GET TO KNOW PROSECCO WINE & DINE

The world’s favourite sparkling wine is Italian Prosecco, at least by the sheer volume of sales. With worldwide annual sales of more than 25 million cases, Prosecco has found a clear path to success in a category once dominated by Champagne.

There are many differences between the two sparkling wine styles. The biggest differentiator is taste. Prosecco’s approachable style makes it equally comfortable to enjoy on its own, with food or as a base to a cocktail.

While Prosecco now boasts an enviable reputation, it wasn’t always the darling of the wine world. For much of the 20th Century Prosecco was often made as a sweet, frothy style and the name was used for just about any sparkling wine made from the grape that once bore the same name. In 2010 the Italian government sought to avoid confusion, changing the name of the grape, then known as Prosecco, to Glera, and confirming Prosecco could only be made from a defined growing region. Ten years later, Prosecco has taken the sparkling wine world by storm.

5 FACTS ABOUT PROSECCO WINES

1. Prosecco can only be made from grapes grown in the Northern Italian provinces of Veneto and Fruili-venezia-giulia.

2. Prosecco is made predominantly from a local Italian grape known as Glera.

While not overly aromatic, Glera contributes a subtle peachy flavour to the wines of Prosecco.

3. Unlike Champagne which gets its bubbles from a second fermentation in bottle, Prosecco undergoes a second fermentation in a pressurized tank. The process results in a less yeasty style.

4. The best Prosecco are noted as DOCG as the grapes used to make these wines come from premium vineyard sites in communities such as Valdobiadenne and Conegliano.

5. Prosecco wines are identified by their dryness. The most common is Brut, which allows for up to 12 grams per litre of sugar. Extra Dry converse to logic is sweeter than Brut with between 12 and 17 grams per litre of sugar.

Contributed