Prosecco is an Italian sparkling white wine; generally a Dry or Extra Dry wine; normally made from Glera ("Prosecco") grapes.
Although the name is derived from that of the Italian village of Prosecco near Trieste, where the grape may have originated, DOC Prosecco is produced in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, traditionally mainly around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills north of Treviso.
Prosecco is the main ingredient of the Bellini cocktail and can be a less-expensive substitute for Champagne.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century in Trieste, to give greater visibility to the main local product, the "Ribolla", it was stated that this wine was the natural heir of the famous wine of antiquity, the Pucinian wine, celebrated by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History and beloved for its medicinal qualities by Livia, the wife of Emperor Augustus.
The need to distinguish the "Ribolla" of Trieste from other wines of the same name, produced in Gorizia and at lower cost in Istria, lead, at the end of the century, to a name change and, above all, to a precise geographic characterization. This was suggested by the identification of the place of production in antiquity, the "castellum nobile vinum Pucinum", as the Castle of Prosecco (Trieste), near the homonymous village.
The first known mention of the name change is attributed to the English gentleman Fynes Moryson, who, visiting the north of Italy in 1593, notes: "Histria is devided into Forum Julii, and Histria properly so called … Here growes the wine Pucinum, now called Prosecho, much celebrated by Pliny"; and places Prosecco among the famous wines of Italy: "These are the most famous Wines of Italy. La lagrima di Christo, (the teare of Christ) and like wines neere Cinqueterre in Liguria: La vernaza, and the white Muskadine, especially that of Montefiaschoni in Toscany: Cecubum and Falernum in the Kingdome of Naples, and Prosecho in Histria"
The vineyards of Valdobbiadene
The method of vinification, the true distinguishing feature of the original Prosecco, spread first in Gorizia, then - through Venice - in Dalmatia, Vicenza and Treviso.
In 1754, the word "Prosecco" appears for the first time in the book "Il roccolo Ditirambo", written by Aureliano Acanti: ‘And now I would like to wet my mouth with that Prosecco with its apple bouquet’.
Up until the 1960s, Prosecco sparkling wine was generally rather sweet and barely distinguishable from the Asti wine produced in Piedmont. Since then, production techniques have improved, leading to the high-quality dry wines produced today. According to a 2008 New York Times report, Prosecco has risen sharply in popularity in markets outside Italy, with global sales growing by double-digit percentages since 1998, aided also by its comparatively low price. It was introduced into the mainstream U.S. market in 2000 by Mionetto, now the largest importer of Prosecco, who also reported an "incredible growth trend" in 2008.
Until the 2008 vintage Prosecco was protected as a DOC within Italy, as Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, Prosecco di Conegliano and Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. From 2009, this has been promoted to DOCG status. Further to protect the name, an association of traditional Prosecco growers is advocating a protected designation of origin status for Northern Italian Prosecco under European law.
Prosecco is, according to an order of the Italian Minister of Agriculture dated 17 July 2009 since 1 January 2010 not the name of a grape variety any more (now to be called Glera), but exclusively a geographical indication.
– a Treviso.
Although the name is derived from that of the Italian village of Prosecco near Trieste, where the grape may have originated, DOC Prosecco is produced in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, traditionally mainly around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills north of Treviso.
Prosecco is the main ingredient of the Bellini cocktail and can be a less-expensive substitute for Champagne.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century in Trieste, to give greater visibility to the main local product, the "Ribolla", it was stated that this wine was the natural heir of the famous wine of antiquity, the Pucinian wine, celebrated by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History and beloved for its medicinal qualities by Livia, the wife of Emperor Augustus.
The need to distinguish the "Ribolla" of Trieste from other wines of the same name, produced in Gorizia and at lower cost in Istria, lead, at the end of the century, to a name change and, above all, to a precise geographic characterization. This was suggested by the identification of the place of production in antiquity, the "castellum nobile vinum Pucinum", as the Castle of Prosecco (Trieste), near the homonymous village.
The first known mention of the name change is attributed to the English gentleman Fynes Moryson, who, visiting the north of Italy in 1593, notes: "Histria is devided into Forum Julii, and Histria properly so called … Here growes the wine Pucinum, now called Prosecho, much celebrated by Pliny"; and places Prosecco among the famous wines of Italy: "These are the most famous Wines of Italy. La lagrima di Christo, (the teare of Christ) and like wines neere Cinqueterre in Liguria: La vernaza, and the white Muskadine, especially that of Montefiaschoni in Toscany: Cecubum and Falernum in the Kingdome of Naples, and Prosecho in Histria"
The vineyards of Valdobbiadene
The method of vinification, the true distinguishing feature of the original Prosecco, spread first in Gorizia, then - through Venice - in Dalmatia, Vicenza and Treviso.
In 1754, the word "Prosecco" appears for the first time in the book "Il roccolo Ditirambo", written by Aureliano Acanti: ‘And now I would like to wet my mouth with that Prosecco with its apple bouquet’.
Up until the 1960s, Prosecco sparkling wine was generally rather sweet and barely distinguishable from the Asti wine produced in Piedmont. Since then, production techniques have improved, leading to the high-quality dry wines produced today. According to a 2008 New York Times report, Prosecco has risen sharply in popularity in markets outside Italy, with global sales growing by double-digit percentages since 1998, aided also by its comparatively low price. It was introduced into the mainstream U.S. market in 2000 by Mionetto, now the largest importer of Prosecco, who also reported an "incredible growth trend" in 2008.
Until the 2008 vintage Prosecco was protected as a DOC within Italy, as Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, Prosecco di Conegliano and Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. From 2009, this has been promoted to DOCG status. Further to protect the name, an association of traditional Prosecco growers is advocating a protected designation of origin status for Northern Italian Prosecco under European law.
Prosecco is, according to an order of the Italian Minister of Agriculture dated 17 July 2009 since 1 January 2010 not the name of a grape variety any more (now to be called Glera), but exclusively a geographical indication.
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