Prosecco

The success story of Prosecco began in 1876 with the founding of Italy's first viticultural school. There, methods for the best possible cultivation of the grapes were developed together with the local winegrowers. Since then, cultivation of the steep slopes has increasingly begun and to this day, many plots are cultivated exclusively by hand without any mechanisation. In addition, sparkling wine production has been perfected over decades in the specially designed pressure tanks in order to guarantee the best possible flavours and freshness of the Prosecco, which is bottled up to six times a year.

Founded in 1962, the consortium of the same name set itself the goal of protecting the products and their origin from the outset. In particular, the exact boundaries of the production area were defined in order to guarantee originality in the future. Seven years later, this endeavour led to the recognition of Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene as a DOC wine. In 2009, it was then recognised as the highest Italian quality level DOCG with the addition of Superiore.

In July 2019, the region in north-east Italy received another special honour: the World Heritage Committee declared the Prosecco hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ambitious project for recognition as a unique landscape worthy of protection began back in 2008. Now this cultural landscape, which is characterised by steep slopes, small plots and narrow terraces, forests and villages, has been awarded the coveted title.

From the 17th century onwards, a striking mosaic landscape of plantings arranged vertically and parallel to the slopes was created here. The "Bellussera" reclamation method, which manifested itself in the 19th century, contributed significantly to the visual shape of the current landscape. This demanding, rugged terrain was cultivated and created by farmers over centuries and, according to the UNESCO Commission, bears witness to the close interaction between man and nature.

The Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG area currently covers around 6,500 hectares and is divided into 15 municipalities. The climatic conditions are ideally suited to the viticulture practised here: The summers are not too hot, the winters are not too harsh and the average annual rainfall is sufficient. Due to the topographical conditions, the vines here are cultivated exclusively on slopes or steep slopes, in contrast to the provinces of Treviso and Asolo outside the region.

What is Prosecco?

The main role is played by the golden yellow Glera grape, which must contain at least 85 per cent and thus forms the basis for Prosecco. Depending on the preferences of the winemaker, the respective (single) vineyard and the vintage, this is blended with small quantities of white grapes of the local varieties Verdiso, Bianchetta, Perera and Glera Lunga.

In recognition of the outstanding efforts and achievements of the winegrowers, the addition of "Rive", the colloquial term for the steep vineyards, was introduced along with the DOCG status. These represent the uniqueness of a total of 43 smaller sub-zones within the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area. The different characteristics and characteristics of the vineyards and microclimates from place to place become clear here in all their diversity and reveal the great potential of Prosecco. The Rive vineyard yield is limited to 13 tonnes per hectare, the grapes are harvested exclusively by hand and the vintage year is always indicated on the label.

The absolute top products, which come from the Cartizze area of just under 100 hectares, are labelled "Superiore di Cartizze". The renowned Cartizze growing zone is steeply south-facing and is located in the municipality of Valdobbiadene, with a total area of just 106 hectares. The grapes for the coveted "Superiore di Cartizze" are grown and vinified in Valdobbiadene between the hills of the districts of Santo Stefano, San Pietro di Barbozza and Saccol. An even lower yield per hectare and the exclusive manual cultivation of the vineyards and sometimes very old vines lay the foundation for top quality wines from this historic growing area. The different soils of the district contribute directly to the broad spectrum of flavours and the liveliness of the sparkling wines produced here.

What is the difference between spumante and frizzante?

In addition to spumante, frizzante is also produced here. The fundamental difference is the addition of carbon dioxide to the still wine, which is not produced during the second fermentation as with spumante. As a result, the finely worked-in perlage, elegance and sophistication are not present in frizzante. These sparkling wines, which are always sealed with a flat cork (tappo raso) or screw cap, are not subject to sparkling wine tax in Germany and can therefore be marketed more favourably. SUPERIORE.DE