Tenuta Contarini, a 19th-century farmhouse that has been transformed into a charming relais. Feel at home and let yourself be spoiled by the impeccable hospitality.

Cà Piadera

A farmhouse with comfortable rooms and great views. Enjoy the property’s own wine and produce.

Hotel Villa Abbazia

Treat yourself to this Relais & Châteaux inn, an 18th century mansion between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano with a restaurant and separate bistrot.

Where to eat

Trattoria alla Cima

With refined and homemade seasonal primi, and open-fire grilled meat, Isidoro Rebuli consistently offers good food with lovely views. Try Cima’s own excellent Prosecco Superiore DOCG, as well as other regional wines from the wine list.

Il Capitello

Offering creative antipasti such as picanha with artichokes, and seasonal primi such as asparagus risotto, Il Capitello’s speciality is grilled meat. Impeccable service from a family of restaurateurs.

Venissa

Young Italian chefs Chiara Pavan and Francesco Brutto focus on sustainability and turn the produce of their vegetable garden, along with wild herbs and seafood of the lagoon, into memorable dishes such as vine leaf chips and artemisia ravioli.

Al Covo

Al Covo uses quality ingredients from the Venetian islands and the Adriatic sea, like the pink oysters from the Po Delta, as well as from other regions, such as Chianina beef from Tuscany. Their wine menu is well curated and offers a chance to try excellent Prosecco Sui Lieviti (on the lees).

Antiche Carampane

This historical restaurant offers skillfully prepared traditional seafood specialities. Try classics like sardines in saor, or cuttlefish in ink. In the spring and autumn, don’t miss the fried moeche (soft-shell crab). The wine list includes a good selection of organic and natural wines.

What to do

Say cheese

Visit Latteria Perenzin for award-winning cheeses such as inbriago, aged in Glera grape pomace. Contact the lovely owner, Erika, for a private visit of the ageing cellar or to book an aperitivo with cheese tasting.

Give Grappa a chance

For a change of grape scene, visit Distilleria Bonaventura Maschio to see copper distillers and taste the Prime Uve Grappa distilled from fresh grapes. If you have more time, head west to Bassano del Grappa and visit Capovilla – be amazed by more than 60 types of Grappa made from various (some wild) fruits and herbs.

Appreciate art through food

When in Venice, visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia to admire The Feast in the House of Levi by Paolo Veronese, painted in 1573 and covering an entire wall.

Prosecco: How to get there

The nearest airport is Venice Marco Polo Airport. Conegliano is just a 30-minute drive north from the airport (about 50km). The smaller Treviso airport is closer to the wine region (about 35km) but less serviced.

Fast trains bring you to Venezia Santa Lucia train station from Milan (2.5 hours) or Rome (four hours), where you can exit straight onto a canal – as nowhere else in the world.

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When the Prosecco DOC was written into law in 2009, along with two DOCGs – the hilly prominences of Asolo and Conegliano Valdobbiadene – it meant that Prosecco could now be produced in a 250km-wide zone encompassing nine provinces, from Vicenza in Veneto to Trieste in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

It was a vast expansion from the traditional centre of production of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, which had been recognised as a DOC since 1969. Whether this was down to the need to embrace the town named Prosecco, located in Trieste, to justify the naming of the new DOC, or that the minister of agriculture responsible for signing on the dotted line, Luca Zaia, was from Conegliano (and the following year was appointed president of Veneto, a position he has held ever since), the fact is that these game-changing moves turned Prosecco into a powerhouse whose ascent seems unstoppable.

Scroll down for a selection of top Proseccos to try

But, nearly 15 years on, the key questions are: have consumers begun to tire of Prosecco’s typical apple, pear and flowers profile; and is there more to this area than affordable bubbles?

Onwards & upwards

The answer to the first question seems to be a resounding ‘no’. Production of Prosecco DOC alone is now approximately double that of Champagne: 627.5m bottles were produced in 2021 according to the consorzio’s president Stefano Zanette, demonstrating that demand is higher than ever. Additionally, the consorzio altered its production regulations in late-2020 to bring sparkling rosé wines into the fold, which had long been produced in the area but were previously not permitted to be labelled under the DOC.

The first vintage was released in 2021, to the tune of some 71.5 million bottles. A minimum of 85% Glera, with up to 15% Pinot Noir vinified as red and farmed at lower yields – the rosé wine spending at least 60 days in the autoclave (large pressurised tanks) rather than the 30 days required for the whites – Prosecco DOC Rosé has been positioned as a quality product from the off. Notably, it must be the product of a single year, unlike its white counterpart, which can be either a non-vintage or vintage product. Rather than opening the floodgates to a sea of cheap and cheerful pink fizz, the consorzio tightened up the regulations sufficiently to position the product as a calling card for Prosecco DOC’s quality.

The Asolo and Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCGs are both in the province of Treviso – another name you’re likely to see on labels since it’s a designated sub-zone of the Prosecco DOC (as is Trieste). Such is the stunning beauty of the rural, hilly landscape here that things feel faintly ‘Tolkien’: an environment of streams, pastures and a huge variety of flora and fauna, including many species of bird, deer – big fans of Glera grapes – and, so I’m told, wolves. South-facing hillsides are bristling with the distinct stripes of the ciglioni (narrow grassy terraces with vines that traverse the slope), interspersed with narrow, winding roads, while north-facing slopes are largely shady woodland. Distant church towers are silhouetted against the sky by the morning and evening sun. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019, the hills are a glorious celebration of what a wine landscape can be; although vines are all around, they are only part of the picture.

Looking local

Asolo Prosecco DOCG covers just 2,000ha of vines, west of the Piave river in the Montello uplands, and producing a little more than 21m bottles in 2021, in stark contrast to the DOC’s 24,450ha (Consorzio Prosecco DOC). The noteworthy early success of Prosecco DOC Rosé led the Asolo Prosecco DOCG consortium to approve a regulation change on 30 June 2021 to allow a rosé version: however, two-thirds of producers reportedly opposed the idea, citing a lack of historic precedent for growing Pinot Noir (unlike Prosecco DOC, which has long farmed the red variety). The clout of the few large producers and their weighted votes managed to push the bill through, but it’s still unclear whether there will be an appeal and if we will see Asolo Rosé anytime soon (source: winenews.it).

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG’s 8,700ha of vines exceeded 100m bottles for the first time in 2021 (Consorzio Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore). The name is certainly a mouthful – roll off the tongue it does not. In a world of 280-character Tweets, contracting wine lists and consumers short on time, it’s a tough sell. What it does do, though, is encapsulate the historical winemaking area, stretching from the heart of production around the town of Valdobbiadene (west of the DOCG by the Piave river) to the town of Conegliano to the east – home to a university, one of Italy’s oldest winemaking schools and a research centre.

Many producers here are prone to championing their local terroir on the bottle, particularly in Valdobbiadene, where producers typically feel a strong connection to the land – some 60% of DOCG production is labelled ‘Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG’, while only about 30% is labelled under the full name. A small minority of 10% even drop both Conegliano and Prosecco and label their wines ‘Valdobbiadene DOCG’ (according to consorzio research, 2018).

It’s laudable that producers want to identify their territory, but it puts the ability for the denomination to market itself effectively at risk – and so the consorzio is working to unite producers under the singular name, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, by the second half of 2023, according to director and renowned agricultural scientist Diego Tomasi.

Aiming high

There are two ‘premium’ products, which the consorzio illustrates as the upper two tiers of a pyramid: the DOCG allows for 43 ‘Rive’, which essentially represent the terroirs of 43 hamlets and are now officially recognised as unità geografiche aggiuntive, or UGAs. Grapes must be handpicked from the steepest slopes at reduced yields, and the wine must be the product of a single vintage. These wines are, generally, superb. They are increasingly being produced in the new (since 2019) extra brut style – off-dry, at 12-17g/L residual sugar – to allow the terroir to shine through and offer a glimpse into the future direction of ‘fine Prosecco’.

At the peak of the pyramid is Superiore di Cartizze. The price for grapes from Cartizze – which is the 107ha jewel in Conegliano Valdobbiadene’s crown and a recognised sub-zone since 1969 – was three times higher (€6/ kg) than the price for grapes from the rest of the DOCG in 2022, according to one producer. Yields are lower even than for Rive, and the average vineyard holding is just one hectare (Consorzio Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore) – most have been passed down through the generations and rarely come up for sale.

This makes Cartizze one of Italy’s most expensive viticultural locations. Land here can fetch up to €1.2m/ha (Italy24 News). To compare, the estimated average price per hectare elsewhere in the DOCG ranges between €350,000 and €500,000. Asolo Prosecco’s average price per hectare is €250,000-€380,000, while Franciacorta (in Lombardy) starts at around €200,000/ha (winenews.it). But is Cartizze a wasted opportunity? Its vineyard valuations don’t seem to translate into anything tangibly ‘grand cru’ that consumers outside the local area might recognise. There’s no denying the quality of the wines made here; it’s just that few have come across them.

Artisan ethic

Despite rosé’s commercial upside, as proven by Prosecco DOC Rosé, Conegliano Valdobbiadene is steadfastly dedicated to its white spumante production. In 2019, Sui Lieviti (full name: Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Spumante Sui Lieviti) was added to the production regulations. This traditionally frizzante style was produced across the region before the introduction of the Charmat method that produces fully sparkling wines, but in recent decades Sui Lieviti has fallen by the wayside as an unfashionable drink – until recently.

The style was historically referred to as ‘col fondo’ (and commonly known in other parts of the world as pét-nat or méthode ancestrale), but a bizarre trademark dispute between the consorzio and two wineries who registered the term ‘colfondo’ has led to the adoption of the ‘Sui Lieviti’ moniker instead.

Meaning ‘on the yeasts’, this name is technically accurate but severs a link to Prosecco’s col fondo past, made worse by the fact that producers wishing to label their wines under the new Sui Lieviti DOCG title must ensure that they are spumante, not frizzante: the 2.5 bars of pressure (frizzante) of the region’s traditional col fondo wines do not make the grade; instead, they must achieve a minimum of 3 bars (spumante).

This will no doubt be good news for producers wanting to market a trendy style under the ‘premium’ DOCG label, and it’s a positive step that this style has been officially recognised and endorsed at all: a sign of the increasing popularity and scope of the artisan movement. But some of Prosecco’s key artisan proponents have eschewed this new category in favour of their historic name. Christian Zago at Ca’ dei Zago in Valdobbiadene, for example, has chosen to roll with the punches and market his exemplary col fondo wines under the Colli Trevigiani IGT label instead.

With three consorzios and a multitude of labels, what many of us think of as a singular ‘Prosecco’ is, in truth, far from it. All three denominations are in rude health, posting record production figures, yet due to commercial and political reasons, their paths seem likely to diverge further rather than cross.

Broad appeal: the variety of taste in Prosecco

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A delegation of wine producers from Victoria’s King Valley met with members of the Australian parliament in Canberra to reinforce their campaign to maintain access to the Prosecco name.

Their visit follows fresh talks between Australia and the EU on a possible free trade deal, which may impact who gets to use the term Prosecco for sparkling wines in the Australian market.

A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Sydney Morning Herald that EU negotiators had wanted to add Prosecco to a list of Geographical Indications (GIs) protected under a pre-existing wine agreement between the two parties.

Prosecco from a defined part northern Italy is a protected GI in the EU, and Italy’s Prosecco DOC Consorzio has also secured trademark rights to the name in several other countries.

It’s a long-running issue for Australian winemakers, who have highlighted that Prosecco existed as a grape variety name prior to Italy creating the Prosecco DOC zone in 2009 and subsequently gaining GI status. The new zone adopted the grape variety name ‘Glera’, a Friulian synonym.

‘It is important to protect access to the name Prosecco as when we planted our vineyards in the late 1990s and early 2000s here in Australia, the grape variety we planted was Prosecco,’ said Natalie Pizzini, of family-owned Pizzini Wines in Victoria’s King Valley.

‘Australian grape and wine producers have invested many millions of dollars in the grape variety and our production is now worth A$200m in annual sales domestically,’ she told Decanter, after visiting parliament this week. Rebranding would require millions of dollars of further investment, she said.

The European Commission reported significant progress in discussions on GIs in general after the latest round of face-to-face trade talks with Australian officials in October. ‘Positions on solutions for prior use conflicts came closer,’ it said, without giving specific details.

‘We know that it is a contentious issue,’ said Pizzini. ‘We can only hope that once negotiations are complete that we all end up with a deal we are happy with.’

She added, ‘We are cautiously optimistic about our ability to continue with the use of the name Prosecco but until the deal is done, we will be championing our cause.’

Italy’s Prosecco DOC Consorzio has said protecting trademark rights is a central mission, and has previously cited the DOC’s strong reputation with consumers.

It recently celebrated protected status in New Zealand, following the country’s trade deal with the EU, as well as trademark registration in China.

Alessandra Zuccato, responsible for Consorzio trademark protection activities, said of the New Zealand deal in August, ‘This protection is particularly significant, given the fact that a country so distant from us recognises that we are a Denomination of Origin and it inhibits, after five years since the implementation of this agreement, the “Australian Prosecco” trading, which sees New Zealand as its number one destination in terms of export.’

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Prosecco secures trademark protection in New Zealand

The agreement formed part of a bilateral trade agreement between the European Union and the Kiwi government.

It affords sparkling winemakers in Veneto trademark protection, ensuring that fizz produced in other countries cannot be labelled ‘Prosecco’ in New Zealand.

This represents another symbolic victory for Prosecco producers in Italy. In December 2021, the Consorzio di Tutela Prosecco DOC celebrated a similar agreement in China.

The Consorzio launched the application for GI protection in China all the way back in 2014, but a trade body called Australian Grape and Wine Incorporated objected.

There are 120ha of Prosecco vineyards planted across 11 regions in Australia. The Dal Zotto family brought cuttings of the grape from Valdobbiadene in Veneto to Australia’s King Valley and planted the first vines in 1999.

A decade later, when government officials in Veneto realised how popular their bubbly was becoming in export markets, they sought to protect it.

However, you can only protect a geographical region – such as Champagne or Scotch whisky – as opposed to a grape. As such, they decided to change the name of the Prosecco grape to its Friulian synonym – Glera – in 2009, and announced that the name Prosecco was for the DOC.

Yet Australia already had its own Prosecco industry by then, and it now produces around 20 million bottles per year.

China did not want to wade into that dispute between Italy and Australia, so it did not approve the consortium’s application.

That all changed when the Australian government called for an international investigation into China’s handling of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan.

Beijing responded by slapping a 212% tariff on imported wine from Australia as a retaliatory measure, causing the country’s wine exports to plummet by 19% in one fell swoop.

It then approved the Consorzio’s recognition for GI status in China to rub further salt into Australia’s wounds.

New Zealand is the number one export market for Australian Prosecco, so the Consorzio is pleased to have secured the latest agreement.

‘This protection is particularly significant, given the fact that a country so distant from us recognizes that we are a Denomination of Origin and it inhibits, after five years since the implementation of this agreement, the “Australian Prosecco” trading, which sees New Zealand as its number one destination in terms of export,’ said Alessandra Zuccato, who oversees trademark protection activities at the Consorzio.

Stefano Zanette, president of the Prosecco DOC, added: ‘The Consorzio has relentlessly undertaken legal actions against the innumerable evocation cases that took place all around the world, operating tenaciously to structure a solid protection basis. Now these great efforts are finally producing the long-awaited results.’

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The combined annual production of Prosecco DOC [exceeding 500 million bottles for the first time in 2020] and Prosecco DOCG [92 million bottles] has long since overtaken that of Champagne, which averages about 300 million bottles shipped annually. And easy accessibility has possibly created a certain over-familiarity and perception of uniformity among consumers. But Prosecco is evolving, offering diverse and exciting new routes into Italy’s most popular sparkling wine, in ways that challenge the stereotypes. As Luca Giavi, director of the Prosecco DOC consorzio says, the mindset needs revising. Today we have to think not of ‘Il Prosecco’, but of the plural ‘I Prosecchi’.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG

Modifications to the production norms in 2019 introduced two new categories into the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG: extra brut (up to 6g/L residual sugar) and the bottle-refermented Sui Lieviti (on the lees). Incidentally, both categories were already officially recognised in the smaller DOCG of Asolo Prosecco, across the Piave river.

Bottle-refermented Prosecco – rather than by the commonly used Charmat ‘tank’ method – has long been produced in the DOCG area, but until recently it lacked official recognition. Following a method pre-dating modern vat refermentation, Sui Lieviti (also known as ‘col fondo’) is made by bottling still wine in early spring with its own sugar and fine lees to make a delicate, finely integrated bubbly and a bone-dry, tangy, citrusminerally character. The issue currently engaging producers is the carbonic pressure of this style of wine. Sui Lieviti is for full-on, bubbly ‘spumante’, while traditional wines, with roughly half the atmospheres, are officially ‘frizzante’.

Many producers, including the prominent Loris Follador at Casa Coste Piane and Christian Zanatta at Ca’ dei Zago, the winemaker who most closely represents the artisan tradition, have preferred not to move up into the spumante category on the grounds that the extra creamy texture that comes with it detracts from the character they wish to achieve in the wine. Others, such as Adami, Marsuret and Sorelle Bronca, make the more sophisticated spumante style without losing the slightly rustic authenticity. Both styles work.

If Sui Lieviti is about bubbles, the debate around the new extra brut category is about sugar. Despite the general trend towards ever drier styles, many producers have preferred not to take up the extra brut option and to stay in the comfort zone of the brut style (up to 12g/L residual sugar), where well-judged residual sugar helps to bring out the fruit and give flesh on the palate, without leaving a sensation of sweetness.

Brut wines tend to be more consistent than extra brut, but it could be argued that with their low sugar, the latter are a more direct expression of terroir. It has to be said, however, that not all sites are equally suited to the production of extra brut, and in this context the steep-sloped Rive sub-zones of the DOCG area acquire particular significance. The generally more subtle, delicately floral wines of Valdobbiadene can come across hard and lean in very dry styles, but can also have an exhilaratingly crisp, incisive purity if from, among others, the Rive of Colbertaldo (Miotto), Santo Stefano (Le Colture), Col San Martino (Bortolomiol), Farra di Soligo (Adami; La Farra), and Farrò (Sorelle Bronca). Wines from Ogliano in the Conegliano side of the DOCG (Biancavigna; Borgo Antico), on the other hand, are naturally broader and more structured, which makes for a very successful, rounded style of extra brut.

If bone-dry Prosecco is an invitation to revise expectations, late-bottled and mature vintages pose even more of a challenge to the common perceptions. In 2014, Paolo Bisol from Ruggeri put to one side a 4,000-litre vat and waited… He released the extraordinarily multifaceted Ruggeri, Cinqueanni (£55 The Great Wine Co) in 2019. The experiment proved that Prosecco can evolve finesse and complexity with age. The current vintage of Nino Franco’s outstanding Grave di Stecca Brut is 2015 (£20.32 Lay & Wheeler) and bottles back to 2008 are drinking perfectly (the 2013 is sublime). Also splendid are the 2016s from BiancaVigna, Merotto’s Cuvée del Fondatore, Bortolomiol’s Grande Cuvée del Fondatore and Ruggeri’s Vecchie Viti from 80-year-old vines (2019, £32.99 Valvona & Crolla). Though these may not be easy to find, they offer a glorious dimension to Prosecco that is rarely glimpsed, but which deserves to be cultivated.

Prosecco DOC Rosé 

The big news from Prosecco DOC in 2021 was the rollout of Prosecco Rosé – which finally received its official approval in late 2020.

Big is the operative word: the initial release was estimated at about 60 million bottles – a demonstration of the extraordinary productive potential of the zone, which stretches from Treviso in the Veneto across Friuli Venezia Giulia to Trieste on Italy’s eastern border with Slovenia.

Take-up of the Rosé DOC has been immediate, not least because more than half of the current Prosecco DOC producers were already making a generic sparkling rosé prior to the arrival of the new denomination. The task of the Prosecco consorzio, which coordinated the various stages of research that led to the creation of the new DOC, was to establish stylistic consistency and quality standards for this heterogeneous production and pave the way for what is destined to become the Italian pink sparkler. It would make an interesting case study.

Prosecco Rosé is based on a quite strictly defined cuvée of 85%-90% Glera and 10%-15% Pinot Nero (vinified as red wine). There was canvassing for the inclusion of native varieties such as Raboso in the Veneto or Refosco in Friuli Venezia Giulia, but Pinot Nero was the logical choice, since it has been widely grown in both regions since the late 19th century.

Refermentation is by the widely used Charmat method, in tank, and wines must age on the lees for a minimum of 60 days. Declaration of the vintage is mandatory.

Much of the research that went into the formulation of the production norms for Prosecco Rosé revolved around the fundamental issue of colour, with micro-vinification experiments juggling the variables of yield, percentages of the blend and time on lees.

The outcome is a shade of pink which corresponds closest to ‘peach’ on France’s Côtes de Provence scale and also, given the presence of Pinot Nero, recalls a pale Sancerre rosé. In terms of sugar levels, nearly three-quarters of the current production is extra dry (12-17g/L) and most of the rest is brut.

The consorzio’s declared objective is to maintain the charm and immediate appeal of Prosecco, with an extra touch of individuality. The first impression, in this regard, is that the wines hit the spot; the Pinot adds a little structure and a note of red fruit to the gentle floral character of the Glera. At the top end of the extra dry scale, the wines may come over a little sugary for some tastes, but the drier Prosecco Rosé styles add a quintessentially Venetian touch to light fish dishes at a candlelit supper.

A selection of high-scoring Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG and Prosecco DOC Rosé:

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There are eight appellations in France where Crémant sparkling wines can be produced, including well-known names such as the Loire, Burgundy and Alsace, but did you know that Crémant can also be made in the Rhône and the Jura?

The grape varieties used in the production of Crémant across France vary, and depend largely on each region’s production rules. But what remains the same across all eight Crémant appellations is the production method – the way in which the wine achieves its sparkle.

Crémants are made using the traditional method – the same method used for Champagne, where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle.

Which grape varieties are used in Crémant wines?

Grape varieties depend on locality and will draw on the varieties used to make the still wines of each region.

Chenin Blanc dominates Crémant de Loire, while Pinot Noir and Chardonnay form the backbone of Burgundy Crémant.

Crémant d’Alsace will use mostly Pinot Blanc, whereas in Bordeaux, red varieties tend to be used – Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside the region’s whites such as Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

The Clairette grape variety holds the fort in Crémant de Die wines, often alongside Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Aligoté.

While Chardonnay is used for Crémants from the Jura, Limoux and Savoie, it is often blended with corresponding local varieties: Pinot Noir, Poulsard and Savagnin for Jura; Chenin Blanc, Mauzac and Pinot Noir for Limoux; and Jacquère, Altesse and Chasselas for Savoie.

The use of these local varieties in blends lends a unique flavour profile to each Crémant.

See a complete style guide to French Crémant, plus 120 wines tasted

Crémant has been making waves with retailers for the past few years and is now commonplace in both independents and supermarkets. This partly reflects the wines’ ability to offer value-for-money, but also extends and adds interest to a retailer’s range beyond Champagne, Prosecco and Cava.

Which French regions produce Crémant?

In order to label a sparkling wine as Crémant, each region must seek approval from France’s national appellation body, the INAO; an often joyless, bureaucratic procedure that can take years to reach fruition.

The following are the eight Crémant appellations in France, of which Crémant de Savoie is the most recent, approved by the INAO in 2014:

• Crémant de Bordeaux
• Crémant de Bourgogne
• Crémant d’Alsace
• Crémant de Loire
• Crémant de Die (Rhône)
• Crémant de Jura
• Crémant de Limoux (Languedoc-Roussillon)
• Crémant de Savoie

Can you age Crémant?

As so often in wine, there isn’t a hard and fast rule about this. That said, you can generally expect a good quality Champagne to out-live a good quality Crémant.

‘Crémants generally have a higher pH and phenolic content than Champagne, with low levels of both being crucial for longevity in sparkling wine,’ said Rob MacCulloch MW, in this response to a query on ageing Crémant. 

Which food pairs well with Crémant?

Most Crémant sparkling wines will have fairly high acidity so will stand up well to rich, oily or fatty dishes.

Sommelier Bert Blaize suggests pairing salmon en croûte with Crémant de Bourgogne. In his book Which Wine When, published in 2020, Blaize says ‘salmon en croûte is an indulgent way to serve what is already one of the richest fish there is, surrounding it in a layer of buttery pastry that would overwhelm more delicate flavours’.

Crémant de Bourgogne has ‘refreshing green apple and citrus flavours that will lift and showcase the fish’, says Blaize, while the ‘rich, buttery fullness’ found in the wine will work wonders with the pastry.

10 French Crémant sparkling wines to try:

Wines updated 15th December, 2021. Recommendations by Decanter’s editorial team.

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What’s the difference between Champagne and Prosecco – ask Decanter

Croatia wants to make dessert-style wine prošek a ‘traditional term’ under EU law, but Italian wine body Federvini said the move was unacceptable and too close to the Prosecco name.

A tussle at EU level is looming after the Croatian government’s formal application to register prošek was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 22 September.

In response, Federvini said Italy has a 60-day window to oppose the move, which it described as ‘an assault on our culture’.

Micaela Pallini, Federvini’s president, said that EU recognition for the term prošek would be ‘highly misleading for international consumers’ and would penalise Italy’s Prosecco exporters, even if the similarity between the two is in the name rather than the wine style.

While Prosecco is a sparkling wine, Croatian ‘prošek’ is a sweet, dessert-style wine made from dried grapes, notably in the Dalmatia region.

It must be made from grapes that contain at least 150° Oe (Oechsle degrees) of sugar, according to the application published in the EU Journal.

Prošek may be red or white, and the ‘colour may range from dark yellow with shades of old gold to reddish with brown shades’, the Croatian government application states.

Prosecco’s DOCG council reiterated its opposition to the Croatia’s prošek proposal. ‘Today we must work as a team to protect our product and the name Prosecco, but also to avoid creating dangerous precedents,’ said Elvira Bortolomiol, president of Consortium Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore.

Italy’s agriculture minister, Stefano Patuanelli, has announced a task force to assess options following Croatia’s formal application to register ‘prošek’.

‘We are now part of the technical table set up by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, through which all the necessary counter measures will be put in place,’ said Bortolomiol.

A European Commission spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment on the next steps in the process.

According to Federvini, the Prosecco market is worth €2bn per year, with exports accounting for 50% of this amount.

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Luca Bocca, by email, asks: How can Australian producers label their wines ‘Prosecco’ when the name is an Italian DOC and protected by Italian and European law?

Tina Gellie, Decanter’s regional editor for Australia, replies: When is Prosecco not Prosecco? When it’s Glera! In 2009, when government officials in Veneto, Italy, realised how popular their fizz was becoming, they set out to protect it. But because you can only protect a geographic indication or GI (like Champagne) not grapes (like Pinot Noir or Chardonnay), they changed the name of the Prosecco grape to its Friulian synonym of Glera and announced that the name ‘Prosecco’ was for the DOC.

Unfortunately, no other international winemaking bodies were consulted. And, back in 1997 – 10 years before these changes – cuttings of the grape had found their way to Australia in the pockets of the Dal Zotto family of Valdobbiadene, who planted the first vines in Victoria’s King Valley in 1999.

Today there are 120ha of Prosecco planted across 11 Australian regions, producing about 20 million bottles, according to Wine Australia. The country’s Prosecco exports are worth A$60 million (£32.5m) annually and are predicted to rise to A$500m over the next decade.

In 2013, the EU tried to register Prosecco as a GI in Australia but the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (now called Australian Grape & Wine) successfully argued that Prosecco had been known as a grape variety long before 2009 when the EU began recognising it as a GI. The issue flared up again in 2018 when Australia and the EU started negotiating a free trade agreement. As part of the deal, Italy wanted exclusive rights to the Prosecco name. In 2020 the Australian government gave Melbourne’s Monash University funding to look into the legal basis of using GIs in trade agreements. Researchers at Monash believe that enforcing a GI for Prosecco would contravene World Trade Organisation rules. So the battle continues. And unless there is a resolution in favour of Italy, Australian producers can continue to make and sell Prosecco.

This was first published in the August 2021 issue of Decanter magazine.

See also:

New law forces Champagne to be relabelled as ‘sparkling wine’ in Russia

Prosecco vs Champagne: What’s the difference?

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The Prosecco appellation is being revolutionised from the inside out, projecting it towards a series of major innovations. In May 2020, a proposal was approved to change the denomination rules for Prosecco DOC, laying the foundations for the creation of Prosecco Rosé. Specifically, alongside Glera grapes used either alone or blended with other permitted varieties (Bianchetta Trevigiana, Chardonnay, Perera, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Verdiso and Pinot Nero fermented off the skins), the rosé can contain up to 15% of Pinot Nero fermented on the skins. What’s more, it will only be produced as a single vintage, containing a minimum of 85% vintage grapes, and can be made in a drier style such as brut nature or extra brut.

The first Prosecco rosés have already found made their way on to the shelves, so look out for them. But don’t expect to see rosé Prosecco at the DOCG level – this is a new development at DOC level only.

On the dry side

In another innovation, for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, changes to the regulations in 2019 now allow for a new style of extra brut – a classic example is Quindici16, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Extra Brut from Spagnol – as well as a category re-fermented in the bottle, known as sui lieviti.

More broadly speaking, other changes across the region tend to focus on the brut nature style: one of the first producers to spot its potential was Valdo, where the style was introduced to the estate’s Rive San Pietro di Barbozza three years ago. The result demonstrated its potential to improve over time, gaining complexity on the nose and palate, much to the delight of connoisseurs.

In the same vein, Merotto’s very recent Integral, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore 2019 is produced with residual sugar of less than 3g/L. It has been designed to heighten the characteristics of the vintage and the minerality of the terroir, comprising the deep-rooted historic vineyards at Col San Martino. Similarly, Bortolomiol opted for zero residual sugar for its new offering, Rive di Santo Stefano 70th Anniversary; it displays a dynamic, clean, vertical progression on the palate.

Why does my ‘extra dry’ Prosecco taste sweet? Ask Decanter

In-bottle ageing

Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG’s gradual shift towards the traditional method (and away from the Charmat method, or fermentation in tank) is nothing new. What is new is the tendency to increase the months the wine spends on lees. One such example is Valdo: after its recent Numero 10 Metodo Classico, Conegliano Valdobbiadene, aged for 10 months on the lees (following previous experiments with 36 and 48 months), it continues the trend with its new metodo classico, Pradase. Named after the Valdobbiadene vineyard with its old vines of Glera and other local grape varieties, it spends 24 months on the lees.

Terroir focus

There is increasing interest in the Valdobbiadene terroir and landscape, awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 2019. Indeed, recently 19 sub-zones of Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG were identified. Analysis revealed distinctive features for every sub-zone, paving the way for development in terroir zoning.

The Prosecco DOC consorzio is also committed to biodiversity; it recently signed up to the Equalitas standard, aimed at ensuring environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Prosecco Superiore: Sparkling pioneers plus the 12 wines to seek out

Traditional method Italian sparkling: panel tasting results

In 2009, in a radical rewrite of the DOC, Prosecco ceased to be the name of a grape variety and became a wine of geographical origin, taking its name from a tiny village in the province of Trieste on the border with Slovenia.

On the basis of EU law, the move gave the original producers the exclusive right to the name Prosecco, but involved creating a new vineyard area stretching nearly 150km across the plains of the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Scroll down to see Richard’s tasting notes and scores for his 12 top Prosecco Superiore to try

To distinguish the hillsides from the rest, a DOCG was created for Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore, and a simple DOC for the flat lands. The strategic reset thwarted potential international competition, but it created domestic competition – the DOC has five times the production capacity of the DOCG, and significantly lower costs.

The urgent need for the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG was to differentiate, to make both tradition and terroir count. As then-president of the producers’ consorzio Franco Adami said at the time: ‘We have to get over the idea that not all Prosecco is the same. We have created a Superiore category – now we have to demonstrate we can make superior wines.’ This is the challenge that has stimulated the emergence of pioneering trends and has driven the evolution of the DOCG over the past 10 years.

Prized slopes

The aim of making the terroir count was built into the DOCG of 2009, in the creation of the ‘rive’ category for designated growing areas. There are 43 of these (which some would argue is too many), and they approximate to the French ‘cru’ village.

The initial response from producers was tepid, but cru labelling has gathered momentum to the point that the rive has now been recognised in the national system as Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive. Among the few who believed in single-cru bottling from the outset was Masottina, the producer that can take credit for establishing Ogliano as Conegliano’s most interesting rive. A round palate with subtle fruit, depth of flavour and a distinctive savoury finish are the essential notes of the wines from these gently sloping hills in the eastern corner of the DOCG.

At the Valdobbiadene end of the DOCG to the west, the character changes. Merotto from Farra di Soligo, another top producer that came out immediately with a rive selection, illustrates the more floral, crisp and sprightly style of the wines from the steep terraces of the Col San Martino.

Single-vineyard wines

Other producers took the concept further with single-vineyard selections to counter the common perception of Prosecco as a mass-production wine. Franco Adami’s Vigneto Giardino is one of Prosecco’s historic sites. Steep-sloping, in a natural south-facing amphitheatre, the wine made from its grapes is the benchmark for the category of ‘dry’ Prosecco (17-32g/L of sugar). This seductive, fruit-driven style is slightly out of vogue these days, but the world would be a sadder place without it.

At the other end of the sugar scale, the fruit that is used for Sorelle Bronca’s Particella 68 is sourced from a tiny plot of old vines in the Rive Colbertaldo. The wine was originally a fruity ‘extra dry’ style (12-17g/L), but in 2011 Sorelle Bronca converted it to ‘brut’ (0-12g/L), making it one of the first high-profile Prosecco producers to reduce the sugar content of its top selection.

Villa Sandi, another producer that anticipated the trend for single-vineyard bottling, also broke the mould on sugar levels. Villa Sandi owns a spectacular 1.5ha vineyard on the upper slopes of Cartizze, the sub-zone within the DOCG that, by long tradition, has been the source of the sweetest of the denomination’s dry-category wines.

Nowadays, an increasing number of producers make a brut from Cartizze, but Villa Sandi was probably the first and certainly the most celebrated to do so with its La Rivetta.

Small scale, wide acclaim

On the subject of terroir, one provision of the 2009 norms that initially attracted little attention was the creation of a new DOCG for a strictly limited area around the charming hillside town of Asolo. It might have been viewed as an afterthought at the time, but in recent years, production of the firmer, more structured wines of Asolo Prosecco Superiore has gone from strength to strength. The pioneer of premium winemaking here is the organic, family-owned estate of Bele Casel, whose excellent handcrafted Proseccos continue to set the standard for the denomination.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene is traditionally an area of growers. A family with a few hectares of vines will typically sell its grapes rather than make and bottle its own wine, but there is also a nucleus of top-quality, small- scale grower-producers.

One of the pioneers is the Frozza family, whose origins go back to the turn of the last century and who set an example for many when they began their own production, to wide acclaim, in the 1990s.

Another is Silvano Follador, who represents a new, young generation of wine-growers. Follador inherited a small plot of prime vineyard and, fresh out of high school, made the life-defining decision to become a wine producer. A minimal interventionist in the vineyard and the cellar, he makes just two Prosecco Superiore wines, either extra brut or nature depending on the vintage, one of which – an absolute rarity – is a metodo classico.

Array of styles

Stylistically, Prosecco is far more diversified than it was 10 years ago. The carefree, semi- aromatic, fresh-fruit and floral profile remains a reference point, but it is no longer the default setting. Alongside it, in particular at the top end of producers’ ranges, a more ‘adult’ Prosecco – as Paolo Bisol from Ruggeri calls it – has developed. The style is dry (even austerely so, in brut nature versions) with more lees character and possibly the mature notes of autolysis, which used to be anathema to oenologists in Conegliano Valdobbiadene.

Ruggeri is one of its most influential proponents. The producer launched the bone-dry Vecchie Viti before brut became trendy and released an extra-brut label before the DOCG even contemplated such a thing (though the latest revisions now include it). Pushing the boundaries further, Ruggeri’s latest release is a subtly complex vat-aged wine called Cinqueanni, which ages on the lees for five years.

One of the revolutionary provisions of the 2009 DOCG was for vintage labelling, which prepared the way for longer vat and/or bottle ageing. One of the very first to successfully develop a riserva-style Prosecco was the house of Bortolomiol. It was one of the main architects of the post-war reconstruction of the wine industry in Valdobbiadene, and founder Giuliano Bortolomiol was an early promoter of the brut style in Prosecco. The brut nature Gran Cuvée del Fondatore created in his honour is a late- bottled special selection which defies preconceptions of Prosecco by evolving depth and complexity with age.

What’s old is new

Another element of stylistic diversification is, in fact, a return to the past. The wine traditionally known as ‘col fondo’ (or ‘sur lie’) is bottled in early spring with its own yeasts and allowed to slowly re-ferment, producing a completely dry Prosecco with tangy salty- lemon flavours and a delicate frizzante. Once a rustic product made for local consumption, it has become a fixture in the ranges of a growing number of wineries – some of which are developing a cult following.

Col fondo wines were excluded from the original DOCG, but the style has been rehabilitated in the latest update under the name ‘sui lieviti’. If credit had to go to a single producer for this resurgence, it would have to be Casa Coste Piane, where the charismatic winemaker Loris Follador dedicates virtually his entire production to it.

The other top-quality estate committed almost exclusively to sui lieviti is Cà dei Zago, where brother and sister Christian and Marika Zanatta turned their backs on their conventional oenological training to espouse an artisan winemaking style, and this year underlined their commitment to it with the new 2019 vintage single-vineyard Vigneto Mariarosa.

In the 10 years since the game-changing DOCG of 2009, Prosecco Superiore producers have risen to the challenge of demonstrating that not all Prosecco is the same, and the demonstration lies in the glass. It is not just that the wines from the hills of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene are better than they were a decade ago. Prosecco Superiore today has personality – or, rather, personalities. These are the expressions of terroir, but they also express the talent and commitment of the growers and winemakers in this unique corner of the Veneto.

Setting the sparkling standard: Baudains’ 12 top Prosecco Superiore to try

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What do you get when you cross two wine categories that have enjoyed stratospheric success? Even greater success, surely? Prosecco and rosé wine have been such a hit, separately, with consumers, that it seems strange the category of rosé Prosecco has only just launched to market.

Though it’s long been in the pipeline, the production of Prosecco DOC rosé was only approved by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forestry in May 2020, and by EU officials in late October. By the time the category was officially launched, to great fanfare, in late November, 84 wineries had produced more than 12 million bottles of 2019 vintage Prosecco rosé.

Vintage dated

DOC rules state that Prosecco rosé may include between 10% and 15% Pinot Noir alongside Prosecco’s signature Glera grape. Wines must undergo secondary fermentation for at least 60 days before they can be released, and must be ‘millesimato’ (meaning that a minimum of 85% of the grapes must come from the vintage stated on the label). Wines can be classified as either (from the driest) brut nature, extra brut, brut or extra dry, with no sweet version allowed. The vast majority of wines are brut (0-12g/L residual sugar, but in practice, 6-12g/L) or extra dry (12-17g/L).

It is estimated that between 40m and 50m bottles of the 2020 vintage will be made – accounting for around 10% of Prosecco DOC production – with around 80% of this destined for export markets, according to the regional wine council, the Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC. The 2020 vintage wines are set to be released from this month (January 2021), the Consorzio said.

No DOCG Prosecco rosé category is planned.

16 Prosecco rosé wines to try

These are generally wines to be enjoyed young, while fresh and full of primary fruit flavours. Of the 19 samples that we tasted that have UK retail availability, 14 were made in a brut style, with three vinified as extra dry (confusingly sweeter than brut). These were our favourites:

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This spectacular and sprawling estate covers 108 hectares within the province of Pordenone, in the medieval municipality of San Vito al Tagliamento, located Italy’s north east corner around an hour from the Slovenia border. It is listed for €11.5million (£10.3m, $13,6m USD.)

The land is cultivated with 19.4ha of vineyards for the production of DOC Prosecco plus a further 29.9ha currently rented out and used as a training ground for rooted vines. A total of 53.4ha is arable land used for corn, sorghum and alfalfa with a 3,000sqm landscaped garden and 14x8m outdoor swimming pool.

Availability

‘There are some wine estates generally available in the Prosecco region, but not many,’ said Marta Brunellini Romolini, Estate agent with Agenzia Romolini Immobiliare S.r.l. and Christie’s International Real Estate with whom the property is listed. Some are ‘officially’ for sale while others experiencing financial difficulties try to sell more privately she said.

In terms of price, Romolini said the most prestigious vineyards, in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG can fetch up to 400,000 euros per hectare, with peaks ‘even in the region of one million euros on the Cartizze hill where, however, there is nothing officially available at the moment.’

In the DOC Prosecco region, between Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, the value of vineyards is lower, lying in the region of 200,000 euros per hectare.

The Market

Romolini said that ‘wine estates have been the most requested pieces of real estate in the past three years at least’ and listed three typical searches:

• A hobby vineyard (usually combined with a farmhouse or a manor villa either for permanent residency or as a vacation home)
• A small business usually in the region of 5 million euros
• A castle, manor or luxury villa with an annexed vineyard, cellar and wine production facility. The presence of an architecturally interesting building gives the ‘wow factor’ and is also a potential label image for the bottles

Typical buyers comprise private investors, newly retired businesspeople or larger international groups with US citizens, Northern and Eastern Europeans, Argentinians and Chinese cited as the most interested.

This estate

The multi-purpose complex comprises over a dozen buildings with an interior space covering 8,577sqm. It including ten habitable houses – the 18th century manor taking pride of place, alongside a warden’s apartment, a 15th consecrated century chapel, three stables, a warehouse, a two-storey barn, an old mill, storage rooms and space for further construction.

The main villa underwent restoration in 2003 and features an ample event hall, professional kitchen and Italian art works on the walls.

The chapel provides seating for 40 people and is dedicated to the saints Pietro and Paolo with a fresco from 1511.

The largest house – the Gastaldia, has 13 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms and is set on three levels.

Separated from the main complex is an additional hamlet comprised of four buildings, an eight-room warehouse, house with two apartments, a farmhouse and 5-bedroom residence.

There is also an old, 115sqm watermill dating back to the early 16th century and expanded in the 18th century which still hosts the original machinery and historic stone archways.

In total, there are 30 bedrooms and 29 bathrooms across the dwellings and the estate currently runs as a successful accommodation business and event space for weddings, meetings and summits as well as its wine operations.

Each year harvested Glera grapes produce approximately 360,000 bottles of what is described as ‘excellent Prosecco’.

The estate has potential to be further renovated increasing the number of bedrooms as well as expanding wine tourism efforts allowing people to learn how the vineyards are cared for and the production methods of Prosecco.

The property is ideally located close to a small town providing the necessary services as well as in easy reach to several cities and landmarks in northern Italy from the golden beaches of Lignano Sabbiadoro 29km away to the unique city of Venice 88km away. The closest airport are Trieste Ronchi dei Legionari and Venezia Marco Polo, 52 and 77km away respectively.

Pordenone is one of the four provinces that make up the Prosecco DOC alongside Gorizia, Trieste and Udine and is enclosed by the Carnic Prealps mountain range and a wide plain bordered by several rives including the Livenza and the Tagliamento which flows from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea.

Looking further afield, Romolini highlighted the top areas for vineyard interest in Italy;

• Tuscany – the most popular in terms of number of requests
• Chianti Classico
• Montalcino
• Bolgheri
• Prosecco area
• Barolo area
• Amarone
• Sicily
• Apulia

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Italy is the world’s leading producer of sparkling wine by volume, a feat which has largely been achieved due to Prosecco’s popularity.

The vast Prosecco DOC accounts for approximately 80% of all production. It produces approximately 485 million bottles every year from over 23,000 hectares which stretch across nine provinces in Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. These are the wines found on the shelves of every supermarket and wine merchant: perfectly drinkable in many different scenarios, very affordable, but not the best the region has to offer.

Above the Prosecco DOC in the quality stakes lie the two DOCGs of Prosecco Asolo and Prosecco Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore, divided by the Piave river. While the focus for the vast majority of consumers is understandably on the more affordable and available DOC wines, the DOCGs are where the interplay between the Glera grape and the terroir really comes into play, producing deliciously characterful wines that elevate Prosecco to the big leagues.

Prosecco Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore is by far the larger of the two DOCGs and is the one this article will focus on.

Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore

Located in the Treviso province between the towns of Conegliano to the east end and Valdobbiadene to the west end, the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG includes 8,431ha of vineyard in total, including sites used for the production of the subzones of Rive and Cartizze. 7,971ha are devoted to Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore itself.

• Production: Approximately 86.3 million bottles in 2019 *92 million including Rive and Cartizze
• Producers: 182
• 15 Communes: Conegliano, San Vendemiano, Colle Umberto, Vittorio Veneto, Tarzo, Cison di Valmarino, San Pietro di Feletto, Refrontolo, Susegana, Pieve di Soligo, Farra di Soligo, Follina, Miane, Vidor and Valdobbiadene
  

This zone is characterised by steep hillsides covered in ‘ciglione’ – grass-covered terraces which give the area its picture-postcard looks. Distinct in appearance, and full of biodiversity, this is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Rive Superiore

The Rive Superiore subzone is a qualitative step up from Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore. The wines must be made from any one of 43 designated communes or hamlets high in the hills. The wines must be spumante (fully sparkling), hand-harvested and from a single vintage. These stricter regulations combined with the prime sites of the Rives ensures these wines are high quality and expressive of terroir.

Rive bottlings only represent a tiny drop of Prosecco Superiore production, with 2.1 million bottles produced in 2019 from 352ha.

Valdobbiadene Cartizze Superiore

The ‘grand cru’ of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, Cartizze Superiore covers just 108ha in the steep hills of Santo Stefano and Saccol in Valdobbiadene, producing around 1.4 million bottles in 2019. The natural amphitheatre consists of marl, sandstone and clay with high sodium content.

The vines here have the highest average age in the entire DOCG, between 60 and 70 years old, and the maximum temperatures are slightly lower than other areas of the DOCG due to the movement of fresh air from east to west.

Traditionally, the wines produced here are Dry, but it’s the balance and freshness that comes with it that has given Cartizze Superiore (or ‘Superiore di Cartizze’) its exceptional reputation.

Prosecco Superiore soils & terrain

The soils vary throughout the Prosecco Superiore DOCG.

In the west, around Valdobbiadene, marly soils absent of stones lie on steep slopes running north to south, approximately 250-300 metres above sea level. Good water retention provides the vines with above-average water throughout the growing season, leading to higher than average yields. The wines made from this area tend to be soft and delicate with floral overtones.

The majority (approximately 70%) of the northern sector of the DOCG is situated on conglomerate soils on steep slopes extending from east to west, ranging from 150-450m in altitude. The vines here can suffer from drought due to the steep inclines and shallow soil depth affecting the ground’s water-holding capability. The wines here tend to have ripe fruit flavours, sometimes even tropical fruits, with floral notes.

The south of the DOCG, encompassing Conegliano, is made up of feletti soils. The wines here can be round and rich, with ripe fruit flavours.

The east of the region is made up of morenic soils. The driest area in the DOCG with a high diurnal temperature range, the vines here benefit from fresh air running down from the Alps every morning, leading to wine which can be spicy and fruity.

The small sub-zone of Cartizze lies on calcareous soils on steep, south-facing slopes. Lower maximum temperatures are due to fresh air moving through from east to west, and the vines don’t suffer water stress as the soils retain reserves. The wines here tend to have peachy, floral notes, occasionally tropical fruits.

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One of the excitements of being a fan of Italian viticulture is exploring its seemingly endless array of native grapes. Italy is said have close to 2,000, of which about 400 are currently being used for winemaking. Some, like Grillo, Nerello Mascalese and Ribolla, were little known outside their specific cultivation areas until quite recently, yet have become favourites of wine lovers internationally. Others are still emerging from obscurity.

Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, sees in the rediscovery and expansion of these grapes and their terroirs a cause for optimism for the country’s future. ‘Thanks to this patrimony of biodiversity, these lesser-known varieties can offer us exciting new tastes and enable us to move beyond the classic areas for great wines, such as Chianti and the Langhe, to other parts of our landscape.’

About 10 years ago, as I was researching an article on Emilia Romagna’s food for Decanter, I tasted a white wine made from an Emilian grape variety known locally as Pignoletto – its official name is Grechetto Gentile. I hadn’t heard of it before. Made by Maurizio Vallona, a producer on the slopes not far from Bologna, Ammestesso was a deliciously flavoursome, balanced still white wine with distinctive notes of wild mountain herbs and a citrussy register. It had been successfully aged for several years, and that too surprised me, as it showed the grape’s potential for making complex, aged wines with personality.

Pignoletto – Breaking through

I’ve been a fan of this grape ever since. As I was to discover, Vallona’s approach is atypical: the overwhelming majority of Pignoletto is produced as a sparkling wine, in both frizzante and spumante versions. As such, it’s been positioned in the market by some producers as an alternative to Prosecco.

Indeed, there’s recently been massive investment in this grape by the large wine cooperatives that dominate production in the region’s lowlands; it’s Italy’s fastest-growing viticultural expansion. Out of the 2,500ha currently planted to Grechetto Gentile for making Pignoletto, 1,000ha have been planted in the last six years. And while the 14 million bottles that are currently being produced may seem like a lot, they’re only a drop compared to Prosecco’s ocean of more than 400 million.

Like Prosecco, most Pignoletto is made in frizzante versions (lightly sparkling), though a lot of spumante is also made of each. Most frizzante is made using the Charmat- Martinotti method, in which the secondary fermentation takes place in steel tanks rather than in the bottle. Spumante tends to be made using what the Italians call ‘metodo classico’, in which the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle.

David Kermode, a London-based wine critic, is a Pignoletto enthusiast too. ‘Despite the rapidly expanding production of Pignoletto, it remains like David to Prosecco’s Goliath,’ he says. ‘But Grechetto Gentile is a more interesting and versatile variety than Glera, Prosecco’s grape, and I definitely prefer it. For a start, it has a different feel – almost 80% of Pignoletto is frizzante, rather than spumante, resulting in softer, rounder, frothier bubbles. On the nose, it’s similar – gently perfumed, with jasmine blossom and delicate peach aromas. In the mouth, it’s a little drier than Prosecco, with relatively simple citrus and green-apple flavours and a slightly longer finish.’

The large cooperatives have successfully broken into the UK market, with their sparkling Pignolettos available in the large chains including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.

Pignoletto is now one of the most popular white wines of Bologna, a city that itself is rising on the wish lists of international travellers. It goes well with the rich, iconic foods of the region, including prosciutto, lasagne and tagliatelle, and offers an alternative to its local reds, Lambrusco, Barbera and Sangiovese di Romagna.

Rooted in tradition

Grechetto Gentile is an adaptable, easy-to-grow variety capable of generous yields. From a viticultural perspective, it has been found to be identical both to Umbria’s Grechetto di Todi and Campania’s Pallagrello di Caserta, in a version that also risked extinction until 20 years ago. Its popular name refers to the compact way the bunches grow, in a shape similar to a pine cone (pigna). It’s been around, under an assortment of local names, for a long time, but in the flatlands of Emilia it played a specific role, as Giorgio Melandri, one of the region’s top wine experts, explains.

‘In the bassa, or lowlands, that border the rivers here between Ferrara, Bologna and Modena, Pignoletto was planted in the areas in which hemp, or canapa, was cultivated. In earlier times, hemp’s fibres had many uses, from fabrics to ropes, and fared best in well- drained soils. It grew tall and was easily blown over, so between the fields the farmers left a strip of land bordered by drainage ditches. On that strip they planted ash, field maple and elm, and trained Grechetto Gentile vines into them to complete the windbreak. The peasants were doubly happy: this vine is so leafy it made a thick wall, and at the end of the season they could also harvest its abundant grapes.’ Hemp was banned as a crop in the early 1960s, but Pignoletto remained popular.

Traditionally, Melandri continues, the preferred white of the Colli Bolognesi was Albana. ‘But after Albana was “claimed” by the Romagnans in 1967 for their own DOC, growers in the Colli Bolognesi lost interest in Albana and switched their attention to this other attractive local white.

‘Few other whites have Grechetto Gentile’s ability to summon up aromas of wild herbs – sage, oregano, pimpinella and wild rocket – that aren’t too balsamic. It also has a green aspect that keeps it refreshing, with balance and an acidity that’s never extreme.’

Open to interpretation

Within Emilia Romagna, Pignoletto was established as a DOC in 1978 in three sub-zones: Colli d’Imola, Modena and Reno. Unusually, it does as well in the rich soils of the valleys as in the poorer terrains of the hills. In the gently rising pre-Apennine hillsides south of Bologna, where fields, woods and vineyards are interspersed with dramatic limestone outcrops, Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto was granted DOCG status in 2010 in recognition of its potential to produce more territorial wines in this area, then the boundaries extended in 2014.

Today, about 1.5 million bottles are produced within the DOCG. In ancient times, these were lands used by the Etruscans. It is in the DOCG areas and in the Colli d’Imola within the DOC zone that Grechetto Gentile’s potential for ageing and complexity – even in the sparkling versions – has been revealed.

Giacomo Savorini runs the Consorzio Colli Bolognesi, one of two consortia that deal with Pignoletto. ‘This patchwork of varied and unusual geological configurations offers our producers – many of whom run small, artisanal wineries – the chance to interpret Grechetto Gentile in personal ways, giving it a range of character that you don’t find in the plain.’

Maurizio Vallona, the aforementioned producer, is one of these. So is Federico Orsi, whose farm in the Colli Bolognesi includes animals, crops and vines and is being cultivated using biodynamic methods. His vision for his Pignoletto wine is unique.

‘What I love about Grechetto Gentile is what I call its rusticity,’ he says, as we skirt the pig field to reach his vineyards. ‘This grape has thick skins, is high in polyphenols and is extremely versatile, and it has adapted well to the type of agriculture we practise. In addition to still, frizzante and spumante versions, it can make passito and late-harvest wines too.’

Orsi prefers to macerate the grapes for his Pignoletto and is making a pét-nat-style wine that ferments using spontaneous yeasts and is unfiltered, with practically no added sulphites. ‘Grechetto affords us this possibility and, despite not having high acidity, the wines always remain structured but fluid and saline. As we’ve seen, it also has the potential to age well and increase in complexity in good years, and this too makes it very unusual.’ Orsi has become a beacon for the grape and is a popular figure on the natural wine circuit.

For now, Grechetto Gentile is a grape in progress. It is being successfully produced on a large scale in sparkling versions – much of which is consumed within the region of Emilia Romagna – and has shown that, in the hands of producers with vision, it can lift itself into individuality. I look forward to seeing what else it’s capable of.

Pick of the Pignolettos

Wines tasted by Carla Capalbo and Sally Easton MW

Packets of ‘Prosecco chips’ under the Pringles brand were seized from shops belonging to a supermarket chain in the Veneto region, Italy’s agriculture ministry said this week.

Police from an anti-fraud unit that deals specifically with food, the ICQRF, seized hundreds of packs of the crisps over the alleged misuse of the word Prosecco, which is a protected name under Italian and EU law.

‘We cannot allow identity theft,’ said Italy’s agriculture minister, Teresa Bellanova.

The Ministry said that the snacks, which claimed to contain Prosecco flavouring, had used the name of the popular sparkling wine without approval from Prosecco appellation authorities.

Luca Zaia, the president of Veneto, posted a photo of a ‘Prosecco and pink peppercorn’ pack of Pringles on his Facebook page on Tuesday (15 October), overlaid with the word ‘no’ in capital letters and in red.

‘We can no longer tolerate that a protected name be used without authorisation,’ he wrote.

The Agriculture Ministry said it believed the packets seized had been bought from a Dutch company. It did not name the Venetian supermarket chain.

A spokesperson for the Pringles brand said in a statement reported by several media outlets that the ‘prosecco and pink peppercorn’ flavour was produced as a limited edition ahead of Christmas in 2018.

The statement said that Prosecco DOC was used as an ingredient and that all DOC guidelines and European regulations were followed, but the brand added that ‘we have no plans to produce this variant in future’.

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The status was awarded for the landscape ‘characterised by ‘hogback’ hills, ciglioni – small plots of vines on narrow grassy terraces – forests, small villages and farmland,’ according to UNESCO.

‘For centuries, this rugged terrain has been shaped and adapted by man.’

In particular, the training of vines since the 17th century has helped contribute to the unique aesthetics of the landscape.

Other new UNESCO sites added include 20th century architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright in the USA, and Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria in Spain.

Gaining UNESCO status

The campaign to nominate Prosecco started in 2008, and Italy’s National Commission for UNESCO officially gave its backing in January 2017. Application included submitting a 1,300-page dossier.

Italy has more UNESCO sites than any other country in the world, with a total of 55.

Some are wine regions, including Barolo and Pantelleria, and there are seven UNESCO sites in Tuscany alone.

Leopoldo Saccon, team leader of the application, said it had been long, hard work, in Decanter’s article on how wine regions gain UNESCO status.

‘Italy has many World Heritage Sites, so it becomes more difficult for every new site to get accepted.’

On its Twitter page, Prosecco Superiore said it was ‘a dream come true’ to be added to the list.

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Decanter’s Great Sparkling Exploration took place on Thursday 20th June 2019 at Church House in Westminster, London.

See photo highlights below, or our live social media feed here.

Thanks to all of the producers and partners who helped to make it a great day, including Riedel, Tŷ Nant and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Watch the highlights video below:

Continue scrolling for the photo highlights…

Over 40 top producers from 22 sparkling wine regions and 10 different countries exhibited at the second ever Great Sparkling Exploration.

Throughout the day over 350 sparkling wine-lovers including those in the wine trade attended the tasting at Church House in Westminster, London.

Trade attendees were invited to discover a selection of DWWA 2019 Platinum winners in a special masterclass led by Chairman Emeritus and wine legend Steven Spurrier.

The wines showcased in the masterclass came from a range of countries including Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. Steven also introduced his own wine, Bride Valley, Crémant, Dorset, UK NV.

A global selection of recent Decanter award-winning wines from the 2019 competition were showcased. These included Silver, Gold, Platinum and Best in Show medal winners from seven different countries.

New to 2019 was the Featured Region room dedicated to Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore. Here guests were invited to discover an exciting range of premium Proseccos from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene appellation in the heart of the Veneto.

In the Featured Region room, Sarah Abbott MW and Decanter's content director John Stimpfig hosted mini masterclasses where they presented five wines paired with afternoon tea style canapés.

The Prosecco Superiore DOCG wines were paired with smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches, scones and mini onion & brie tarts.

Canapés were served throughout the evening and guests enjoyed fresh oysters from the oyster bar.

During the tasting guests were treated to live music as they walked around the Grand Tasting room.

Walking in the vineyards of Conegliano Valdobbiabene, it’s difficult not to succumb to vertigo. You have to catch your breath frequently as much for the steep incline as for the staggeringly beautiful landscape.

Michaela Morris’ top 10 picks from Prosecco at its best

‘There is a natural limit between the DOCG and DOC,’ says young talent Martino Tormena, at the helm of his family’s Mongarda estate. ‘When there is fog, it stops at that road.’ From high up in Col San Martino, to the northwest of Treviso, he is pointing to the SP32 below, which separates the hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore from the plains of the larger Prosecco area beyond.

‘My first objective is to give value to the territory of Conegliano Valdobbiadene to differentiate it from Prosecco DOC,’ continues Tormena. Both denominations make sparkling wine from the Glera grape. In situ, the difference between the two is rather obvious, as well as why the former normally commands a higher price. These precipitous slopes are cultivated largely by hand and require up to 800 hours of work per hectare each year versus 150 hours on the plains.

Positioned between the Alps and the Adriatic sea, Conegliano Valdobbiadene is made up of a series of hills extending from east to west. The vineyards are principally south-facing and rise from 50m to 500m above sea level. The combination of altitude and exposure helps Glera retain fresh acidity while achieving sufficient ripeness. Along with sunshine, rain is equally abundant, which suits drought-intolerant Glera just fine. Though thin-skinned and sensitive to mildew, it benefits from alpine and marine breezes. ‘The vegetation as well as the grape bunches remain well-ventilated and dry, while the slopes ensure optimal water drainage,’ explains Cinzia Sommariva of Sommariva.

The area is an ancient sea and lake bed with assorted geological origins. In the west, towards the town of Valdobbiadene, the hills resemble peaks of violently whipped egg whites and the vines seem to sit on top of one another. Here the soil contains pockets of glacial deposits from the Dolomites with conglomerates of rock and sand. The wines are typically graceful, sometimes vertical and predominantly floral. In the east, around Conegliano, the slopes are more undulating like gentle waves. The soil is less rocky and characterised by clay and limestone. Along with the slightly warmer climate, this gives more richly fruited, weightier Prosecco Superiore. But these are broad generalisations.

‘Each micro-zone has diverse characteristics which influence the aromas, flavours, structure and even salinity of the wine,’ declares Il Colle’s Fabio Ceschin.

Taste premium Proseccos at Decanter’s Great Sparkling Exploration

Sites vs slopes

Herein lies the strength of Conegliano Valdobbiadene. To truly differentiate between brand Prosecco and Prosecco Superiore DOCG, the region’s top players are striving to highlight their varied terroir in the glass, to make the best Prosecco.

When the area was elevated to DOCG in 2009, it included the introduction of 43 Rive (‘steep slopes’ in local dialect). However, rather than single vineyards, the Rive are sub-zones based on administrative boundaries of the communes and hamlets which give each its name. The category has provided a broadening of many estates’ ranges. BiancaVigna now offers two separate Rive bottlings. ‘In Soligo, the rocky terrain and calcareous soil produce a marked minerality,’ says owner Elena Moschetta. It contrasts with the Rive of Ogliano, which is rich in clay, resulting in a more structured wine.

Despite extensive geological and climatic studies, the Rive have yet to exhibit a definitive identity for each. This may be more apparent in time. However, they extend over large areas and are not necessarily uniform throughout. As such, Mongarda does not produce Rive wines. ‘We have more than one vineyard in the Rive of Col San Martino but they don’t have the same characteristics,’ Tormena explains. Instead, he uses the different sites to craft a Zero Dosage and an Extra Dry. The former hails from a warm, south-facing vineyard giving a round, full wine with little need for residual sugar. The Extra Dry comes from a cooler, east-facing plot and is left with 12g/L sugar to give balance. ‘Putting them together in a single Rive wine would be foolish,’ he declares.

Others are honing in on terroir through single-vineyard bottlings. The region’s first was Adami’s Giardino Vineyard, which the estate produced as long ago as 1933. However, the trend for separate ‘cru’ or parcel bottlings is more recent. The Nino Franco estate released its first San Floriano Vineyard in 2003. When the Rive were subsequently introduced, owner Primo Franco changed the name to Vigneto della Riva di San Floriano to indicate that it is not just from the broader Rive of San Floriano, but a specific vineyard within it. ‘It’s important not to confuse single vineyards with the Rive,’ stresses Franco.

Seeking self-expression

Site-specific wines are on the rise, and in some cases producers eschew the Rive altogether. ‘We prefer to specify the cru rather than the Rive because it is an estate identity,’ asserts Antonella Bronca, one of two sisters who co-own Sorelle Bronca. Their Particella 68 and Particella 232 are within the Rives of Colbertaldo and Farrò respectively, though these aren’t featured on the labels. In its debut release, Particella 232 comes from just 1.5ha of 40- to 60-year-old-vines on morainic clay. ‘The significant diurnal temperature difference preserves aromas and freshness, so we bottle it as a Brut Nature,’ says Bronca.

Single vineyard bottlings do not fall into the denomination’s official quality hierarchy, though the best equal (or exceed) some Rive or even the DOCG’s Cartizze top level. The category also highlights the growing tendency to drier-style wines. While not all follow this trend, those that do argue that less sugar gives greater transparency of terroir.

Leaving residual sugar is a function of tradition, though there is a link with terroir. Glera is bitter if harvested when not ripe. In cooler years or less favourable sites, sugar counters bitterness and tart acidity. However, with climate change, producers point to greater ripeness in Conegliano Valdobbiabene than in the past.

Residual sugars are decreasing across all sweetness categories (Brut, Extra Dry and Dry) – which also corresponds to what the market is demanding. But sugar has another function according to Paolo Bisol, son of Ruggeri founder Giustino. ‘There are some aroma molecules which are enhanced by sugar, so they are easier to smell and more expressive on the palate,’ he states. He is one of more than 100 producers who own a tiny slice of Cartizze. Jutting out confidently like a thrust stage with dizzyingly steep slopes, this exalted 107ha subzone has long been acknowledged for yielding the region’s ripest, most intensely flavoured wines. Despite this, they have traditionally been made Extra Dry (12-17g/L) or Dry (17-32g/L). Bisol defends this style as Cartizze’s true expression, however he also recognises its limited applications, particularly for restaurants. From the 2017 vintage, Ruggeri has released small quantities of a Brut. It still demonstrates the lusciousness and complexity of Cartizze, but with a mouthwatering drier edge.

Fermentation notes

Fundamental to Prosecco Superiore is how it’s made. Bubbles help transport Glera’s delicate fragrances. While there are experimental traditional method bottlings, the tank method is ideal for capturing Glera’s dainty fruitiness, since long bottle ageing on lees can overpower its subtleties. Some producers have adopted the ‘Charmat lungo’ (long) method which involves keeping the wine on lees in tank after the second fermentation, but even they are cautious. ‘After four-and-a-half to five months it develops too many yeasty notes and you lose the character of Prosecco,’ says Moschetta.

The exception is the region’s ‘Col Fondo’. This dry, semi-sparkling wine goes through its second fermentation in bottle and is left with the lees. Cloudy in appearance with an intrinsic bready character, it is generally released after a couple of months for enthusiastic, immediate quaffing. While it is debatable whether the wine’s specific terroir is discernable, ‘it represents the tradition of the territory of Conegliano Valdobbiadene’, says Maurizio Favrel of Malibràn. He holds his Credamora Col Fondo back for a year, allowing the leesiness to integrate and develop into a wondrously creamy citrus character.

Even the choice of yeast for the first fermentation comes up in the discussion of terroir. Like many in the region, La Tordera inoculates with commercial strains. However, these vary according to the specific attributes of each site. One strain might be used to bring out inherent floral nuances while another emphasises tropical characteristics.

‘In an area with greater thermal amplitude, we want to highlight the fruity aspect, because the grapes give very perfumed wines with high acidity,’ explains Paolo Vettoretti at La Tordera.

Others prefer native yeast fermentations. At the Marchiori estate, Umberto Marchiori has researched the subject extensively. ‘Each vineyard has a unique profile in its population of fungi,’ he explains. ‘Its individuality can only be articulated with indigenous yeasts.’ Similarly, Antonella Bronca at Sorelle Bronca allows spontaneous fermentation for parcel selections. ‘We take a greater risk of bacterial spoilage with wild yeast, but if it goes well, it is a more authentic product,’ she argues.

Subtle difference

To give the grape its full name, Glera Tonda is the vehicle which expresses Conegliano Valdobbiadene’s territory. Along with this, up to 15% of other authorised grapes are allowed. These include Chardonnay and the Pinot family. Glera is a rather meek variety though. ‘If you add these international grapes, you can no longer distinguish Glera,’ asserts Tormena. Conversely, a smattering of historical local varieties can be found in old vineyards. Il Colle, Mongarda, Sorelle Bronca and Marchiori are among those who include them in their Prosecco Superiore. Rather than overwhelm Glera, they add subtle and appealing nuances.

‘These grapes are adapted to this specific place and part of its patrimony,’ says Marchiori, who is replanting a handful from a massal selection of old vines. Besides including them in his 5 Varietà Prosecco Superiore, he vinifies small lots separately to display the personality of each. Bianchetta offers structure, body and spice; Perera intense pear; Verdiso freshness, acidity and a gorgeous rosewater twist; and Glera Lunga salinity, citrus and herbal notes. ‘The idea is to have more voices, which is advantageous in terms of flavours, longevity and identity,’ he says.

Terroir is fluid in its definition, and how it is conveyed is equally open to interpretation. While a quality difference between the DOCG and DOC is often apparent, identifying subzones and individual sites within Conegliano Valdobbiadene may be trickier.

However, after a week tasting nothing but Prosecco Superiore, I was still thirsty for another glass. This speaks not just to its tremendous drinkability, but to a delicious and captivating diversity.

Michaela Morris is a widely published wine writer, educator, judge and speaker based in Canada, who works frequently in Italy.

See Michaela Morris’ top 10 picks from Prosecco at its best

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On Monday 25 March, #SuperioreAfternoon was launched at The Hari Hotel, to promote the idea of re-thinking your Prosecco food pairings.

Wines from 42 producers of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG were presented alongside ‘Napolitea’, the hotel’s own take on an Italian-inspired afternoon tea.

The ‘lion’s share’ of UK sparkling wine consumption is Prosecco, but the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG represents only 6% of all Prosecco bought in the UK.

Prosecco pairing ideas from Sarah Abbott MW

‘With Brut styles, which tend to be a little fruitier and rounder on the palate, an echo of fruitiness and sweetness in the food is often welcome. Milky stracciatella topped with lemon zest and nutty crumbs of Tarallo works well when teamed with a zesty palate,’ said Sarah Abbott MW.

‘Fruitier wines, both Extra Brut and Brut, find a marriage in salty prosciutto wrapped around juicy slices of melon or peach – creating a good contrast of fruit, sweetness and saltiness.’

‘Brut and Extra Dry styles also lend themselves to pairings with both seafood and spice – for example, skewers of prawns dressed with sweet chilli sauce.’

‘You could also try more savoury wines that have been re-fermented in bottle – which can take on the autumnal flavours of truffled arancini, or toasted rounds of bruschetta, topped with tomatoes.’

‘As you move towards the sweeter end of Extra Dry and into Dry Prosecco wines, richer, sweeter dishes come into play. Think tangy fruit-based flavours in deserts, like tart lemon tartlets, deep-fried beignets with tiny spoonful of apple puree at their heart or bowls full of summer berries.’

Taste a selection of these top Proseccos at Decanter’s Great Sparkling Exploration on Thursday 20 June, 5.30 – 9pm. Tickets only £65 for an evening of incredible wines, freshly shucked oysters, light bites and live jazz. Book your tickets today

In search of greater terroir expression, Prosecco’s finest wines are becoming increasingly dry. Richard Baudains explores the reasons why, and picks his top 10 to try...

There’s a buzz in the Prosecco Superiore hills of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. A new generation of producers is emerging and the established names in the region are releasing premium, limited-selection bottlings. There is greater sensitivity in the vineyard as producers seek to express a sense of place, and increased diversification in winemaking styles. Quality is stepping up – or perhaps it would be more accurate to say it is being forced up by the need to distinguish Prosecco Superiore DOCG from the commercially rampant Prosecco DOC of the plains. In lockstep with these developments, there has been a significant swing towards drier styles in recent years.

Scroll down for Richard Baudains’ top 10 dry-style Proseccos

Prosecco has three categories, from driest to sweetest: brut (including Extra brut and variously named zero-sugar styles), Extra Dry and Dry. Paolo Bisol of Ruggeri recounts that 40 years ago the most highly prized sparkling wines reserved for special family occasions were sweet. The fruity Extra Dry, on the other hand, was the everyday style that flowed copiously, and still does, in the osterie of the province of Treviso.Until relatively recently, Prosecco brut accounted for only a small part of the total DOCG production, but this is changing in response to evolving tastes and in particular to the demands of international markets. For example, production was once divided 80/20 between Extra Dry and brut at Ruggeri, but the split is now a much drier 50/50; nearly four-fifths of Bisol’s Prosecco Superiore is brut.

But how dry is dry in Prosecco? Sugar levels in a brut range from 0 to 12 grams per litre, although the regulations permit a 2g/l tolerance, so brut may actually reach 14g/l. This gives producers a lot of flexibility and results in styles that range from bone dry and bready to round and fruity. Manuel Codello, a talented young winemaker whose grandfather founded Roccat in 1929, makes an outstanding brut with 6-8g/l, depending on the vintage. ‘A brut with 14 grams of residual sugar doesn’t make much sense,’ he says. ‘but don’t ask me to make a dosage zero; that is too extreme’.

Franco Adami studied the sugar levels for his single-vineyard Col Credas over a long period before launching his 4g/l first cuvée in 2014. The current vintage has 2g/l and that hits the spot. his guiding principle that ‘if a brut doesn’t taste dry, it’s got the right sugar’ underlines the highly relevant point that making a successful brut is not about rules but about the winemaker’s sensitivity. Similarly, Silvano Follador produces a beautifully refined Brut Nature but lets the wine decide: ‘You can’t program the sugar levels, it has to be the wine that tells you “okay, I’m fine like this”.’

Zoning in

There is a wine style in Prosecco that is bone dry by definition: the lightly sparkling, bottle-refermented Frizzante. The DOCG laws allow this style to be labelled in various ways but is commonly referred to as col fondo, meaning with lees. Since the lees are not removed, the wine is slightly cloudy with a tangy biscuit, citrus and saline quality.

The style is back in vogue and many houses create a modern version. One producer, Ca’dei Zago, has made a speciality of col fondo. Brother and sister Cristian and Marika Zago have set aside a lot of their winemaking studies in favour of a return to basics. They sold their press two years ago and now they macerate the grapes, ferment in small cement vats, referment with their own passito and bottle under the spring moon. The result is a refreshing wine, ideal for summer drinking, but even better after a year in bottle. The style has taken on a cult status and other producers specialising in it include Casa Coste Piane and the historic house of Gregoletto.

The emergence of drier wine styles goes hand in hand with an increasing interest in terroir. ‘Brut is the style I love most as it allows the producer to best express the terroir,’ says Adami. This connection with the idea of the site – particularly single crus – makes the emergence of drier Proseccos more intriguing. Some of the best Prosecco is produced in this style.

The identification of individual terroir characters has been a theoretical possibility since the Rive sub-zones were introduced in 2009. Based on administrative boundaries, Rive were initially viewed as an abstract concept rather than a real guide to terroir. This could be changing – the assumption behind Adami’s statement is that Brut wines need to be sourced from specific sites.

Without the residual sugar of the Extra Dry style to flesh out the wine, a good Brut needs structure of its own, which means fully ripe grapes. However, a dry Prosecco also needs freshness, and if a producer seeks grapes with greater maturity, they risk losing the fragile acidity of the native Glera grape.

As a result, the best drier styles originate from top sites, sometimes on more calcareous soils and at higher elevations with greater day-night temperature variations.

Top-level Brut

Among the key Rive, Santo Stefano – home to producers including Bortolotti, Le Colture and Mionetto – and San Pietro di Barbozza – Bortolomiol, Collalto, Roccat – stand out for their refined aromas and firm elegance. In a radical break from tradition, Brut wines are also starting to appear from Cartizze, which was held in such high regard when production norms were first laid down in 1971 that it was granted its own DOC, and has since been elevated to DOCG status.

Sitting in a natural amphitheatre facing southeast, a high proportion of old vines stand in the calcareous clay and sandy soils of Cartizze. Its superior-quality fruit commanded a premium long before Cartizze gained official recognition. The wines have long been Dry in the legal sense, with 17-32g/l residual sugar, but Villa Sandi was perhaps the first to break ranks with its genuinely dry, perfumed and richly textured Vigna La Rivetta Brut. Silvano Follador has followed suit with his Cartizze- sourced Metodo Classico Brut Nature, while Bisol and Garbara make non-dosage Cartizze wines and, in 2018, Ruggeri launched its first edition of a Cartizze Brut.

Essential balance

Is Brut the way forward? The market seems to be saying yes. Drier Superiore styles are changing perceptions, aligning the category with the major sparkling wines of the world and giving it a more sophisticated image and greater appeal. Whether drier styles will become the de facto Prosecco style in volume terms is another issue. There are natural limitations on the size of Brut production, as it demands the best grapes from the best sites, often resulting in the finest wines.

Successful Prosecco Superiore Brut is raising the bar, but it is not always the best expression of its place. Poorly made examples can be, to borrow from Hobbes, ‘nasty, brutish and short’, with an underripe green character. There is also a question of typicity: dry styles imply long lees ageing, and there has to be a query over whether the bready aromas of long lees contact have a place in Prosecco – or whether they depart too far from its classic, delicately aromatic character. Follador’s view is that ‘the grape is more important than the method’ and he has reduced ageing for his Metodo Classico to seven months in order to avoid covering Glera’s distinctive floral aromas with yeast characters derived from autolysis.

Whatever the technical nuances, the fundamental issue is distinguishing between quality and style. It is hard to say that a dry wine is intrinsically superior to a semi-sweet or sweet one. Balance is key: the magic harmony between aroma, sugars, body and perlage of a top-drawer Prosecco Superiore can be found in all three styles.

The increase in the number of Brut styles adds a new dimension to the DOCG, offering diversity and insights into the terroir. It also opens the door to a new category of mature Proseccos that have spent two or three years on lees before release – a direction in which Extra Dry and Dry styles by their nature cannot follow. However, it would be a shame to neglect the time-honoured classics. Perhaps it is just nostalgia, but I would always find a place in my top five Proseccos for non-Brut styles, from Adami’s joyfully succulent Giardino Dry to Ruggeri’s refined Giustino B Extra Dry.

See Richard Baudains’ top 10 dry-style Proseccos

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The quality came through in consistent scores, found our judges. Andy Howard MW reports on the tasting...

There were very few disappointments in this interesting tasting, and the anticipated consistency of Prosecco came through as 95% of wines achieved Recommended or higher.

The two Italians on the panel are both writers with extensive local knowledge of Prosecco wines and producers. Alessandra Piubello was pleasantly surprised at the quality on show, commenting: ‘We don’t see so many wines like this back home.’

Scroll down to see the top scoring Proseccos

It was encouraging to see a good number of more highly rated wines, with one even rated Outstanding – a pretty rare beast in my experience. This is not to be dismissive of the quality that can be achieved with the Glera grape and the Charmat method, but more a reflection of the general consistency that the vast majority of producers achieve.So to see some Proseccos here delivering more than the expected level of correctness and typicity was a very positive thing. The panel agreed they would be happy to purchase the top wines, despite their (relatively) high price points.Prosecco established its position in the market with a softer, easier drinking character than traditional-method wines such as Champagne. Whereas the latter is most frequently produced in the brut style (between 7-12g/l dosage), Prosecco established itself in the extra dry category (12-17g/l).In the past few years, Prosecco producers exporting to the UK have been increasing the proportion of wines labelled as brut. The belief is that these lower-sugar versions exhibit more of a terroir influence, and will also appeal to traditional-method fans.

More than 55% of the wines submitted were brut. The panel clearly felt there was a benefit to the lower- sugar addition, with 41% of brut wines achieving Highly Recommended, compared to 32% in the extra dry category. Piubello noted that there was a much higher proportion of brut wines shown at the tasting than she would see back in her home region of Veneto.

Whether consumers are comfortable with a higher proportion of brut Proseccos remains to be seen. However, one of the arguments put forward to explain the recent decline in Prosecco sales in the UK is negative publicity around the combination of high acidity and sugar levels. So, perhaps this is a smart move.

Only a handful of Rive wines were submitted but they did not perform as well as anticipated, with only one Highly Recommended – disappointing given the quality of the vineyards, the associated hype, and the importance attached by the Prosecco consorzio to this higher quality level. In its defence, the Rive category is a relatively new one, and one suspects that producers are still finding their way in terms of achieving the best end result.

The high scores achieved by Ca’ di Rajo, Vincenzo Toffoli and Santa Margherita were encouraging – these are fine quality Proseccos which had all of the classic characteristics, but which were elevated by extra levels of flavour, refinement and complexity. It would be exciting to see more producers with wines at this level.

The slowing of Prosecco sales in the UK could be seen as consumers moving away from a mass-market, highly consistent, yet somewhat unexciting option. If Prosecco can consistently deliver more interesting wines, then Champagne and Cava producers may have to fight even harder to preserve sales.

See all Proseccos in the panel tasting here

The scores

87 wines tasted

Entry criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release Brut or Extra Dry Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore sparkling wines

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 1

Highly Recommended 32

Recommended 50

Commended 4

Fair 0

Poor 0

Faulty 0

Our tasters each pick their top three wines from the tasting:

Fabio Giavedoni

Friuli-born Giavedoni qualified as an AIS Sommelier before working for a long time in restaurants and wineries in Bologna. One of two contributing editors of Slow Wine Magazine, the guide to Italian wines, he has also published two books: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Un Grande Vino, and Il Piceno e il Pecorino.

Ca’ di Rajo, Extra Dry Millesimato 2017

Rich, complex and elegant fruity nose with white peach, grapefruit and candied tangerine. It has very fine bubbles, with a light texture, but concentrated flavours, showing great progression on the palate, and a long, elegant spicy finish of cardamom and saffron. Complex and stylish. 95 Drink 2019-2021

Santa Margherita, Brut NV

This famous and big estate has made a wine with great personality. Walnut and hazelnut on the nose, with floral and fine smoky hints. Tasty and well balanced, with a crispy and salty finish. A great food wine, full of personality and character. It has an original style. Simply delicious! 92 Drink 2019-2021

Ruggeri, Vecchie Viti Brut 2016

This has lots of fresh fruit on the nose, with peach, sweet pear and tangerine. Good complexity with a low pressured mousse. Lovely creamy texture on the palate, with a refined balance between crisp acidity and ripe fruit. A classic and classy example. 91 Drink 2019-2021

Andy Howard MW

A Master of Wine since 2011, Howard worked as senior wine buyer at Marks & Spencer for six years to 2013. He now runs consultancy Vinetrades Ltd, which focuses on education, investment and sourcing. A frequent contributor to Decanter, key areas of expertise are Burgundy and Italy, and he has a house in southwest France.

Ca di’Rajo, Extra Dry Millemisato 2017

From clay dominated soils at around 300m above sea level, the Cecchetti family produce special Prosecco’s which are very terroir driven. An extended Charmant process (7-10 weeks) adds to the finesse and complexity. Wish all Prosecco was this good. 95 Drink 2019-2021

Santa Margherita, Brut NV

Being at the crisper, drier end of the scale makes this a great alternative to traditional method sparklers. Santa Margherita was, back in the fifties, one of the first sparkling wine producers from Glera grapes. 93 Drink 2019-2021

Bellenda, San Fermo Brut 2017

Produced from grapes grown in the Conegliano hills, this is named after the neighbouring church of San Fermo. The vineyards here are on limestone-clay soils, interspersed with glacial deposits. Just 7g/l dosage makes this a highly refreshing Prosecco. 92 Drink 2019-2021

Alessandra Piubello

Piubello is a journalist and writer from Verona. She reports on many aspects of Italian culture, principally wine and food. Among her numerous activities, she is editor-in-chief for Queen International and Prince magazines, is co-editor of the Guida Oro I Vini di Veronelli wine guide, and has also written several books.

Vincenzo Toffoli, Brut Millesimato 2017

Prosecco from a small family-run company founded in the 1960s, located on only a few hectares. It captures the olfactory range, demonstrating crisp acidity and vital progression to a juicy finish. Well balanced, with the right touch of sweetness for an appetizing drink. 93 Drink 2019-2021

Ruggeri, Vecchie Viti Brut 2016

A selection from 80- to100-year-old vines, true custodians of this memorable territory. Good perlage, complex and profound nose. The sip is fresh and vibrant, literally contagious, with a hint of hazelnut on the finish. 92 Drink 2019-2021

BiancaVigna, Brut Millesimato 2017

Gentle fizz, intense to the nose with floral, fruity and citrus fragrances. Development is dynamic, fresh, given rhythm by a tasty and fragrant after-trail with gentle bubbles. A delight to drink: an ideal party wine. 90 Drink 2019-2021

About Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene

This vintage it is forecast that 500 million bottles of Prosecco will be produced. The startling growth of Prosecco has been one of the most significant developments in the wine world during the past two decades, and today it is by far the largest sparkling category.

Earlier this year, the Financial Times reported that Prosecco sales in the UK have increased by more than 6,000% since 2008. UK consumers clearly enjoy Prosecco, consuming 85m bottles in the last year. But, the latest figures show that sales in the UK have fallen for the first time in a decade.

Prosecco is made in the northern Italian regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Although the core, DOCG version is produced in the hillside areas around the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadane, the wider area of production runs all the way to the Slovenian border in the east. Glera is the key variety and must account for at least 85% of the blend. Most Prosecco has a floral fragrance, with light body, soft mousse, restrained flavours of white peach, and a sweetness from a frequently higher dosage. Drinking enjoyment is the key.

Superior quality

Prosecco is nearly always produced by the Charmat (‘tank’) method. Italy has a long tradition using this process, with large, refrigerated stainless-steel tanks used to conduct the secondary fermentation in a more industrial way. The major advantage of Charmat production is speed – the second fermentation can take as little as four weeks. There are also benefits in terms of consistency, the ability to react better to the market, and consequentially lower production costs.

However, critics are quick to point out that it’s difficult to reach the quality levels of the best traditional-method wines. The latter will usually have some years of ageing on the lees, encouraging a fine mousse to develop and enhancing flavour complexity.

Although Charmat wines are capable of high quality, many Prosecco wines can be less interesting to taste. This does not appear to concern millions of consumers, though, who appreciate Prosecco’s lighter, uncomplicated and sweeter style.

Proseccos from newly planted areas to the northeast of Venice carry the DOC designation and can be made in spumante, frizzante (lightly sparkling) and tranquillo (still) versions. DOCG Prosecco Superiore is nearly always spumante and comes from the hillside vineyards around Conegliano and Valdobbiadane, or the separate area of Asolo. The emerging DOCG designation Rive is restricted to 43 special sites with special terroir characteristics. DOCG Prosecco Superiore should be very consistent, of good quality and a distinct step up from DOC. Bottles carrying the Rive classification should show additional terroir interest.

For this tasting, the panel’s expectations were of a solid, rather than exciting line-up. So, were these expectations met?…

Prosecco: the facts

Total Prosecco production (2017) 441m bottles

DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadane

Area under vine 7,500ha

Vine growers 3,400

Sparkling wine producers 178

Production 91m bottles

Exports 41%

DOCG created 2009 – the 44th Italian DOCG

Prosecco: know your vintages

2017 Spring frosts followed by high temperatures in summer. Volumes down on normal but quality of white grapes was good.

2016 Rain in the spring reduced some yields, but with consistent weather during the rest of the growing season, quality of white grapes was generally high.

2015 A dry spring followed by hot weather in July/August. Whites are less aromatic and intense.

Older vintages Prosecco is rarely a wine to keep. Unless Cartizze level, or from a top producer, these should have been drunk by now.

Non-Vintage Ready to drink, enjoy while youthful and fresh.

Top scoring Prosecco from the panel tasting:

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Prosecco DOC producers have said they are very optimistic about quality as Italy looks set to match France with a substantially bigger wine harvest in 2018.

Many Prosecco producers appeared in a jubilant mood as the first grapes for Italian sparkling wines were picked this week, according to the DOC Consorzio.

A warm summer and a cooling-off period just before harvest, including with some rain, has given Prosecco DOC close to ideal growing conditions, according to the president of the DOC council Stefano Zanette.

Following a warm, dry summer for the most part, ‘the [recent] rain and the lower temperatures were exactly what we had been hoping for’, he said earlier this week.

Picking was due to begin in the last few days of August and ‘UK consumers can expect to get their hands on [the first 2018 wines] at the end of the year,’ he said.

Italy’s 2018 wine harvest was expected to rise by between 10% and 20% versus a 2017 harvest that was one of the lowest in the post-1945 era, according to the country’s farming union, Coldiretti.

With the crucial harvest period still to come for many, Coldiretti’s forecast the harvest at between 46 and 47 million hectolitres for 2018. One hectolitre equals 100 litres.

The country’s winemaker association, Unione Italiana Vini, was more bullish earlier in August but was due to give an update on 4 September.

There has been a similar tale of resurgence in France, which was expecting a 2018 wine harvest around 27% larger than a historically low 2017.

Coldiretti subsequently highlighted that Italy and France were neck-and-neck in a ‘race’ to be crowned the world’s largest wine producer in 2018.

This old rivalry lives on, it seems, despite an increased focus on quality – including yield control and grape selection – among the best winemakers in both countries.

Bad weather, and associated disease, could yet de-rail things, however.

‘Slaughter of Primitivo grapes’

Coldiretti said on 24 August that it was concerned about weather forecasts in several areas.

It added that a particularly bad hailstorm in Taranto province in the south may have cut Primitivo production there by around 60%.

It said there had been a ‘slaughter’ of Primitivo grapes in the area.

Paolo Castelletti, general secretary of Italy’s winemaker association, said that producers across the country have had to work hard during the growing season to deal with intermittent storms and bouts of frost, as well as to prevent issues with mildew in the vines.

According to winenews.it, Piedmont had been hampered by high rainfall and several hailstorms in spring and early summer, but hot weather in June helped vines to recover. Tuscany was expected to see a significant rebound in harvest size versus 2017, albeit some vineyards would still be coping with the effects of frost and drought from the year before.

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There is still plenty of scope to promote the quality image of the best Prosecco wines, according to Bisol's management team, which has revamped its range and believes the term 'peak Prosecco' underestimates this part of the market.

Premium Prosecco producer Bisol recently unveiled its new image and product range at Quaglino’s restaurant in London, four years after the brand was acquired by the Lunelli Group that also owns the Trentodoc sparkling wine company Ferrari.

The move comes at a time when some people have suggested the UK is now approaching ‘peak Prosecco’.

Last year, category growth slowed to the smallest increase in sales since 2011. Analysts are predicting that sales will continue to rise for the next two to three years after which the rate of increase will continue to decline.

Matteo Lunelli, CEO of the Lunelli Group and vice president of Bisol shrugged off such concerns.

‘Prosecco is still growing at a global level, but so far consumers have really only focused on the category rather than the producer.’

‘We see a brand opportunity for Bisol by highlighting the difference in quality between Prosecco and Prosecco Superiore. Essentially, we want to take Bisol to the next level once again in the UK, especially in the on trade and independent merchants.’

Bisol’s President, Gianluca Bisol, whose ancestors first tended vines in Valdobiaddane in 1542, was one the first to conquer the UK market.

He recalled a very different era.

‘When I joined the family company in 1987 Prosecco was only sold in Lombardy and Rome.

‘Thirty-one years ago, there were just 30 producers and only about 25 million bottles produced. People thought that was the high point of Prosecco and that the UK would never be weaned off Champagne. And look what happened.

‘Now we want to make Bisol the reference point for Superiore and lift the image of premium, terroir-focused DOCG Prosecco.’

With Ferrari’s investment, Bisol has made big investments in quality over the last four years and has revitalised the range, which now includes five different styles of Superiore made from five different soil types in Valdobiaddane’s steep hillside vineyards.

Bisol also owns 1.5 hectares of vineyard in the famous Cartizze hill.

The Jeio range has also been revamped and now consists of two styles, Brut and Extra Dry, aimed more at casual dining and celebrations.

The UK was and will remain a key market for Bisol, along with the US where a similar strategy will apply.

‘We’re not interested in the low end of the Prosecco market and we’re never going to be the cheapest,’ said Lunelli.

‘You can’t really grow the overall Prosecco production but with a brand like Bisol you can change the focus from quantity to quality. That’s what we want to pioneer. In the long-term, we are looking to achieve double digit growth for both Bisol and Jeio.’

Bisol has no plans to produce a rosé Prosecco, although Gianluca Bisol has previously said that he understands why some producers are keen to go down that route.

‘[At Bisol] we are a traditional house and want to focus on the message of Glera, the steep hills of Valdobiaddane and the idea of particular crus and Rives,’ he said.

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Prosecco rosé wine moves closer to reality

Top Prosecco: Wines pushing the boundaries – An exclusive report for Premium members

Prosecco DOC producers are on the brink of allowing sparkling rosé within their appellation, marrying two of the biggest trends in the wine world.

A vote in Treviso, the beautiful pre-Roman town of 33 fountains, on 9 May saw board members of the Prosecco DOC Consorzio back a proposal to devise rules for making rosé by allowing red wine in the blend.

Prosecco DOC wines can currently be produced with a maximum of 15% Pinot Noir, but the red grape must be used only to create white wine.

If given final approval, following the 9 May vote, winemakers would be allowed to mix the signature Prosecco grape, Glera, with Pinot Noir to create Prosecco rosé within the DOC.

It is a development that ‘blends’ two of the fastest growing areas of the wine world, especially in Prosecco’s key UK market.

The idea of Prosecco rosé has been smouldering for few years among producers, only to mature today with the increasing sales in the export markets. Rosé is still a niche market at home in Italy.

‘Today is the right time to produce Prosecco rosé,’ said Stefano Zanette, president of Prosecco DOC.

‘This is not a ploy. Pinot Noir is a noble grape and the new category will be reserved for the best quality “spumante” versions, not the fizzy “frizzante” ones,’ he told Decanter.com. He said that it was part of a move to increase quality.

Gianluca Bisol, head of the eponymous producer, said: ‘Rosé is a natural direction for Prosecco and the increasing recognition of its quality. The risk is that we should be careful to avoid more price pressure for Prosecco after two years of grape shortages.’

Ask Decanter: Why does my ‘extra dry’ Prosecco taste sweet?

The new category has the potential to become a significant proportion of total production.

Around one million litres of Pinot Noir are currently produced as still white wine each year.

‘I think [rosé] could easily become 20% of our production,’ said Giancarlo Moretti Polegato, the owner of Villa Sandi and one of the enthusiasts for the new challenge.

‘It will add value to the denomination. We want to plant more Pinot Noir. It will become an advantage for our grape growers, too, helping to avoid monoculture in the vineyards with only Glera or Pinot Grigio.’

However, several critics exist within the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, which represents many of the highest quality Prosecco wines.

‘I don’t see the opportunity since Prosecco rosé has no historical base,’ said the former president of the DOCG council, Franco Adami.

‘We risk confusing consumers. Do it anyway, but not with the name Prosecco,’ he said.

Even if approved, wine lovers may have to wait to celebrate with Prosecco rosé.

‘We are not completely confident in our ability to be able to change the DOC regulations before this harvest, but we will be ready for next year,’ said Stefano Zanette.

In 2017, official figures show that 440 million bottles of Prosecco DOC were produced, plus 90 million labelled as Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG and 10 million as Asolo Prosecco DOCG. Three quarters of production is intended for export, of which 33% is shipped to the UK.

Editing by Chris Mercer

Top Prosecco wines: The best bottles reviewed for Decanter Premium members

Producers have the option to label their top Prosecco with a village of origin, but are these ‘rive’ wines always a guarantee of quality? Richard Baudains finds out.

Richard Baudains’ top ‘rive’ Prosecco

Since 2009, producers of Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore – the top-drawer DOCG Prosecco from the hills – have had the option of declaring the village of origin of their wines with the phrase ‘Rive di’. Every village which conforms to the basic wine-growing standards of the DOCG zone (there are 43) can claim its sub-denomination.

In the highly democratic division of the area devised by the producers’ consorzio, all rive appear equal, but some might be more equal than others. Are the rive always a guarantee of top quality? And do they really reflect a special sense of place?

The answer to the first question is ‘yes and no’. Producers who use the rive denomination tend to reserve it for their top label, which means that you should be getting a Prosecco made with special care and attention from their best grapes. Some of these rive wines can be spectacularly, eye-openingly good.

The overall quality, however, is not particularly homogeneous: alongside wines with very distinctive personality there are others which are perfectly well made, but little more. As for terroir character, the diversity of growing conditions within the DOCG zone is evident, but it is difficult to pin down corresponding differences between wines at village level.

Article continues below wine reviews.

See the top Prosecco tasting notes and ratings

In search of style

A tentative shot at characterising the most widely exploited and most interesting rive could pick out San Pietro di Barbozza for freshness and refined elegance; Ogliano for its ripe, yellow fruit; Guia for a certain tangy, mineral quality; and Santo Stefano for its firm, fresh zip.

The problem is that there is not a lot of evidence to go on. In a tasting of 58 rive wines I did in October 2017 there were 28 different sub-denominations, most of which were represented by only one or two examples. In some respects the rive are at the cutting edge. The newly recognised extra brut (less than 6g/l of sugar) and brut nature (less than 3g/l) categories are being enthusiastically taken up by producers, and rive wines in particular showcase the trend. In my recent tasting, two-thirds of the wines were in varying shades of brut, while only a small minority were in the traditional extra-dry style.

The drinking window of quality Prosecco is widening and rive wines, which are obliged to declare their vintage, again highlight the trend. I tasted excellent rive from 2015 and even 2014. Rive selections represent a drop in the ocean of the 83 million bottles of Prosecco Superiore produced in 2016 – but it is a still a significant one, with 1.9m bottles. In terms of quality, they are not the only guide to the crème de la crème.

Many top producers, from small independent growers such as Silvano Follador or Cà dei Zago, to leading houses such as Bisol and Ruggeri, do not use village names for their prestige selections. But the good news is that quality producers who do are currently making some of Prosecco’s most interesting wines.

Richard Baudains is the DWWA Regional Chair for Veneto and has written about Italian wine for Decanter since 1989.

Our love affair with Italy’s favourite fizz is certainly not new: I remember writing about how fashionable Prosecco was becoming more than a decade ago.

What is interesting to see, however, is the positive effect its continued popularity has had on other sparkling wine categories, forcing producers everywhere to up their game and diversify, and resulting in seriously interesting options at every price level.

Over time, Prosecco itself has broadened from the traditional light, floral and frothy, off-dry fizz we’ve all grown to know and love, to include artisanal, bottle-fermented dry examples, and everything in-between.

Best Prosecco for Christmas: Our expert’s picks

Wine writer and broadcaster Susie Barrie MW is the author of Mitchell Beazley’s Wine Made Easy: Champagne and Sparkling Wines. This text was first published in Decanter magazine in 2015. Wines on this page were updated on 11th December 2019 and taken from recommendations by a range of Decanter experts.

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Dentists in the UK have warned of higher cases of ‘Prosecco teeth’, linking tooth decay to the surge in popularity for sparkling wine. Decanter.com gets expert advice ways to limit the damage, without cutting Prosecco or Champagne out of your life completely...

At a glance: How to limit ‘Prosecco teeth’

• Drink less but better – discover the best Prosecco to try

• Drink with food, such as cheese, to reduce acid damage

• Take breaks and don’t brush your teeth for at least one hour after drinking

• Drink your sparkling wine cocktail with a straw

Full article

Sparkling wines have been causing damage to our teeth, according to top dentists, warning against ‘Prosecco teeth’; a condition where the tooth starts to come away from the gum, caused by the sugar, acidity and carbonation in the popular wine.

‘Prosecco like other wines has a low pH i.e. (3.25) and this acidity can damage both the dentine and enamel in teeth,’ Professor Damien Walmsley of the British Dental Association told Decanter.com.

‘In addition, Prosecco contains sugar that feeds the harmful bacteria in your mouth, forming acids, and making the teeth more prone to decay.’

How does it compare to other drinks?

‘Every time you drink anything containing sugar, these acids attack the teeth and start to soften and dissolve the enamel.’

‘These acid attacks can last for an hour after drinking Prosecco (or any food or drink containing sugars) before the natural alkaline compounds in your saliva cause the enamel to remineralise and harden again.’

You could choose a low dosage sparkling wine, like brut nature Champagne, to minimise the amount of sugar consumed. Brut nature Prosecco also exists, although it’s still a small part of the market.

• What’s the difference between ‘brut nature’ and ‘zero dosage’?

• Why does my ‘extra dry’ Prosecco taste sweet?

Whilst high acidity wines cause some damage, like Chablis, the bubbles in sparkling wines can increase the harmful effects of the acidity.

‘Coca Cola, and other carbonated soft drinks, also pose a risk to teeth since they are also acidic,’ Walmsley added.

How to limit the damage

One obvious rule would be to cut down and drink better quality. But, Walmsley said that it’s important to think about when and how you drink, not just how much.

‘Your teeth are most at risk from prolonged exposure to acidic drinks – ie continuously sipping Prosecco over an evening means the teeth are continually being bathed in acid and sugar and the enamel doesn’t have time to recover.’

‘However, if it is drunk during a meal the acidic effect is diluted and the enamel has time to recover.

‘Also a piece of cheese may help neutralise the acidic effect.’

Drinking through a straw may reduce the effect ‘but I’m not sure if your Prosecco drinkers would necessarily favour this’, Walmsley told Decanter.com.

‘Finally, people drinking Prosecco (or other fizzy drinks), should also wait for at least an hour before brushing their teeth to give the enamel time to harden up again.’

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Make sure you soak up the August bank holiday weekend with a glass of something delicious in hand. See our selection of 10 Prosecco and rosé wines tasted by our experts and all under £15...

It’s hard to believe that August bank holiday 2017 is already upon us. And while you can do little about the weather, don’t spoil your weekend with a sub-standard wine.

• Scroll down for our experts’ choice of great value rosé and Prosecco

‘With demand for Prosecco sky-high, it’s never been more important to be choosy, as quality can vary hugely,’ said Decanter’s tastings director, Christelle Guibert.

• SEE ALSO: What’s the difference between Champagne and Prosecco?

Don’t fall foul of a bad rosé deal either — learn what to look for in a good bottle of pink. Are you guilty of judging a rosé by it’s colour, for example? Avoid common misconceptions, and find out if a paler rosé really is better and if older rosé tastes as good.

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Are you a bubbly connoisseur or do you fall flat on your sparkling wine facts? Test your knowledge on Champagne and Prosecco with this Decanter.com quiz.

Champagne or Prosecco?  Do you know the differences between the world’s two favourite sparkling wines?

Scroll down to take our quiz and find out.

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New Yorkers can celebrate National Prosecco Day enjoying Prosecco infused doughnuts.

Prosecco doughnuts: The latest wine flavoured trend?

Italian winemaker Ruffino has teamed up with The Doughnut Project to develop the Prosecco flavoured doughnuts, in time for National Prosecco Day later this month.

The Doughnut Project has already produced a series of cocktail flavoured doughnuts, showcasing local bars of New York.

‘We have done many alcohol infused doughnuts in the past,’ said Leslie Polizzotto, the co-owner of The Doughnut Project.

‘Because of our track record, we were approached by Ruffino to do a Prosecco doughnut in honour of National Prosecco Day on 13th August.’

The doughnuts will be on sale in their West Village Morton Street shop from 14 till 20 August, at $4.25. The sweet treat will be decorated with a variety of sprinkles.

This is not the first attempt to bring Prosecco ‘out of the bottle’.

Earlier this year, Pops, a UK based company, introduced alcoholic popsicles with variety of flavours, including Champagne and Prosecco Bellini.

Other wine infused treats include rosé flavoured gummy bears and wine lollipops.

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The growth of Prosecco

A recent survey by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) revealed that 97% of the participants between the age of 18 and 24 drank Prosecco. The WSTA’s report showed that sales of sparkling wine last year increased by 12%.

In 2016, UHY Hacker Young, accountancy group, revealed that sales of sparkling wine in the UK had increased 80% over the previous five years.

The consumptions is expected to still grow, a Vinexpo report published in March predicted an increase of nearly 19% to 15.2 million cases by 2020.

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Prosecco drinkers under 25 are driving strong growth for sparkling wine in the UK, according to the latest figures from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Millennial Prosecco drinkers drives UK sparkling wine sales

Sales of sparkling wine grew by 12% overall last year, according to the WSTA’s 2017 Wine Report.

In the on-trade, sparkling wine sales grew 18% by volume and 7% by value, reaching just below 24 million bottles, worth £485 million.

The UK is the sixth largest market for sparkling wine in the world; it is the largest market for Champagne outside of France, according to the WSTA.

A recent consumer poll from the WSTA also showed that 97% of 18-24 year olds questioned said that they drank Prosecco – the wine which many regard as the key driving force behind the growth in sparkling wine consumption.

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A Vinexpo report produced with research group IWSR claimed that sparkling wine consumption in the UK is predicted to grow by 18.8% to 15.2 million cases by 2020.

In 2016, figures showed that sales of sparkling wine had increased 80% over the previous five years.

‘Our Wine Report for 2017 shows that Brits’ thirst for sparkling wine continues to grow,’ said Miles Beale, CEO of the WSTA.

‘It also underlines the value of the wine trade to the UK economy, not to mention the enormous tax contribution our industry makes to the Treasury’s coffers.’

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Sparkling wine is the star of summer picnics and garden gatherings, but what’s best to eat with favourites like Champagne, Prosecco, Cava and English sparkling? We asked people behind the stands at Decanter's Sparkling Exploration tasting in London for their ideal pairings...

Summer sparkling wine pairings

Sparkling wines have a reputation as aperitifs, but many of them are great at any point in a summer meal. 

Decanter asked those showing wines at the Sparkling Exploration tasting held at Church House in Westminster what their ideal summer wine pairings would be. See their answers below:

Prosecco

For many, Prosecco is the unassailable summer staple of al fresco drinking and dining. The founder of Sommelier’s Choice, Tim McLaughlin-Green, was representing Nino Franco from Prosecco Superiore. He shared his celebrity chef Prosecco pairing experience…

‘Three years ago, we went to Rick Stein’s restaurant and cooked with his son Jack. We paired the Primo Franco 2013 with his lobster curry — it was amazing. People usually associate Austrian wines with curries and Asian spices, but this was a great pairing for richer Prosecco styles.’

Cava

Pamela Anzano, representing Cava producer Gramona, unsurprisingly offered a traditional Spanish perspective on Cava wine pairing.

‘In Spain we often pair Cava with meat, because it can handle it. You can take something like cooked lamb and the Cava can handle it. Cheeses too, like aged Manchego. I’d choose Gramona’s III Lustros Brut Nature Cava 2009 and I’d pair with rich meats, such as Spanish jamón ibérico.’

English sparkling

English sparkling is a grower on the summer picnic scene, with its producers gaining increasing recognition. Sommelier Laura Rhys MS, representing award-winning Gusbourne Estate from Kent, said:

‘A really lovely dessert I had with Gusbourne Brut Rosé 2013 the other day was strawberry macaroons, fresh cream and strawberries. Or a strawberry and mint sorbet is a delicious pairing, too.’

• DWWA 2017: English wine award winners and where to buy them

Champagne

Thomas Laculle-Moutard’s heritage combines two Champagne houses — his father Patrick Laculle took over Laculle Champagne family business in 1980, and then married Anges Moutard of Famille Moutard Champagne. At the event he represented both sides of the family, but he chose Laculle for his French minimalist pairing…

‘Personally, I would take a glass of Laculle’s Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne NV. For Chardonnay Champagne, smoked salmon on toast is best, with crème fraîche. Or perhaps on a hot summer’s day enjoyed with fresh strawberries and raspberries.’

Crémant

Crémant’s popularity has been on the rise as a value Champagne alternative. It’s a sparkling wine made in the same ‘traditional method’ — where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. Notable Crémants are produced in French regions such as Loire, Burgundy, Limoux and Alsace. Bestheim has been producing Crémant in Alsace since 1765, and we asked their export manager Emmanuel Vergely for his ideal pairing:

‘I would choose Bestheim’s Grand Prestige Brut Cremant d’Alsace 2010, paired with grilled salmon and rice pilaf. You want a simple, pure dish like this to allow for full expression of the wine.’

French Crémant – Beyond Champagne

Franciacorta

This lesser-known Italian sparkling style is not to be overlooked, and if your palate is tiring of Prosecco this is a refreshing alternative. The Sparkling Exploration welcomed five Franciacorta producers, including organic wines from Barone Pizzini. Managing partner Silvano Brescianini said:

‘With Barone Pizzini Animante Brut NV, I would have to have a classic dish — spaghetti vongole. The creamy white wine sauce and fresh fish with the taste of sea work perfectly with the rounded flavours, driven by the Chardonnay.’

Franciacorta sparkling wines to drink

Written by Laura Seal for Decanter.com

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The Veneto is the largest wine producing region in Italy, creating a myriad of styles from light, bubbly Prosecco to dark, rich Amarone. We've all seen the rise of bubbles from the Valdobbiadene but what else do you about this complex and intriguing region?

Are you a ‘Soave‘ connoisseur of Veneto wines from North East Italy? Scroll down to take the quiz and find out.

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Spain's Freixenet has broken ranks to launch a ‘premium’ Prosecco, setting out its aim to become the number one sparkling wine brand in the world. See our tasting note below.

News that Freixenet, one of the powerhouses of Spanish Cava, is branching out to Prosecco will likely raise a few eyebrows in Penedès.

‘We want to be the consumer’s first choice for sparkling wine, and in the UK that means you must have a Prosecco,’ said Damian Clarke, managing director of the family-owned company’s UK subsidiary, at a launch event this week.

UK consumers drank 2.5 times more Prosecco than the Italians did in 2016 – though they paid almost double – according to market research company IRI. In the same period, UK sales of Cava have seen a slight decline.

‘Prosecco has become fashionable here in a way that Cava has perhaps not,’ said Clarke, who attributed the demand partly to the Brits’ love for Italian culture, food and drink, and to a preference for a sparkling wine with a sweeter taste.

The Freixenet Prosecco DOC wine, which retails at £12 a bottle, is being marketed as a premium offering in the Prosecco market – a ‘special occasion Prosecco,’ according to UK marketing director Lisa Madrigal.

Freixenet conducted tasting research among a panel of 300 consumers to ‘optimise the flavour profile for the British palate’. A DOCG wine will be available through the on-trade and travel retail.

As well as a range of Cavas which includes the well-known Cordon Negro brand, Freixenet produces sparkling wine in Argentina, Australia, California and Champagne.

How the Freixenet Prosecco tastes

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Grape growers for Prosecco DOC are set to be banned from using three chemical sprays, including one that was only this week judged safe by the European Union's watchdog, the president of the appellation has said.

Stefano Zanette, president of the Prosecco DOC council, said that he wanted to voluntarily ‘eliminate’ the use of one particular herbicide and two fungicides in the Italian sparkling wine production zone.

It is part of the council’s strategy to improve Prosecco’s sustainability credentials.

‘Even if permitted by law, these elements seem to have become a source of concern for both local residents and consumers,’ said Zanette.

‘I am committed to ensuring that the ban of these active ingredients is binding, i.e. mandatory for all producers in our denomination.’

He named the three products as the Glyphosate herbicide and the Folpet and Mancozeb fungicides.

None of the three chemical sprays named are forbidden under European Union rules.

Zanette added, ‘In the very near future, Prosecco DOC plans to obtain a certification that will initially guarantee the sustainability of individual wines and will ultimately guarantee the sustainability of the entire Prosecco denomination.’

Glyphosate, one of the world’s most widely used herbicides, has caused significant debate. EU members states could not agree on its future during meetings in 2016 – following a three-year review of evidence.

This week, the European Chemical Agency said Glyphosate was safe to use. But a final decision will rest with EU member states later this year.

A World Health Organisation study said in May 2016 that the weedkiller was unlikely to pose an increased risk of cancer in humans, although earlier WHO research separately suggested the risk might be real.

The European Commission said last year that Glyphosate could continue to be used during its review period under certain conditions, including minimal use if near to public parks or playgrounds.

Monsanto, which produces Glyphosate, has repeatedly stated that its product does not pose a health risk.

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• Brut is a drier wine than Extra Dry

Ever tried some Prosecco labelled ‘extra dry’ and found it to taste sweeter than you expected?

That’s because the labelling works slightly differently to how we think of the term ‘dry’ for a still white wine, for example.

Prosecco is available as brut, extra dry and dry, in order of driest to sweetest.

If you prefer your Prosecco in a drier style, you want to be looking for ‘Brut’, which is allowed up to 12g of residual sugar per litre.

‘Extra dry’ means it has 12-17g/L, and ‘dry’ can be 17-32g/L.

These levels are set by international wine body OIV and, in the European Union, residual sugar levels are regulated by the European Commission.

So ‘Extra-Sec’ and ‘Sec’ on Champagne and Crémant is the equivalent meaning of Extra Dry and Dry for Prosecco, for example.

It’s best to see the scale as more of a broad guide. Levels vary between wines and the OIV says that it allows a ‘tolerance’ of 3g per litre on its limits for Brut, Extra Dry and Dry.

‘I am not alone in preferring the extra dry style,’ wrote Italian wine expert Ian D’Agata in Decanter magazine.

‘It shows Prosecco’s delicate aromatic complexity and freshness at its best – but Brut examples can be just as delectable.’

But, don’t get confused on a sparkling wine label between ‘extra dry’ and ‘extra brut’. The latter is an indication that the wine is more dry than a typical brut sparkling wine, with up to 6g residual sugar per litre.

In Champagne, there is niche demand for ‘brut nature wines’, which contain up to 3g per litre residual sugar and are sometimes known as ‘no added sugar’.

More about choosing Prosecco

Other variations on Prosecco include ‘frizzante’, which means it’s a slightly less sparkling style.

Most Prosecco is made using the tank method, but some producers experiment with the ‘traditional method’ – performing second fermentation in the bottle – giving more pronounced yeast flavours, in the style of Champagne.

When choosing a Prosecco, Susie Barrie MW recommends to ‘choose DOCG, whatever your budget’.

Editing by Chris Mercer

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UK supermarket Asda has launched a new sparkling wine, which is a blend of Prosecco and Pinot Grigio.

Asda launches ‘ProGrigio’ sparkling wine

Retailing for £5 a bottle, the supermarket claims the wine ‘tastes just like Prosecco but at a lower price point’, according to a statement.

The sparkling wine is made from a blend of Glera – the traditional Prosecco grape – and Pinot Grigio.

Jane Hunt, DWWA joint regional chair for Regional Italy, says ‘I can’t think of anything worse or more pointless.’

‘I imagine, however, it will be a success if only for the low price and what I am sure will be a bland, innocuous concoction.’

This follows a warning earlier this week that a combination of Brexit, inflation and alcohol duty will mean price increases for Prosecco and Champagne, according to the Wine & Spirit Trade Association.

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Ed Betts, Asda wine buying manager, said: ‘We always strive to keep prices as low as possible without compromising on quality and we believe ProGrigio is the ideal affordable sparkling wine alternative.’

‘We want to protect the demand for sparkling wine by offering customers more choice, and by moving slightly away from the Prosecco region we have discovered a great example of quality fizz at an everyday price.’

UK demand for sparkling wine has soared over recent years, drinking almost twice as much compared to five years ago.

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Italy has said it will put forward the Prosecco DOCG growing region for UNESCO world heritage status.

Italy applies for Prosecco UNESCO status

Italy’s National Commission for UNESCO publicly backed the application for the area of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene – the home of Prosecco DOCG wines – to join the world heritage list.

‘It is a recognition that we receive with pride,’ said Innocente Nardi, president of the Consortium of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.

‘This application adds new value to the beauty of this territory, which for centuries has expressed its potential in many fields; viticulture, first of all, but also wine innovation, art and architecture.’

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The Prosecco UNESCO bid has been nearly 10 years in the making; the campaign to nominate Prosecco began in 2008, and in 2010 it was included in the Italian Tentative List.

To qualify for world heritage status, a site must qualify for one of 10 set criteria, and be of ‘outstanding universal value’, according to UNESCO.

Once nominated, advisory bodies evaluate the site in question, and a World Heritage Committee makes the final decision on who makes the list.

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Other Italian UNESCO wine regions include Barolo and Pantelleria, off the coast of southern Italy.

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With 51 UNESCO sites, Italy has more than any other country, and seven are in Tuscany alone.

Champagne was awarded UNESCO status in 2015, along with Burgundy.

Plans for submitting the 1855 Bordeaux classification to UNESCO were abandoned last year.

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One in 10 Britons surveyed fear that sparkling wine from the continent will be banned or unavailable in the aftermath of Brexit, according to new research.

Brexit: Champagne and Prosecco ban fear

In a survey carried out by discount deals website VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, of over 2080 people, 16 per cent were concerned European wines such as Champagne, Prosecco and Cava will be forbidden in the wake of the UK leaving the European Union.

The UK Wine & Spirit Trade Association warned this week that prices would likely rise due to the weak sterling currency in the wake of the vote to leave the European Union on 23 June.

The team at Voucher Code Pro, who polled Britons aged 18 and over, conducted the research as part of an ongoing study into how the country feels about how the vote to leave will affect their personal finances.

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Among other concerns, 17 per cent believe certain foods such as croissants and Gouda cheese will be banned, while 15 per cent think children will cease to be taught European languages at school.

The uncertainty over mobility within Europe has also had an effect on some people’s attitudes, with 17 and 14 per cent respectively believing that Britons will be banned from living and travelling abroad.

• How PM Theresa May might treat wine

‘It’s no surprise people are worried, given the uncertainty in the current economy and political climate,’ said George Charles, a spokesperson for Voucher Codes Pro.

‘It’s highly doubtful that any of these fears will translate into reality, but it’s an insight into how the public is feeling at the moment and the concerns we have about the future of our country – some more valid than others.’

Mr Charles added that the results suggested that the British government has a responsibility to educate the nation in an ‘unbiased and straightforward way’, so that people ‘clearly understand the arguments and consequences’.

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