The difference between Prosecco and Champagne. Prosecco (Prosecco DOC, Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG and other zones)

No. Prosecco is a dry sparkling wine produced in Italy from the Glera grape variety, known as Prosecco until 2009 (according to EU regulation No. 1166/2009, the variety is now called Glera, but the name “Prosecco” can only be used in relation to to wine). In addition to Glera, other grape varieties can be included in the wine (no more than 15%). The name comes from the Italian village of Prosecco near Trieste, where Glera grapes probably began to be grown.

This is, of course, interesting, but how does prosecco differ from champagne?

The simplest and most obvious answer: I make champagne in France, and prosecco in Italy. But there are other differences that true sparkling wine fans should know.

Champagne

Champagne is a sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France, 130 km northeast of Paris, near the city of Reims.

• For production, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are used.
• Produced using a labor-intensive and expensive traditional technology known as "Méthode Champenoise", where secondary fermentation occurs directly in the bottles.
• Due to the complex production process, a bottle of entry-level champagne costs about $40.

A standard glass of champagne contains 128 calories and 12% alcohol.

Prosecco

Prosecco is a sparkling wine made in the Veneto region of Italy, 24 km north of Venice, near the city of Treviso.

• For production, Glera grapes are used.
• It is mainly produced by the accessible Charmat method, when secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, and then the finished drink is bottled.
• Thanks to the Charmat method, the price of entry-level prosecco is significantly lower than the price of champagne - around $12-14.

A standard glass of Prosecco contains 121 calories and 11% alcohol.

That’s clearer, thank you, but how do these differences affect the taste and aroma of wine?

Of course, due to differences in secondary fermentation technology, the flavor and aroma profile of both drinks is very different.

Flavor and aroma profile of champagne

Tasting notes.

Since champagne is in contact with the yeast sediment for longer (at least 12 months, after which the drink is subjected), its aroma clearly shows notes of cheese crust, more often toasted bread crust or biscuit. The wine is aged in bottles under high pressure, so the champagne bubbles are long lasting and “sharp”. The palate is dominated by citrus, white peach, white cherry, almond and toast.

Flavor profile of Prosecco

Tasting notes.

Prosecco has more pronounced fruity and floral aromas that come from the grapes. Due to aging in tanks with less pressure, Prosecco bubbles are “light” and foamy. A typical Prosecco has notes of green apple, pear, banana cream, honeysuckle, hazelnut, vanilla and honey.

Because Champagne is mostly dry and has high acidity, it pairs well as an aperitif with shellfish, raw oysters, pickled vegetables and crispy fried appetizers. Sipping champagne with potato chips may seem crazy, but it's a good combination (the chips must be unflavored, of course).

Gastronomic accompaniment.

Prosecco is sweeter than Champagne, so it pairs perfectly with fruit and cured meats. Traditional appetizers include melon wrapped in prosciutto. Asian dishes also go well with prosecco, in particular Chinese noodles, sushi and spicy-sweet salads. Brut versions of Prosecco often accompany pizza and pasta with seafood, acting as a digestif.

What about the classification? They say everything is complicated.

Yes, that is right. In France, the production of all regional wines is controlled by the AOC system (well, these are all those appellations and other tricky rules, because of which cognac and champagne can only be made in France, and the rest is brandy and sparkling wines). So, in Italy there is a system for this DOC(Denominazione di origine controllata). Prosecco DOC produced in nine provinces, including Veneto And Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. These are mainly young vineyards in the valley bed in Treviso.

But that's not all. In 2009, a consortium of Prosecco producers proposed raising the status of the drink to the so-called DOCG(Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), which included the elite growing areas of Glera - a conditional region between the towns of Valdobbiadene in the west and Conegliano in the east. This is how it appeared Prosecco Superiore DOCG, which comes in two versions: actually, Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG, as well as less common wine Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG, which is made from grapes grown near the city of Asolo.

It’s complicated, but it’s enough to understand that Prosecco DOC is an ordinary sparkling wine that is produced in large quantities and not much care is taken about its high quality (for example, vineyards in Prosecco DOC “burn out” in 15 years due to the consumer approach). Another thing is Prosecco DOCG, the grapes for which are grown in the hills (the vineyards live for several decades), and the people who produce it care about the traditions and quality of the drink. But this is all lyrics. For us, a slightly different classification is more important. So, prosecco, depending on the saturation of carbon dioxide, is divided into:

• Spumante(sparkling wine)
• Frizzante(semi-sparkling wines)
• Tranquillo(still wines)

Prosecco Spumante is the most widespread and expensive, but Tranquillo is exotic (the production share is only 5%), and only a few producers export it. Also, Prosecco DOC and DOCG, in accordance with EU requirements, is divided according to sugar content into: “ Brut"(up to 12 grams per liter of residual sugars), " Extra Dry" (12–17 g/l) or " Dry"(17–32 g/l). All prosecco wines not protected by DOC are labeled “IGT-Veneto” - they are cheap, but you can’t beat the quality.

Okay, it's time to run to the store. Just first tell me how to drink prosecco correctly?

Like regular champagne and any other sparkling wine: chilled from flute(champagne glass, flute). In Italy, Prosecco is considered a wine for every occasion. Unlike champagne, the fermentation process in a bottle with prosecco does not continue and the wine simply ages, losing its light fruity undertones, so it should be drunk young, preferably no older than 2 years. Prosecco is also used to prepare numerous cocktails, among which the leader, of course, is Bellini (prosecco and peach puree, and if you replace the puree with strawberry, you get Rossini). In recent years, it has been gaining popularity, which has become truly iconic in Europe. In other cocktails, prosecco can replace champagne; for example, such a replacement is used everywhere to reduce the cost of a mixed drink.

Once appellation status is achieved, Prosecco can only be produced in the regions mentioned above, can only be white (from the 2020 vintage, rosé versions in the DOC category may be permitted) and must meet the requirements of its category.

Production method

The vast majority of Prosecco sparkling wines are produced using the Charmat method. For full-fledged versions of spumante, this method is the only one. For semi-sparkling versions, frizzante is allowed, allowing the presence of sediment in the bottle of finished wine.

Prosecco styles

Prosecco has changed a lot in recent years.

In the 60s of the 20th century, Prosecco differed little from mediocre examples of sparkling Asti. It was an incomprehensible sweet fizzy drink that could be bottled by anyone, anywhere, and sold in any way - even in aluminum cans. Samples of Prosecco were even used for educational purposes - as an example of the qualitative difference between sparkling wine produced by the traditional method of fermentation in a bottle and wine produced using the Charmat method (in favor of the first, of course).

Above: A traditional glass for Prosecco, produced using the "rural" method (secondary fermentation in the bottle without removing the yeast sediment). This is how Prosecco was made before the widespread introduction of the Charmat method. They do it now ()

But over time, grape growing and wine production technologies improved, and with them the quality of Prosecco wines improved. The play of bubbles became smoother and longer, the bouquet became more complex and subtle. It was no longer necessary to use as much sugar as before to hide numerous taste defects. Prosecco began to be valued as a drink in its own right, and not just as an important addition to the peach puree in the Bellini cocktail. These changes “in the field” should have been followed by changes in legislation and the corresponding positioning of wine on the market.

DOC Prosecco and Glera variety

It is an extremely bizarre situation when a wine-growing region takes the name of a grape. Barolo is made from nebbiolo, not Barolo, Chianti is made from Sangiovese, not Chianti.

As Prosecco's popularity grew, its potential became apparent in other regions of Italy and in other European countries, and indeed in any wine region that wants to put Prosecco on the market. For example, the Australian company Brown Brothers has already done this.

While “true” Prosecco is produced within the strictly defined boundaries of its zone in the Veneto, how can others be prevented from putting the name “Prosecco” on the label if that is the name of the variety from which their wine is made? Champagne can only be made within the borders of Champagne, but Prosecco, it turns out, can be bottled by everyone who grows Prosecco.

Legislative changes in the use of names have thus protected the historical region of Prosecco - at least within the European Union - and obligated other producers of sparkling wine from the Glera variety to indicate a different name on the label. Rosé Prosecco, a mixture of Glera and other varieties (mostly Raboso), was also outlawed for a long time.

The new rules also helped the Prosecco brand itself. They obliged to significantly reduce the yield of wine per hectare for wines of the new DOC Prosecco category, and also stipulated a number of additional production conditions and increased control over its quality.

• See similar story with Pignoletto wine and Grechetto variety

What is Prosecco?

DOC Prosecco includes three types of wines:

• Still wine Prosecco (fermo or tranquillo)
• Semi-sparkling (Prosecco frizzante)
• Sparkling (Prosecco spumante)

Silent versions of Prosecco are rare outside of Italy and many are not even aware of their existence. Not everyone notices the difference between frizzante and spumante either: this is the pressure difference between 2.5 and 3 bar.

Prosecco can only be white. There are no red or pink proseccos.

However, starting with the 2020 harvest, the Italian regulator allows the introduction of pink versions into the official regulations of Prosecco DOC (but not DOCG).

The minimum alcohol content of sparkling Prosecco by law is 11% (this is less than champagne). The wine production area for the DOC Prosecco category is defined by two regions: Treviso in Veneto and Trieste in Friuli.

Two more Prosecco production areas are allocated to separate Prosecco DOCG categories:
- Asolo (Asolo/Colli Asolani) and
- Conegliano-Valdobbiadene.

And within Conegliano-Valdobbiadene (DOCG) there is another subcategory River(Rive) - wine from a separate vineyard located in a small specific area (for example, a village). In the local dialect, Le Rive means "the site". After the word "Rive" on the label the actual geographical name of the place where the vineyard is located is indicated. In total, the rules mention 12 municipalities and 31 villages - i.e. 43 possible Rives.

Prosecco of the Rive class can only be made in a sparkling version, and at the level of spumante (i.e. the most “carbonated”). And the vintage must be indicated on the bottle.

Degrees of sweetness of Prosecco

According to the 2009 edition, production rules establish the following degrees of sweetness in terms of sugar content in Prosecco wines (on the European scale):

• Brut nature (brut nature) less than 3 g/l
• Extra brut (extra brut) 4-6 g/l
• Brut (brut) 6-12g\l*
• Extra Dry (extra-dry) 12-17 g/l
• Dry (dry) 17-32 g/l
• Demi sec (semi-dry) 32-50 g/l

The taste of Grave di Stecca is distinguished by extraordinary elegance and even some complexity uncharacteristic for Prosecco, while remaining absolutely understandable for inexperienced lovers of sparkling wine. The Nino Franco label – according to the company owner, Primo Franco – is a symbol of the beating heart of a person who does something with special passion.

Prosecco Colondo

Col fòndo means "with sediment". A unique category of Prosecco wines, which is produced using the “rural method” - i.e. the way sparkling wines were made in the old days, before the advent of tank technology... and technology in general. Secondary fermentation (as a result of which the wine becomes sparkling, i.e. carbonated) occurs in the bottle (like champagne), but the spent yeast is not filtered out after this and remains in the bottle as sediment.

Differences from champagne

It's easier to say what they have in common, since there are many differences. Both prosecco and champagne are naturally sparkling wines, mostly dry. They have a similar bottle shape :) The rest is differences:

• Place of production. Most people call any wine with bubbles champagne, but strictly speaking this is not true. The collective name for such wines is “sparkling”. And champagne and prosecco are wines controlled by origin. Prosecco can only be produced in the north of Italy: in the Veneto (core region) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions. Champagne - only in the Champagne region, France. And nothing else.
• Grape varieties. For Prosecco the main variety is Glera (white), for champagne the main varieties are Chardonnay (white), Pinot Noir (red), Pinot Meunier (red).
• Production method. Champagne is produced using expensive, labor-intensive classical technology, which involves long-term aging of the finished wine on yeast lees. Prosecco - according to the simplified and accelerated Charmat method.
• Bottle pressure. Approximately 3.5 atm. Prosecco has almost 6 atm. at the champagne. This means that the number of bubbles in champagne is significantly greater. The violence of the foam when pouring may seem the same, moreover, it depends on the temperature of the bottle and the temperament of the opener, but the duration of the play of bubbles in the glass will be different.
• Taste and aroma. The Champagne style has a more sour taste and a more complex bouquet compared to Prosecco.

Updated: August 2019

Prosecco is one of the most common sparkling wines in Italy. For us, this sparkling wine can be a drink for a special occasion. It is affordable and has a pleasant taste.

1 From Ancient Rome to the present day

The first analogs of Prosecco are mentioned in the works of the ancient Roman writer Pliny. True, then the wine made from Glera grapes was called Pucino and was not sparkling. However, wine technology experts believe that Pucino can be considered an analogue of Prosecco. If the Romans had Charmat technology two thousand years ago, they would probably have started making sparkling wines.

At that time, this wine was very popular for its fruity taste and moderate strength, and most importantly, for the special freshness that the wine gave in the heat. Therefore, the grape variety, as well as the traditions of making white wine, have survived to this day, although they have undergone many changes. Prosecco is one of the important components of the Italian philosophy of life. Without him, "dolce far niente" (happy idleness) would not be so wonderful.

The birthplace of wine is the cities of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. These cities are known for their lazy carelessness. It seems that their existence is an ideal model of Italian life. Therefore, the fact that wine for pleasure, wine for celebration, wine that is made relatively simply and quickly, was born here is not a surprising fact.

This wine was not considered for international trade until 1960. Until this time, Prosecco was the property of Italians exclusively. Having entered the world market, alcohol received recognition for its reasonable combination of price and quality. In 2000, wine began to be made in Argentina, Australia, Romania and Brazil. In 2008, production volumes also increased in Italy.

2 Prosecco sparkling wines

Modern Prosecco wine is made from Glera grapes with the addition of Verdiso, Bianchetta and Perera varieties. Prosecco is a dry wine or wine with minimal sugar content. The most expensive grapes, Glera, are grown on the Cartizze hill. Here grapes grow at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level. It is left to ripen on the bunches longer than in most vineyards, which allows for a unique taste. Wine from the Cartizze hill is the best Prosecco that exists.

Speaking frankly about the wine of this variety, it is worth immediately determining its value. This is a mid-priced wine. It is tasty, pleasant and aromatic (notes of pear, apple, apricot). A bottle of Prosecco costs much less than a bottle of mediocre champagne, and this is its main advantage.

• Brut contains up to 15 g/l of sugar;
• Extra dry contains 12-20 g/l sugar;
• Dry contains 20-35 g/l sugar.

There are practically no Prosecco wines containing more than 13% alcohol. All alcohol of this type is light, clear and pleasant. After two years of aging, the wine begins to lose its taste and simply degenerates. That's why they drink it young. Prosecco is very similar to champagne. But still this is not champagne! Sparkling wine is produced using the Charmat method, while champagne requires secondary fermentation in the bottle, which is expensive and time-consuming. The closest version of Prosecco to champagne is brut.

3 The Martini brand – a second wind

Prosecco has gained immense popularity today, because you can find high-quality low-price wines and elite brut from Martini. The brand acquired vineyards in the Italian town of Veneto and began to create a stir around its offering. The success of the product was a foregone conclusion. True, today brut is far from the most affordable alcohol, but this stops few people.

If we consider the classification of wines of this variety, it turns out that Brut Martini Prosecco is far from the best that the market can offer you. The classification of Prosecco wines by price or quality, if you will, does not depend on brands or sugar content. We are talking about completely different properties.

• Least sparkling wine or Tranquille(rest) is produced in small quantities. About 5% of all Prosecco made in Italy falls into this category. This is mid-price alcohol.
• Prosecco Spumante- This is a sparkling wine, the repeated fermentation of which occurs under a pressure of 3 atmospheres. Also falls into the mid-price category. This is already a real brut.
• Prosecco Frizzante- This is a cross between the tranquille and spumante classes. This wine is exported from Italy in small quantities. Its price depends on the grapes used.
• Superiore de Cartizze- the most expensive brut, which is made from grapes from the above-mentioned Cartizze hill. Wine from this region has Grand Cru status - you can’t imagine anything higher.

To choose a good bottle of Prosecco, you need to carefully study the label. You already know what to expect from a particular class of this wine. If we talk about the geography of production, then Prosecco today refers to wines produced in the regions of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

4 Selecting snacks - table etiquette

Despite the fact that brut is not champagne, it is served in the same flute glasses - a classic flute glass for champagne. This glass allows you to retain carbon dioxide bubbles in your drink for as long as possible. The wine is served chilled, again like any champagne, up to 8 degrees. Sparkling wine is almost always served as an aperitif.

Although if we turn to table etiquette, dry and semi-dry white belongs to the category of alcoholic drinks that can be served with almost any dish. Its light texture and modest taste cannot spoil the eating experience. On the other hand, it doesn't hurt to raise the acidity a little during your meal. There is a list of dishes and snacks that Prosecco always goes well with.

• Aperitif with fruit and without snacks;
• Seafood and fish are standard dishes for champagne and special occasions;
• White poultry and game meat - family feast, dinner for two;
• Desserts - pastries, ice cream, fruit salads go well with brut, which does not enhance their sweetness, but only emphasizes it.

If you ask in the town of Veneto what is the best way to drink Prosecco, they will tell you that the main thing is to drink it in principle. Moreover, even a large quantity of this will not cause wine, and that’s a plus!

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We continue our “sparkling” series of articles for beginner wine lovers. Next up is the world's most popular Prosecco from Italy. It is no coincidence that this aperitif has become a regular at social parties and fashionable events: the freshness, cheerful carelessness and fruity-floral aroma instantly captivate, and the play of bubbles and a slight bitterness in the aftertaste fascinate even more with each new sip.

First there were grapes

Italian sparkling Prosecco is made from the aromatic white variety Glera. The grape was once called the same as the wine - Prosecco, but in 2009 it was renamed Glera, and the former name of the variety was given to the production zone, which occupies a vast territory in two northern Italian regions - Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. From that moment on, the word Prosecco is only allowed to be used to refer to sparkling wines produced in the wine-growing area of ​​the same name, and not everywhere in Italy, as was the case before.

The Glera variety typically produces sparkling wines with a fairly simple, but very pleasant fruit bouquet with hints of apple, apricot, white peach and rose. Unlike champagne, there are no notes of bread crust or pastry, since the production technology of Prosecco is fundamentally different.

Not champagne, but with bubbles

Sparkling Prosecco is produced using the Charmat method, which is more economical and faster than champagne technology. Its essence lies in the fact that secondary fermentation, during which bubbles appear, occurs not in bottles, but in huge tanks. Just a few days later, the fermentation process is interrupted by sudden cooling, and voila - sparkling wine is ready!

It is believed that high-speed technology was invented by the Italian Federico Martinotti, and finalized and successfully patented by the Frenchman Eugene Charmat. Today, the simplified method is usually called Sharma, less often - Martinotti-Sharma. By the way, this is the method used to make about 90% of all sparkling wines in Italy these days.

Main varieties

Prosecco can vary in degree of sparkling:

• spumante (sparkling);
• frizzante (fizzy, with less pronounced bubbles);
• tranquillo (quiet).

Most variants are of the first and second type, but occasionally silent versions with the same name can also be found in Italy.

As for the degree of sweetness, it can also vary, but the most common sparkling examples of Prosecco are most often dry (Brut, Extra Dry, Dry), and sparkling examples are sweet (Dolce, Amabile). Still wines, rare for the Prosecco zone, are found in both dry and sweet versions (Secco and Amabile).

Special categories

The relatively young appellation (wine-growing area) Prosecco DOC covers a vast territory of 20,000 hectares, which includes more prestigious parts: Prosecco di Treviso, Conegliano-Valdobbiadene (6,000 hectares) and Cartizze (107 hectares). The last two belong to the highest quality category according to the Italian classification - DOCG.

Sometimes you can also find the Rive label on the bottles, denoting single-vineyard Prosecco, which corresponds to the French concept of cru. For this category, manual harvesting of grapes is required, as well as indication on the label of the year of harvest and the name of the hill on which the vineyard grows.

The subtle play of bubbles in cru prosecco glasses is extremely reminiscent of the perlage of French champagne and other sparkling drinks created using classical technology. And this is not surprising: Rive samples can be aged on lees for a long time.

Aperol spritz everyone!

Perhaps Prosecco is the most common aperitif in Italy, and sparkling wine owes much of its popularity to the Aperol spritz cocktail, which began to be made in Venice and Verona, and then the fashion for it spread to all Italian bars. The cocktail is based on three ingredients: prosecco, Aperol orange liqueur and tonic. A glass with bright orange contents in itself already creates a sunny mood in any weather. And it is always decorated with a slice of orange or red grapefruit.

• Famous Italian sparkling wine
• The highest quality category DOCG
• Delicious aperitif or alternative to champagne
• The best Veneto producers are on sale

Real Prosecco from the Conegliano-Valdobbiadenne region is a top-class wine, since 2009 it has been awarded the DOCG category. The name of the best Prosecco contains the word Cartizze - this is a small village in the province of Treviso where it is produced. The combination of the stunning character of the wine and low cost leads to the fact that Prosecco is gaining more and more fans!

How to drink Prosecco?

Prosecco is one of the most delicious aperitifs, perfect for fish and seafood dishes, desserts and fruits. It exhibits its best quality when cooled to 8°C and served in a narrow elongated glass for sparkling wines.

The aroma and taste of this wine are reminiscent of summer and sunny fruits - yellow apples, peaches, apricots. Fresh, cool prosecco wine is best drunk on hot summer days.

To get to know Italian champagne - prosecco - you can follow the 33-kilometer tourist route “Strada del Prosecco” through the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. And you can simply buy Prosecco in our stores and enjoy its taste within a few hours after choosing it!

Prosecco - price in WineStyle

Sparkling wine Prosecco can be purchased in WineStyle stores for prices starting from 521 rubles. — this is how much, for example, Martini Prosecco DOC costs in a miniature 200 ml bottle.