Prosecco

Prosecco – a famous name, a precise origin

Almost everyone knows Prosecco. Far fewer know what lies behind the name. Its enormous international success has made the term almost synonymous with Italian sparkling wine. In fact, Prosecco today denotes a protected system of origin comprising one DOC and two DOCGs.

The broad foundation is Prosecco DOC, produced across parts of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Far more narrowly defined are Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Within Conegliano Valdobbiadene, the 43 Rive and the small Superiore di Cartizze area bring the focus even closer to the individual place.

Two bottles with "Prosecco" prominently displayed on the label can therefore tell very different stories. Glera connects them. Origin, landscape, residual sugar and the method of sparkling-wine production can set them distinctly apart.

• Prosecco is a protected origin, not the modern name of the grape variety
• Glera forms the basis, with a minimum share of 85 percent
• The system comprises Prosecco DOC and the DOCGs Asolo and Conegliano Valdobbiadene
• Prosecco DOC extends across nine provinces in Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• 43 Rive define origin more precisely within Conegliano Valdobbiadene
• Superiore di Cartizze comes from a subzone of just 107 hectares near Valdobbiadene

What Prosecco means today

Today, Prosecco primarily denotes the origin of the wine. That was not always the case. Until the reorganisation of 2009, the grape variety itself was also known as Prosecco. Since then, it has officially been called Glera, while "Prosecco" is reserved for the protected wine denominations.

This was more than a change of wording on the label. In 2009, the entire system was reorganised: Prosecco DOC was established as the broad geographical denomination, while Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo simultaneously gained DOCG status. A name known around the world became a clearly defined geographical system.

At least 85 percent of a white Prosecco must consist of Glera. Depending on the denomination, small proportions of other permitted varieties may be added, including traditional grapes such as Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera and Glera Lunga. Prosecco can therefore be made from 100 percent Glera – but it does not have to be.

Nor is there a single flavour profile for Prosecco. Glera often recalls apple, pear, citrus fruit and white flowers. Yet origin, ripeness, residual sugar and sparkling-wine production play a decisive role in determining whether a wine appears light and immediate, taut and dry or much more clearly shaped by its place of origin.

Prosecco DOC – nine provinces under one name

Prosecco DOC forms the geographically largest part of the system. Its production area comprises Belluno, Padua, Treviso, Venice and Vicenza in Veneto, as well as Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste and Udine in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

This scale is not a flaw; it explains the purpose of the DOC. It protects the origin of internationally distributed Prosecco and sets common rules for grape varieties, production and marketing. "Treviso" and "Trieste" may also appear as more precise geographical indications, each subject to its own requirements concerning origin and processing.

Prosecco DOC is produced as Spumante, Frizzante and, in much smaller quantities, as Tranquillo, or still wine. There is also Prosecco DOC Rosé. It consists of 85 to 90 percent Glera and 10 to 15 percent Pinot Nero, and the vintage must be stated on the label.

The DOC should therefore not simply be regarded as the "cheap tier" below the DOCGs. DOC and DOCG are not price tags. The DOC describes a far larger geographical origin, while the two DOCGs delimit historic hill areas more tightly and add further layers of geographical precision.

Conegliano and Valdobbiadene – where the hills take over

Between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, the landscape changes. Plains give way to hills; broad expanses become a mosaic of steep vineyard rows, woodland, small villages and terraces. The historic production area lies entirely within the province of Treviso and comprises 15 municipalities.

The modern history of viticulture here is equally remarkable. In 1876, Italy's first school of viticulture of its kind was founded in Conegliano. In 1962, eleven producers joined forces to establish the Consorzio di Tutela, and in 1969 the area received DOC status. Conegliano Valdobbiadene has been a DOCG since 2009.

In 2019, UNESCO added the hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene to the World Heritage List as a cultural landscape. What was recognised was not simply "Prosecco", but the centuries-old interaction between landscape and human labour: the characteristic ridges, the grass-covered ciglioni terraces, forests, villages and small-scale viticulture.

Here it becomes clear why origin in Prosecco can mean far more than a name on the label. Steep slopes shape the way the vineyards are worked, exposure and altitude influence ripening, and just a few kilometres can separate markedly different expressions of Glera.

Asolo – the second DOCG

Conegliano Valdobbiadene is not Prosecco's only DOCG. West of the Piave lies Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG, also in the province of Treviso. Its vineyards extend across 18 municipalities around Asolo, Montello and the foothills of Monte Grappa.

Asolo also gained DOCG status in 2009. Glera accounts for at least 85 percent, while traditional companion varieties such as Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera and Glera Lunga may complete the blend.

Asolo is neither a subzone nor a supporting act to Conegliano Valdobbiadene. It is an independent origin with its own landscape and its own disciplinare. Our range is focused much more strongly on Conegliano Valdobbiadene – but anyone wishing to understand Prosecco as a whole should know Asolo as well.

Glera – a grape variety with nothing to prove

Glera is late-ripening, vigorous and aromatically more subtle than exuberant. That is precisely where its strength lies. It brings freshness, clear fruit and an understated structure on which good Prosecco can build its characteristic lightness.

Typical impressions include apple, pear, citrus fruit and white flowers. Yet here too, the grape variety is not a flavour formula. A cooler hillside, a different harvest point, lower residual sugar or longer contact with the lees can alter its expression considerably.

Fine Prosecco in particular shows that Glera can offer far more than an uncomplicated aperitif style. Dry Rive and distinctive vineyard selections can be taut, precise and decidedly gastronomic – without losing the lightness that is part of the variety's identity.

Rive and Cartizze – the more precise the origin, the smaller the map

Within Conegliano Valdobbiadene, origin can be defined even more closely. The Rive are particularly important. In local usage, "Riva" refers to the region's steep hillsides.

The regulations recognise 43 Rive. The grapes for each come from a single municipality or part of one. Maximum yields are limited to 13 tonnes per hectare, harvesting must be carried out exclusively by hand and the vintage must appear on the label.

Rive is therefore first and foremost a geographical indication. It is not a cru classification, nor does it automatically denote a single vineyard. The system reveals just how markedly soil, exposure, altitude and microclimate can vary even within the relatively compact DOCG area.

More narrowly defined still is Superiore di Cartizze. Its 107 hectares lie around San Pietro di Barbozza, Santo Stefano and Saccol within the municipality of Valdobbiadene. The subzone has been separately regulated since 1969 and holds a historically distinguished position within the denomination.

Even this should not be read as an automatic ranking of taste. Cartizze stands for an especially tightly defined origin and its own production rules. Someone who prefers very dry, taut styles may still find an Extra Brut from a Rive more compelling than a traditionally softer Cartizze. Legal hierarchy and personal preference are two different things.

Perlage with a method – how Prosecco is made

Most Prosecco is produced using the Metodo Martinotti-Charmat. After the first alcoholic fermentation, the base wine is transferred with yeast and sugar to a pressure-resistant tank, the autoclave. The second fermentation takes place there. The carbon dioxide produced remains dissolved in the wine, which is then filtered and bottled under pressure.

The method is sometimes misunderstood as merely a faster alternative to traditional bottle fermentation. For Prosecco, however, it serves a clear stylistic purpose: preserving the fruit, floral character and freshness of Glera as directly as possible.

Spumante has a higher pressure and a more pronounced perlage than Frizzante. The distinction does not, however, lie in Frizzante being fundamentally produced by simply adding carbon dioxide. Its bubbles can also result from a natural second fermentation.

And there is an older answer to the same question. Before the autoclave became established, the second fermentation took place in the bottle. This tradition survives in Conegliano Valdobbiadene as "Sui Lieviti", locally also known as "col fondo" or "sur lie".

The yeast remains in the bottle after refermentation. The wine can therefore appear slightly cloudy and, alongside its fruit, develop bready, yeasty and more savoury notes. Sui Lieviti reveals a side of Prosecco that has little in common with the familiar image of a soft, fruit-driven aperitif.

Extra Dry is sweeter than Brut – and other label puzzles

Few things cause as much reliable confusion in Prosecco as the terms used for sweetness levels. The most important point is easily remembered: Extra Dry is not drier than Brut. It contains more residual sugar.

• Extra Brut: 0–6 g/l residual sugar
• Brut: 0–12 g/l
• Extra Dry: 12–17 g/l
• Dry: 17–32 g/l

Extra Dry is one of the classic Prosecco styles and often tastes less sweet than the figures might suggest because of Glera's lively acidity. Brut and Extra Brut appear tauter and drier. Sweetness level is not a mark of quality, but a stylistic choice – and therefore a useful guide when buying.

Three ways through the hills of Valdobbiadene

Three of our most important estates show particularly well how differently this hilly landscape can be interpreted. Not as a ranking, but as three perspectives on an origin that is far less uniform than its famous name might suggest.

Andreola was founded in 1984 by Nazzareno Pola and is now run by his son Stefano. Few estates make the idea of the Rive as tangible as Andreola: a whole series of different origins is vinified separately, deliberately setting the soils, exposures and microclimates of individual hillsides alongside one another. Prosecco here becomes almost a geographical experiment in the glass – albeit a particularly enjoyable one.

Merotto tells the development of Prosecco from a different angle. Graziano Merotto founded his winery in Col San Martino in 1972 and began with Sur-Lie wine made from Glera. At the end of the 1970s, the first autoclave arrived at the estate; under the guidance of oenologist Piero Berton, Merotto began experimenting with the Metodo Martinotti-Charmat. Few estate histories bring the older bottle-fermentation tradition and modern Prosecco quite so closely together.

Nino Franco, meanwhile, represents the moment when Valdobbiadene began presenting itself internationally not merely as sparkling wine, but as a place of origin. Antonio Franco founded the estate in 1919; from 1971, his grandson Primo focused increasingly and consistently on Prosecco. In 1983, "Primo Franco" appeared – according to the estate, the first Prosecco to carry both a vintage and the producer's signature on the label. Later, individual vineyards such as Vigneto della Riva di San Floriano and Grave di Stecca moved even more firmly into focus.

Andreola breaks the hills down into their Rive. Merotto connects two eras of sparkling-wine production. Nino Franco brings producer, vintage and individual vineyard into the foreground. Three paths – and three good reasons not to regard Prosecco as an interchangeable style.

Buying Prosecco – the label tells you more than the price

When choosing Prosecco, it is worth looking at origin before price. DOC or DOCG? Asolo or Conegliano Valdobbiadene? A Rive or Cartizze? Sweetness level and producer come next.

Those looking for a fresh, uncomplicated style will find a broad range within Prosecco DOC. Anyone wishing to explore the historic hills in greater depth should look to the two DOCGs – and, within Conegliano Valdobbiadene, to Rive, Cartizze or the individual interpretations of particular estates.

The occasion can also help guide the choice: Brut and Extra Brut are tauter and work beautifully as an aperitif or with food, while Extra Dry tends to be somewhat softer and more fruit-driven. What matters is less a supposed "better" or "worse" than finding the style that matches your own taste.

At SUPERIORE.DE, our focus is deliberately on Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Andreola, Merotto and Nino Franco demonstrate a spectrum ranging from classic Brut and Extra Dry to Rive and distinctive vineyard selections.

That turns the question "Which Prosecco should I buy?" into a more useful one: Which origin, which style and which producer best match what I am looking for in the glass?

Questions and answers about Prosecco

What is Prosecco?

Prosecco is a protected Italian designation of origin for wine, predominantly sparkling wine, made mainly from the white Glera grape. The system comprises Prosecco DOC and the two DOCGs Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco and Asolo Prosecco.

Is Prosecco a grape variety?

Not today. The principal grape variety is called Glera. Until 2009, it was also known as Prosecco. With the reorganisation of the denominations of origin, "Prosecco" became established as the protected geographical name of the wine, while Glera became the name used for the grape variety.

Where does Prosecco come from?

Prosecco DOC comes from parts of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia and spans nine provinces. The more narrowly defined DOCGs Asolo and Conegliano Valdobbiadene are located in the province of Treviso in Veneto.

What is the difference between Prosecco DOC and DOCG?

Prosecco DOC covers a substantially larger production area. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG and Asolo Prosecco DOCG come from more tightly defined hill areas and follow their own, stricter rules. That does not mean, however, that every DOCG bottle must automatically taste better than every Prosecco DOC.

What does Prosecco Superiore mean?

Superiore is used for the Spumante wines of the two DOCGs Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo. It is not a general quality category that can simply be added to a Prosecco DOC.

What does Valdobbiadene mean on a Prosecco label?

Valdobbiadene is a municipality in the province of Treviso and forms part of the name of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG. The historic production area comprises 15 municipalities between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.

What is a Rive in Prosecco?

The 43 Rive are more narrowly defined geographical origins within Conegliano Valdobbiadene. The grapes come from a single municipality or part of one, must be harvested exclusively by hand and the vintage must appear on the label. Maximum yields are limited to 13 tonnes per hectare.

Is a Rive a single vineyard?

Not necessarily. Rive denotes a geographically defined origin within a municipality or part of one. A producer may work with a single vineyard within a Rive, but the term itself is not an official single-vineyard or cru classification.

What is Cartizze?

Superiore di Cartizze comes from a subzone of just 107 hectares within the municipality of Valdobbiadene. It comprises vineyards around San Pietro di Barbozza, Santo Stefano and Saccol and has held a special position within the denomination since 1969.

Is Cartizze always the best Prosecco?

Not automatically. Cartizze is an especially tightly defined and historically distinguished origin. Which bottle is most compelling also depends on the producer and the style you prefer. Someone who enjoys very dry wines, for example, may find an Extra Brut from a Rive more exciting.

What is Asolo Prosecco?

Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG is Prosecco's second DOCG alongside Conegliano Valdobbiadene. It lies west of the Piave around Asolo, Montello and the foothills of Monte Grappa and encompasses vineyards in 18 municipalities.

Which grape is used to make Prosecco?

The principal grape variety is Glera. White Prosecco must contain at least 85 percent Glera. Depending on the denomination, other permitted varieties may be added.

What is the difference between Prosecco Spumante and Frizzante?

Spumante has a higher carbon dioxide pressure and therefore a more pronounced perlage. Frizzante has a lighter sparkle. Both can obtain their carbon dioxide through a natural second fermentation.

What is the Charmat or Martinotti method?

In the Metodo Martinotti-Charmat, the second fermentation of the base wine takes place in a pressure-resistant tank. The carbon dioxide produced during fermentation remains dissolved in the wine. The method is particularly well suited to preserving the freshness and delicate fruit of Glera.

What does Sui Lieviti mean?

In Conegliano Valdobbiadene, Sui Lieviti denotes traditional refermentation in the bottle, after which the yeast remains in the bottle. The wine may therefore appear slightly cloudy and show yeasty and bready notes alongside its fruit.

Is Extra Dry drier than Brut?

No. Despite the name, Extra Dry contains more residual sugar than Brut. Extra Dry ranges from 12 to 17 g/l, while Brut has no more than 12 g/l.

What does Millesimato mean in Prosecco?

Millesimato denotes a vintage Prosecco. For Prosecco Spumante, the term may be used when at least 85 percent of the wine comes from the stated harvest year; the vintage must then appear on the label. Millesimato is not a separate quality category, but a vintage indication. For Prosecco DOC Rosé, Millesimato and the indication of the vintage are mandatory.

Is there a Prosecco Rosé?

Yes. Prosecco DOC Rosé is permitted as a Spumante and is made from 85 to 90 percent Glera and 10 to 15 percent Pinot Nero. A vintage indication is mandatory.

Is Prosecco the same as Champagne?

No. Champagne and Prosecco are separate protected origins with different regions, grape varieties and production rules. Prosecco is based predominantly on Glera and is usually produced using the Metodo Martinotti-Charmat; Champagne follows its own regulations and traditional bottle fermentation.

Which Prosecco should I buy?

The most useful order is origin, style, producer. Prosecco DOC offers a broad selection for those looking for a straightforward classic style. If origin is more important, look to Asolo or Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG and, within the latter, potentially to Rive or Cartizze.

Prosecco – beyond the famous name lies the origin

The name Prosecco seems simple because it is known everywhere. Behind it lies a far more differentiated system: nine DOC provinces, two independent DOCGs, 43 Rive and the small Cartizze origin.

Glera connects these wines, but it does not make them identical. Landscape, residual sugar, the method of second fermentation and the decisions made by the producer determine whether a Prosecco appears light and immediate or taut, complex and distinctly shaped by its place of origin.

Anyone who reads not only "Prosecco", but also DOC or DOCG, Rive or Cartizze, Brut or Extra Dry and finally the producer, discovers something behind one of the world's most famous wine names that can easily be overlooked amid its enormous success: origin. SUPERIORE.DE