Prosecco
[3] It is made from the Prosecco grape (renamed "Glera" in Italy in 2009), but denomination rules allow up to 15% of the wine to be other permitted varieties.
[11] In Trieste at the beginning of the 16th century, the local wine "Ribolla" was promoted as the recreation of the Pucinian[12] celebrated by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History and praised for its medicinal qualities by Livia, the wife of Emperor Augustus.
Following the supposed place of production in antiquity, the wine was referred to as "castellum nobile vinum Pucinum", after the castle near the village of Prosecco.
"[14] The method of vinification, the true distinguishing feature of the original Prosecco, spread first in Gorizia, then—through Venice—in Dalmatia,[15] Vicenza, and Treviso.
[13] In 1754, the spelling Prosecco appears for the first time in the book Il Roccolo Ditirambo, written by Aureliano Acanti in Novoledo, in the comune (municipality) of Villaverla, located in the province of Vicenza.
The wine was then known by the local Slovene-speaking population as Prosegker or Prosekar and was grown on the Adriatic coast near the villages of Contovello, Prosecco, Santa Croce and the former Roman villa town Barcola.
The verses are: Ed or ora immollarmi voglio il becco Con quel melaromatico prosecco.
[19] According to a 2008 New York Times report, Prosecco rose sharply in popularity in markets outside Italy, with global sales growing by double-digit percentages since 1998, aided also by its comparatively low price.
[3] Hence, since 1 January 2010, Prosecco is, according to an order of the Italian Minister of Agriculture of 17 July 2009, no longer the name of a grape variety (now to be called Glera), but exclusively a geographical indication.
Higher quality Prosecco using this method will ferment the wine over a longer period, up to around 9 months (Charmat Lungo).
Nevertheless, the production rules for both the DOCG's also allow the use of the traditional method of secondary fermentation in the bottle, known in Italy as Metodo Classico.
[26] Since the 2000s, Glera grapes are cultivated and wine produced in other countries, including Brazil, Romania, Argentina, and Australia.
It is probably that such a rosé, which would include a small proportion of Pinot nero vinified red, will be adopted only at the DOC level from the 2019 harvest and therefore be available to buy from as early as January 2020.
[40] According to a local legend, Cartizze grapes traditionally were harvested last, as the vines were situated on steep slopes and hard to reach, which led to vintners discovering that this extended ripening period improved the flavour.
[29] Nonetheless, in a blind tasting at the 2006 Vinitaly trade fair, Cartizze spumanti were ranked consistently behind "normal" Prosecco.
Some winemakers are reviving the traditional Prosecco Col Fondo, refermented in the bottle but not disgorged, as the wines are left on their lees.
This yeasty residue leaves fine sediment in the bottom of the bottle (Italian: fondo) that imparts more complexity, texture and flavour.
[34] The flavour of Prosecco has been described as aromatic and crisp, bringing to mind yellow apple, pear, white peach, and apricot.
[19][34] Most Prosecco variants have intense primary aromas[34] and are meant to taste fresh, light and comparatively simple.
