Prosecco

Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine featuring glera grapes, with some other grapes permitted for use in the blend including verdiso, pinot grigio, and chardonnay. Grapes other than glera cannot constitute more than 15 percent of prosecco's composition.

There are two types of prosecco: robust sparkling spumante and subtle sparkling frizzant. It’s estimated that 150 million bottles of prosecco are in each vintage. Often enjoyed on its own, prosecco is also used to make bellini cocktails.

In labeling, you will find either DOC or DOCG featured on a bottle of prosecco. They stand for Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). These are government guarantees on the wine's origins, with DOC referring to nine provinces across the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, while DOCG is strictly for the Treviso region.

Quick Facts

• It’s best to drink prosecco when it’s young because unlike Champagne, it does not ferment with age
• Until 2010, prosecco referred to a geographic place and a grape name until the European Union changed laws to reflect that glera is the grape name, not prosecco
• Despite being a domestic product, much of Italy’s prosecco is exported. Italians drink only 35 percent of the production