Prosecco - changing names
The Veneto region of North Eastern Italy is well known for its wonderful, sparkling wine, known commonly as Prosecco. Some important recent changes, however, have seen the grape variety return to its old synonym of Glera.
Prosecco from the Veneto and Fruili has been a very successful beverage with a loyal following among consumers. Unfortunately, like many successful products, it has been copied and inferior products have occasionally sullied the reputation of one of the most popular and truly stylish Italian bubbles.
Prosecco can be found occasionally as a still wine, but frizzante and spumante are the most popular versions. Unlike Champagne, the secondary fermentation takes place in a tank.
If you believe that vineyard location matters, in the concept of terroir, then it stands to reason that the geographical information on a wine bottle should be controlled legally. Wines have been identified by their place of origin for centuries and the Romans and Greeks defined the best vineyards and regions by the ripeness and taste. In the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene zone, around 5000 producers cultivate over 10,000 hectares.
On 17 July 2009, the Agricultural ministry approved a reorganisation of Prosecco production that involved tightening regulations, along with the endorsement of a delineated region of production. (This is very similar to the rules of ‘Champagne’, as it can only be called as such if it comes from the Champagne region.) While there have been lots of changes and additions, we will focus on Prosecco in particular.
There are now two different quality levels, with the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene zone becoming a DOCG. (top level).
In addition, a basic DOC has been created to replace all of the current (IGT) areas. These categories guarantee the wines are made in the traditional way, according to strict rules and come from a specific area. The words ‘Prosecco Superiore’ now appear on the label in the case of spumante.
In Italy there are basically four quality tiers with the highest, DOCG, being made from grapes grown on the best sites in the country. These regions are restricted by the grapes they grow, styles, labeling and aging rules. Now that Prosecco is a DOCG, it is more valuable, so the government has put measures in place to protect it. If a producer makes sparkling wine from the Glera grape and it doesn’t fit into the DOCG specific rules, they are not able to label it as Prosecco.
There were two factors that helped the reclassification and the subsequent full recognition of ‘Prosecco’ as a Denomination of Origin for wine. The Province of Treviso, where 90% of the entire production of Prosecco takes place, has been a traditional producer and includes the hilly area of the DOCG. The second was the presence of the actual place called Prosecco, situated close to Trieste, which is linked historically with the origin of the grape variety.
The limited production zone is the historic one, restricted to the hillsides of the 15 communes situated between the two main towns of Conegliano and VaIdobbiadene. The cultivation zone has also been extended to include producers in nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli who have already been bottling this wine for at least five years.
Traditionally, the wine is produced from a minimum of 85% grapes of the Glera variety and a maximum of 15% of Verdiso, Bianchetta, Perera and Glera Lunga grapes, which are varieties that have been present for centuries in the hills of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene.
Pinot noir and/or Chardonnay grapes can also be used for the spumante. There are rules on packaging as well and Prosecco must be sold in glass bottles.
Characteristics of Glera and Prosecco
So what are the characteristics of Glera? A rustic and vigorous variety, it makes a wine with flavours and aromas of fresh apple, white peach, pears, stone fruits and florals. Some examples have mineral characters, honey, earth and toasty complexity. The wine may be dry or have some residual sugar sweetness. In essence, a charming and refreshing bevanda with something to please almost everyone. It’s perfectly at home at a grand celebration, in a cocktail like the Bellini or with Aperol as a spritzer.
Taste and compare
There are some wonderful examples available in Australia and more bubbles on the way. You will find it labeled as ‘Prosecco’ as the regulations do not at this stage apply to wines produced outside of Italy. Winemakers and viticulturists alike are talking about this variety and more is being planted.
Try Dal Zotto, Brown Brothers or Chrismont from the King Valley, home to the Prosecco trail. Mark Lloyd from Coriole has a Kuitpo vineyard Prosecco due for release in October and Niccolai has beautiful bottles about to start bubbling down from the Adelaide Hills.