Prosecco Wine: History, Information, Interesting Facts

The history of Prosecco wine.

As often happens when dealing with Italian food and wine specialties, some scholars trace the origins of Prosecco back to the period of ancient Rome. Although well-founded, it’s important to point out that this is just a hypothesis (*1), according to which the ancestor of this wine could be the ‘Pucino’, described by Pliny the Elder (*2) in his famous treatise, the ‘Naturalis historia’. At the time of the Empire, the ‘vinum Pucinum’ was regarded as a true delicacy, much appreciated by the most eminent personalities (*3), who attributed to it medicinal qualities, to the point of considering it an elixir of long life.
An interesting proof of the connection between Pucino and Prosecco can be found in the travel notes of an English gentleman, Fynes Moryson. In 1593 he wrote:

“Histria is devided into Forum Julii, and Histria, properly so called (…). Here growes the wine Pucinum, now called Prosecho, much celebrated by Pliny”

This quote is very precious also because suggests the region in which, presumably, Prosecco started to be produced. An area where is located a place of fundamental importance in the history of this wine: the ‘Castle of Prosecco’ (*4). It’s probably no coincidence that the fortress, dating back to the Thirteenth Century, is identified by many experts as the ancient ‘castellum nobile vino Pucinum’.

Notes:
*1: Some scholars speculate that ‘Pucino‘ may be the ancestor of ‘Ribolla Gialla’ instead of Prosecco;
*2: Pliny the Elder was a military commander, writer, naturalist philosopher and Roman governor in the 1st century AD;
*3: Including Livia Drusilla, wife of Emperor Augustus;
*4: The castle is also known as ‘Torre di Prosecco’ or ‘Castello di Moncolano’ (more information). It’s located not far from the ‘Prosecco’ district of the Municipality of Trieste.

Prosecco, the origins of the name.

The first written evidence of the use of the word ‘Prosecco’ dates back to 1593 and can be found in the travel notebook already mentioned in the previous paragraph. Its author, Fynes Moryson, clearly mentions the ‘Prosecho’, a wine originating from the north-eastern part of the Italian peninsula. Reading these notes, it’s surprising to find out that, at the time, Prosecco was already very famous: Moryson equates it to other excellent products such as, for example, Vernaccia (‘vernazza’), Moscato (‘muscadine’) and Lacryma Christi (‘lagrima di Christo’).
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Prosecco wine: the production areas.

Nowadays, eighty percent of the Prosecco sold in the world is produced in the Italian region of Veneto, the remaining twenty percent in the neighboring region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
According to the official DOC procedural guideline (*1), the grapes used for the wine must come from these territories.
Over time, two particular zones stood out from the others for the excellent quality of their Prosecco, not by chance awarded with the DOCG label: we’re speaking about the beautiful hills of Asolo and Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, both in the province of Treviso.

Notes:
*1: This is the most estensive (from a territorial point of view) Italian DOC.

Prosecco DOC and Superiore DOCG.

The DOC and DOCG labels have been adopted by the Italian State to certify the quality of the best wines produced in its territory (*1) and to protect them from imitations (*2). On 17 July 2009 the DOC ‘Prosecco’ and two DOCG, ‘Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG’ (*3) and ‘Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG’ were established. This represented the culmination of a process lasted many years, officializing the international success of this wine.

Notes:
*1: With the adoption of specific procedural guidelines (‘disciplinari di produzione’).
*2: More information about DOC and DOCG labels can be found in this article: ‘The Italian DOC and DOCG wines’.
*3: Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco got the DOC label in 1969.
*4: Thanks to the use of ‘terraces’ (‘terrazzamenti’).
*5: The vine giving life to Prosecco grapes.

The landscapes of Prosecco Superiore DOCG.

The vines from which Prosecco Superiore DOCG is born are often part of landscapes so unique to deserve international recognition: that’s why the recent inclusion of the hills of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene in the UNESCO World Heritage List is not surprising. In this regard, it’s fair to point out that the Asolo hills are just as exquisite.
Here follow some images that, more than a thousand words, can illustrate the heartbreaking beauty of these places:

Prosecco grapes.

The Prosecco procedural guideline (‘disciplinare’) (*2) requires that this wine has to be produced with at least 85% of the white grape variety known as ‘Glera’. For the remaining 15% it’s possible to use the fruit of other vines, carefully chosen considering the taste and olfactory result to be obtained:

• Perera: increases aroma and fragrance;
• Verdisio: increases sapidity;
• Bianchetta Trevigiana: helps to refine the alcoholic tenor;
• Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and White Pinot Noir are used in the production of ‘spumante’ (these too in a percentage not exceeding 15%).

Notes:
*1: The name ‘Prosecco’ has been (erroneously) used for a long time to indicate both the grape variety and wine.
*2: The DOC and DOCG procedural guidelines.

How Prosecco wine is made?

Both the types of sparkling Prosecco, ‘frizzante’ and ‘spumante’, are produced using the ‘Martinotti’ method, also known as ‘Charmat’. Here follow a short list of the steps (click here to view the printable infographic):

Different types of Prosecco wine.

Prosecco is sold in three different types:

Prosecco ‘tranquillo’ (‘quiet’).
It’s the ‘historic’ Prosecco, since it was the first to be sold, before the invention of the Martinotti (or Charmat) sparkling method. The term ‘quiet’ (‘tranquillo’), indicates the lack of bubbles.
Color: Straw yelllow;
Aromas: fruity (apple, pear, almond) and floral (acacia flowers);
Minimum alcoholic strength: 10.5% vol.
Serving temperature: 8°/10° C

Prosecco ‘frizzante’ (‘lightly sparkling’).
This type of Prosecco is produced in autoclave (Martinotti / Charmat method), using an ‘overpressure’ lower than that used for sparkling wine. This leads to a smaller presence of carbon dioxide in the wine (‘less bubbles’) and therefore in a not very persistent perlage.
Color: Straw yellow, sometimes enriched with greenish reflections;
Aromas: fruity (apple, peach, pear) and floral (white spring flowers);
Minimum alcoholic strength: 9% vol.
Serving temperature: 8°/10° C

Prosecco ‘spumante’ (‘sparkling’).
It’s undoubtedly the type most known worldwide. This sparkling wine is traditionally produced in autoclave, using the Martinotti / Charmat method.
Color: Straw yellow;
Minimum alcoholic strength: 11% vol.

According to the residual quantity of sugar, sparkling Prosecco is:
BRUT:
Sugar residue: 0 / 12 g/l
Aromas: hints of citrus with vegetal notes. Bread crust.
Serving temperature: 6°/8° C
EXTRA DRY
Sugar residue: 12 / 17 g/l
Aromas: fruity (apple, pear, citrus) and floral.
Serving temperature: 6°/8° C
DRY
Sugar residue: 17 / 32 g/l
Aromas: fruity (green apple, peach)
Serving temperature: 6° C

The great success of Prosecco wine in the world.

The great international success of Prosecco began in the 1990s. Between 2013 and 2014 the number of its bottles sold on the world market surpassed those of Champagne. Not surprisingly, the most appreciated type is ‘spumante’.
Nowadays this wine is at the very center of a huge business involving hundreds of wineries and thousands of farmers, scattered in nine provinces between Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
In addition to Italy, the reference markets for Prosecco are the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. In this respect, it’s interesting to find out that the nation with the largest increase in sales is France.
The success of this wine should be largely attributed to its incredible quality-price ratio, something that makes very difficult to beat its achievements.

‘Terraces’ for Prosecco wine.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG owes much of its great quality to the morphology of the territory in which its grapes grow: a hilly area, often characterized by very steep slopes that, while offering well-exposed and drained soils, are very difficult to cultivate. To remedy this problem, at least partially, over the centuries the locals have modified these slopes using a particular type of terracing, known as ‘ciglione’, which stands out for the use of grassy ground instead of the classic retaining stone walls. Needless to say, this choice, in addition to making cultivation a little easier (*1), has contributed to the creation of a breathtaking landscape, unique in the world.

Note:
*1: Cultivation that often remains so difficult to be known as ‘heroic’, considering the huge effort required of the farmers.

Cartizze and Prosecco Superiore Rive, the ‘best of the best’.

If the Prosecco produced in the hills of Asolo and Conegliano-Valdobbiadene can be considered the best of this type of wine, there are two particular selections of the same wine that, in a way, are the ‘best of the best’. We are talking about ‘Cartizze’ and ‘Prosecco Superiore Rive’.
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Prosecco vs Champagne.

Although many think that the Italian Prosecco and the French Champagne are specialties eternally competing with each other, this is absolutely not true, since these wines are completely different from each other, boasting very different characteristics and thus impossible to compare.
Champagne, for example, is often more complex than Prosecco, while the latter finds its greatest virtue in its ease of drinking and in the unsurpassed pleasantness.

The grapes used to produce Prosecco DOCG come from the areas surrounding three small towns in the Italian region of Veneto: Conegliano, Valdobbiadene and Asolo.

THE MOST TRADITIONAL PRODUCERS

This article is the fruit of the collaboration between WebFoodCulture, the Consorzio Tutela del Vino Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG and the Consorzio Asolo Prosecco, the most traditional producers of Prosecco wine. The information provided illustrate the actual characteristics of the specialty.

Click here to view (and, eventually, download) a printable schema showing the steps necessary to produce Prosecco wine.

In July 2019 the 21 states that make up the Unesco Committee unanimously decided to recognize the area between the Italian municipalities of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene as World Heritage Site.
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Prosecco millesimato.

Prosecco wine is ‘millesimato’ when at least 85% of its grapes is harvested in the same year. It’s therefore no coincidence that usually these wines are made in years considered particularly good.

The ‘Prosecco wine route’ (‘Strada del Prosecco’), the oldest Italian wine route, was instituted in 1966 and developed over time: today it’s 120 kilometers long.
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Probably not everyone knows that the town of Conegliano is home to the Istituto Cerletti, the first Italian wine school, founded in 1876. The ‘Cerletti’ has great importance in the history of Prosecco since the ‘Martinotti’ (or ‘Charmat’) method for the production of sparkling wine was invented here.

Music for Prosecco wine.

A short selection of baroque music to accompany the reading of this article:

Note: join Spotify and listen to the full songs for free.

Prosecco is a very versatile wine. No wonder it’s used to prepare many types of cocktails, including the famous ‘Spritz’, whose ingredients are:
Prosecco wine;
Aperol / Campari;
Soda / seltz;

In 2016 the Consorzio di Tutela del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG became a partner of one of the most famous cultural institutions dedicated to the world of wine: the ‘Cité des Civilizations du Vin’ in Bordeaux.

Prosecco wine: alcoholic content.

The alcoholic content of Prosecco is not very high. The minimum is generally around 10%, though there are exceptions, like the Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze: 11%.

Prosecco calories.

100mls of sparkling Prosecco contain about 70kcals, this means that a 750mls bottle contains about 525kcals.

It’s difficult to know with certainty the origins of the name ‘Cartizze’, there are many hypotheses: according to the most likely, it could derive from ‘gardizze’, the term used by the people of Valdobbiadene to indicate the drying racks for grapes. Another hypothesis suggests that the name could derive from that of a flower, the ‘cardo’ (‘thistle flower’).

Imitation attempts.

As it happens to the most famous food and wine products in the world, over time also Prosecco has suffered several imitation attempts.
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Since 2011, the Consorzio di Tutela del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG has followed the Wine Protocol (‘Protocollo vinicolo’): it’s a set of rules inspired to environmental sustainability. The purpose is to choose over time forms of agriculture increasingly less invasive, for example by avoiding the use of dangerous molecules.