Prosecco (AKA Glera)

TL; DR

An iconic Italian grape (also known as Glera) that is famous for fruity sparkling wines in Italy and now in Australia (but not without a little controversy).

So, what is Prosecco all about?--red

Prosecco is the fun one in the sparkling family. Light, fresh and typically juicy, Prosecco has long been a well-loved, off-dry sparkling wine coveted in the canalside bars of Venice and now taking over the world!

Where did Prosecco originate?--earth

The Treviso hills of northern Italy are considered the spiritual home of Prosecco, but one theory suggests that Prosecco originally came from Croatia (although the ancient Croatian grape name Teran Bijeli doesn’t have the same ring to it).

Who's famous for Prosecco?--racy

Italy is still the home of Prosecco, with a gigantic 727 million bottles produced every year from an area that spans a large are of NW Italy. The best wines comes from the steepest slopes, while the easy drinking, affordable wines come from the plains closer to Venice. Australia also has a smattering of Prosecco (and it’s delicious), especially from the King & Alpine Valleys in NE Victoria.

What does Prosecco taste like?--aromatic

Prosecco is famed for its gentle, white flower aromatics and delicate lemon and green apple fruit flavours. Typically light-bodied, Prosecco is a joyful, juicy sparkling wine that can range from bone dry to super fruity and a bit sweet. Indeed, sweetness is really important to Prosecco styles, as you can read about below) with the ‘dolce’ style, a fruit salad of wine, complete with lemon and tropical fruit.

How is Prosecco made?--cellar

What separates Prosecco from other traditional sparkling is how the bubbles are formed, with the second fermentation happening in a stainless steel tank (known as the tank or Charmat method) rather than a bottle. What does this mean? Well, unlike Champagne, where there is a long, complex process including yeast plugs and the weird job title of ‘riddler’, Prosecco’s tank method means you end up with a much fresher and fruity fizz (and fast)! This modern process also helps preserve the Prosecco vitality.

What’s the Prosecco controversy?--strawberry

For over 400 years, Prosecco has had a happy home in the hilly Prealps towns of Conegliano & Valdobbiadene. However, in 2009, the Italians decided they wanted to own Prosecco, so they changed it from the name of a grape to that of a region (the Prosecco DOC), expanding where Prosecco could be grown in Italy to a giant area that spanned all the way to the Slovenian border. They also started referring to the grape as ‘Glera’, which no one had used ever. Naturally, this annoyed every other country where Prosecco was made, especially Australia, where the winemakers of NE Victoria had been growing Prosecco grapes for decades. When the Italians tried to force the world to also start using Glera as the grape name instead, the Aussies went into battle, and ever since, it has been a trade-deal-scuppering, epic wine feud that may never end.

What are the different styles of Prosecco?--lemon

One of the main ways that Prosecco styles diverge is sweetness. Prosecco comes in a range of sweetnesses, from bone-dry to dessert-in-a-glass. Most wines are off-dry, carefully matching sugar levels to acidity. There’s a classification system as well to help you navigate the sweetness. Where it gets tricky is that on the Prosecco scale, ‘Dry’ isn’t dry at all - it’s quite sweet! Brut Nature is for wines with no added sugar. Then comes Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry and ‘Dry’, which typically has 17-32 grams per litre of sugar (it’s juicy!) with ‘Dolce’, the rare super -sweet style.

What foods pair with Prosecco?--plum

All the freshness and gently fruity energy means you don’t want something too heavy, although it does cut well some creamier dishes. For more crisp and floral, lighter Prosecco styles, stuffed zucchini flowers or a lighter risotto is a great match, as is white or pink fleshed fish, prawns and the classic Italian dish vitello tonnato (veal with tuna). For juicier Prosecco, stonefruit desserts and pavlova work great, or the traditional Christmas pairing of panettone.

Recipes to pair with Prosecco--pizza

Fun fact about Prosecco--eggplant

The actual town of Prosecco has a limited history with the grape and is nowadays just an outpost of the city of Trieste, on the NE Italy tip. The name is believed to be Slovenian, derived from the prosek, which means a 'path cut through the woods’ - fitting given the countryside outside of Trieste is lush and green!

About the Author:

Andrew Graham is a master winemaker and viticulturist (aka a grape guy) who fell into the wine industry as a teenager and never looked back! Voted the 23rd most trusted wine critic on the planet, Andrew judges at wine shows across the globe and runs foolishly long ultramarathons in his spare time (swiftly followed by a recuperative glass of wine or a frosty beer).