I have been writing about Italian sparkling wine over the course of this month. Today I want to write about Prosecco. I have worked with a number of Prosecco brands and have worked for the Prosecco DOC Consortium in the past so I rarely write about it but I always drink it. I have a bottle of Prosecco in my home at all times. I love the versatility of Prosecco and the easy pairings that I find be it as an aperitivo, with a first course, or throughout the whole meal. I love Prosecco with Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Thai cuisine.

Prosecco is the largest selling Italian wine in the US. I believe the last count of how many bottles were sold annually is around 700 million bottles a year. These numbers are shockingly large. In 2013 I remember doing a presentation for the Consortium and at the time they were selling 350 million bottle a year.

Working with one producer rather than the Consortium, I learned a lot more specifics about Prosecco. I learned that the traditional style of Prosecco is Extra Dry. Extra dry means the wine has 12-17g/L, and Dry can be 17-32g/L. I also learned a lot about the Rive wines, a category of 43 areas. The Rive are part of the Prosecco region where everything is hand picked in extremely difficult conditions at incredibly steep slopes. Apparently, each Rive expresses the terroir of the area to such a degree that some people collect examples of all of the Rive. I have had Rive from a few different producers. I am still not well versed enough in all the various Rive but there definitely are differences that come through.

2023 brought more Prosecco DOC Rosé into my life and for that, I have been happy. I have also had much Prosecco DOC Rosé as well. Prosecco DOC Rosé calls for secondary fermentation for at least 60 days before release. The wine is made with up to 10%-15% Pinot Noir. The remaining portion is Glera, the principal grape of Prosecco. The wines are made by the Martinotti/Charmat Method. There are no still or frizzante versions of the Rosé. The Rosé versions of Prosecco will range from Brut Nature to Extra Dry. There are no sweet versions of the Rosé.

I have a bottle open right now in my fridge from Albino Armani, a wonderful producer I have collaborated with over the years. It is a lovely example of this category. I find it pairs well with everything, just what I want for the holidays or really for any day since I love drinking sparkling wine. Salute!

To speak about Prosecco however we must also mention the most prestigious denominations such as the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG and Cartizze DOCG. Cartizze is only 107 hectares, it is basically one hill. The production area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG covers 15 communes and represents the heart of the Prosecco world.

Another version of Prosecco is sui lieviti or sur lie. It was previously called Col Fondo. Fermentation takes place in the bottle in the ancestral method and the resulting wine is usually cloudy and Brut Nature. This version shows less fruit and more yeasty notes than other Prosecco. Many of the more geeky wine lovers swear by Col Fondo. As a non-wine snob but yes a wine geek, I do like the history behind Col Fondo, the traditions and all the rest but I never turn down Prosecco of any kind. Cin Cin.