Italian sparkling & semi-sparkling wine
Prosecco is undoubtedly one of the best-known Italian export products - appreciated worldwide and literally on everyone's lips. It refers exclusively to the high-quality sparkling or semi-sparkling wine from the north-east of Italy, whose designation of origin is protected by strict legal regulations. Originally, the term “Prosecco” was used for a grape variety, but today it refers exclusively to the clearly defined growing area around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in Veneto and Asolo. The grape used for production now bears the name Glera. The quality ranges from simple, charming everyday wines to high-class crus from famous vineyards such as the Rive or the coveted Cartizze hill.
A key difference with Prosecco - as with many other sparkling wines - lies in the type and degree of carbonation. Frizzante is a light, sparkling wine with a carbonic acid pressure of 1 to 2.5 bar. It is often soft, accessible and pleasantly fresh. This contrasts with spumante, a sparkling wine with a higher carbon dioxide pressure (over 3 bar), which is significantly more effervescent and usually offers a somewhat more complex drinking experience. Both varieties are usually produced through a second fermentation in a pressure tank (Charmat method), which ensures a fine perlage and freshness.
But it is not just Prosecco that serves this popular segment: numerous high-quality frizzante and sparkling wines are also produced outside the protected Prosecco region and marketed under other names. They are made from grape varieties such as Trebbiano, Moscato, Malvasia or Chardonnay and come from regions such as Emilia-Romagna, Apulia or Sicily. In Emilia in particular, Lambrusco Frizzante - a slightly sparkling, red semi-sparkling wine that is also an integral part of Italian drinking culture - is very popular. White frizzante from southern Italy, often made from aromatic grape varieties, also offer uncomplicated drinking pleasure and Mediterranean lightness.
In addition to the grape variety and the ageing process, the origin is also decisive for the quality of all sparkling and sparkling wines. Smaller producers who pay attention to low yields, selective harvesting and gentle processing create products with an authentic character and high enjoyment value. Whether as an invigorating aperitif, with fish dishes, antipasti or simply as a cheerful accompaniment to balmy summer evenings - Frizzante and Spumante, with or without the Prosecco name, are an integral part of Italian wine culture. They combine freshness, lightness and joie de vivre - in the bottle and in the glass. - Gerardo [TS05/25]
| Sparkling & Semi-Sparkling Wines | All | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prosecco | All | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Frizzante | All | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spumante | All | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spumante Rosato | All | Spumante Trento DOC | All | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spumante Lugana | All | Spumante Durello | Gianni Tessari | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Tyrolean Sparkling | Alle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franciacorta | All | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franciacorta | Magnum | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prosecco | Marsuret | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prosecco | La Jara | Prosecco | Le Colture | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franciacorta | Guido Berlucchi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franciacorta | Ricci Curbastro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian sparkling & semi-sparkling wine
Pro-Secco? Sounds good, doesn't it? The name seems almost too perfect not to have been thought up by a marketing professional. “Pro” sounds positive and ‘Secco’ immediately makes you want to enjoy a glass of sparkling wine. But the term Prosecco has deeper roots: it originally refers to a grape variety that is now known as Glera - an old variety that has been cultivated in north-eastern Italy for centuries. In the hills around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in the province of Treviso, north of Venice, in particular, some of Italy's most renowned sparkling wines are made from this grape. The vineyards there are located in gently rolling terrain with an ideal microclimate.
Originally, Prosecco was a rather simple but extremely refreshing country wine that was mainly consumed locally - it only made it as far as Venice. It was only in recent decades that the wine was bottled on a larger scale and became an international success. Today, Prosecco is available in three varieties: still (rather rare), as a frizzante with gentle carbonation or as a spumante, which builds up considerably more pressure and thus becomes a sparkling wine in the classic sense. While the frizzante is popular due to its lightness and the fact that it is not subject to the German sparkling wine tax, the spumante is more complex and has a finer perlage. One year of ageing in the bottle gives it additional elegance.
Despite the widespread opinion that spumante is the “real” Prosecco, it is also worth appreciating frizzante. Its delicate, floral aromas are characteristic of the region and show how much subtlety there is in this style of wine. Modern cellar technology has made it possible to transform Glera grapes into sparkling wine with precise dosage and controlled carbon dioxide. The strong demand has led to new cultivation areas being created outside the traditional DOCG zones - for example in the neighboring Piave region, where Prosecco is often marketed as IGT. Yields are significantly higher there, which means lower prices but often also lower quality.
In the classic DOCG zone, on the other hand, strict rules apply: Yields per hectare are limited and the origin is controlled. Here, quality is no coincidence, but the result of moderation, experience and respect for nature. The Glera grape in particular is sensitive to overproduction - and Prosecco, whether Frizzante or Spumante, thrives on freshness, balance and elegance. It would therefore be wrong to let price alone be the deciding factor - because the true quality often lies in the subtle difference. - Gerardo [TS05/25]