Prosecco

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The appellation zone, in the north-eastern part of Italy, has a predominantly flat topography with some hilly areas.
• The temperate climate of the Veneto-Friuli area is bounded to the north by the Alpine mountain chain, which acts as a barrier against cold northern air currents.
• To the south, the Adriatic Sea is the principal corridor through which scirocco winds arrive, bringing summer rainfall and moderating temperatures.
• At the end of summer, as daylight hours decrease and dry bora winds from the east prevail, significant diurnal temperature variations occur during the final stage of grape ripening.
• The soils of the production area are predominantly of alluvial origin, with a dominant clay-silt texture and a skeleton derived from the erosion of the Dolomites and from fluvial deposits, which promotes drainage.

• The earliest documents mentioning a wine called Prosecco date to the late seventeenth century and describe a delicate white wine originating from the Trieste karst, in the territory of Prosecco.
• From the early 1900s onwards, producers developed viticultural techniques for training the vigorous Glera variety, limiting the crop load per vine.
• The sparkling wine is obtained by means of the metodo Martinotti, which involves the natural re-fermentation of the base wine in large vessels or autoclaves.

• Prosecco spumante displays a bright straw-yellow colour, or a pale rosé in the spumante rosé style, with a fine perlage in balance with the persistence of the foam.
• On the nose the wine is characterised by floral notes of white flowers and fruity notes of apple, pear, exotic fruit and citrus, while on the palate it shows a balance between sugars and acidity with notes of freshness and vivacity.

• Diurnal temperature variations and dry bora winds at the end of summer promote the retention of acidic compounds and the production of aromatic precursors that define the floral and fruity aromas typical of the wine.
• Alluvial soils with a clay-silt texture have good fertility, which encourages a moderate accumulation of sugars, making it possible to obtain a base wine that is not excessively alcoholic and that has a fresh, dry, and fruity profile.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0516
• Official trade body site — Consorzio di Tutela della DOC Prosecco