Prosecco is one of the best tasting Italian wines that you shouldn’t miss. If you’d like to learn more on this ultimate favorite drink, follow along as we guide you on how to enjoy every sip of it.

So before you do your wine shopping in your favorite cellar shops, a little help from our guide will help you to pick the best bottle of Prosecco. You’ll learn how it’s made, the characteristics and how to enjoy it whatever the occasion.

Glass of Prosecco
A glass of Prosecco can be the perfect addition to a celebration, a meal, or even just to liven up a standard evening. 

What Is Prosecco?

Prosecco is one of the many Italian sparkling wines harvested from high-quality glera grapes. These grapes are widely abundant in the regions of Northern Italy, namely Friuli and Veneto. The grapes that grow from these regions are known for their sweetness and aroma that make everyone hooked.

When picking a bottle of Prosecco, it’s good to note the different varieties that you can choose. Four types of the bottle have been perfected throughout the generations: Demi-Sec/Very Sweet, Dry, Extra-Dry, and Brut, the driest kind of them all.

Other than that, you can pick two different styles of prosecco apart from the four different kinds. You can choose either Frizzante, which is fizzier, and Spumante offers a more sparkling effect. Whichever you prefer, there’s always something for your unique taste.

How Is It Made?

Prosecco making has been following the long tradition of the Charmat method. Unlike other wine processes, the prosecco undergoes a second fermentation to achieve that perfect bubbly effect at every sip. In modern times, the wines are now processed in a reliable stainless steel tank.

This process enables wine producers to market the freshest, sweetest, and fruitiest prosecco wine. This is the prominent reason why prosecco stands out from the rest of the sparkling wines.

Also, the growth factor affects the quality of prosecco wines. The glera grapes are mostly grown on the hilly side of the region, where it’s colder and receives an abundance of rain.

If you’re looking into having the highest quality Prosecco bottle, you will never go wrong with Prosecco Superiore DOCG. They produce the most sophisticated bottle of prosecco wines that you can get throughout the region. The hill where the grapes are grown was even hailed as a Unesco Heritage Site. This is to preserve the long heritage of carefully hand-picked grapes and the long tradition of prosecco making.

How Does It Taste?

Although prosecco is considered a sweet wine, it doesn’t taste super sweet as you sip it. Surprisingly, it has a drier taste with a combination of higher acidity from the fruits mixed with it during the process. Typical fruits you might taste in every bottle of prosecco are citrus fruits, pear, quince, or apples.

If you prefer a brut prosecco, expect that it will taste more dry and with only 12 grams of sugar content for every liter. The dry ones have at least 17-32 grams of sugar content. Extra dry kinds have 12-17 grams, and the sweetest kind, which is the demi-sec has 32-50 grams of sugar content.

Another noteworthy trivia you can learn is that prosecco producers mix another white wine variety in the bottle. The white wines they used are Pinot Bianco, Pinot Noir, or Chardonnay. The reason behind mixing is to add more body and character to prosecco. It is allowed by DOCG, as long as they only use 15% of any type of white wine in the bottle.

Why Is It Compared With Champagne?

It is mostly compared with champagne because of almost the same sweetness and fruitiness. Both are bubbly, white, and easy to drink. Although it shares some notable characteristics from one another, the truth is they’re still very different.

Prosecco or Champagne
Prosecco is often compared to Champagne, but is an incredible drink in its own right. There are many circumstances where Prosecco is a more favorable pairing than Champagne and vice versa, so don’t make the mistake of assuming Prosecco is just a cheaper Champagne!

 

First of all, they’re not made in the same method of fermentation. Champagne making follows the Methode Champenoise during its second fermentation process. So the taste profile of most champagnes is more structured and fruit-enhanced compared to prosecco.

How to Pair With Food?

Prosecco is the perfect pair for any type of meal. However, it’s most popular during lunch specials and appetizers. It goes well with a salad, fruit platter, cured meats, and charcuterie platters. It goes well with kinds of pasta, spicy dishes, and even sushi to mellow down the strong taste for dinner specials.

Prosecco is a wine of choice if you prefer it refreshing and extra sweet. Now that you know which one to pick be sure to collect the best quality possible to get the best of every sip.

Tags: , , , , ,