When one thinks of sparkling wines, so quickly we think of Champagne, but in fact Prosecco is the world's most popular fizz! Prosecco is the Italian-born bubbly and it may surprise you to know that its is the highest exported sparkling wine by volume in the world.

ccording to the official report by Prosecco DOC A Consortium in 2022, more than 638,500,000 bottles of Prosecco were sold worldwide, totalling Ato a value of €3 billion. This is a bigger value than the sales of both Champagne and Cava combined in the same year. So, the numbers speak for themselves!

Made with the tank method, Prosecco comes with two styles of bubble. You have the fully sparkling Spumante and the lower pressure Frizzante style, each of these made with a varying level of sweetness from Brut to Demi sec, with extra dry (around 12-17 grams of sugar per litre) being the most common style, made with the Glera grape grown in northeast Italy. This semi-aromatic grape variety can be grown with a very high yield, explaining the impressive volume of production.

In 2009, a new regulation was set that the official grape for Prosecco must be Glera, thus wines looking to be labelled 'Prosecco' must this variety, helping to prevent other regions or countries using the term freely. Labels help to differentiate between quality, with Prosecco DOC connoting a good quality, whilst the Prosecco DOCG meaning an even higher quality. The different labels show different intensity and complexity of the wine, leading to different price levels as well.

Here in Indonesia one can find a great variety of Prosecco. Its a superb product for the market, finding a sweet spot between the highly expensive Champagne and other standard sparkling wines. Let me take you through some tastings of chosen Prosecco, to help outline the different flavour profiles, plus some suggested pairings for this popular bubbly.

 

Albaluna Prosecco - Treviso Spumante

Prosecco di Treviso DOC is a sparkling wine from the province of Treviso in the northern Italian region of Veneto. While there are various designations for Prosecco made in Treviso, this is a DOC wine. You'll find fresh citrus notes on the nose with pear, apple; on the palate it is dry, high acidity and very refreshing, with additional grapefruit flavours, short in finish, light in body with a firm mousse. Excellent for aperitivo.

Maschio Prosecco

Another wine from the Treviso DOC Sparkling wine with an unmistakable character, fresh and versatile. It has the sweet floral typical of the acacia flower, delicate of candied fruits with notes of white pulp fruits, pear and apple. Fresh, light and soft with high acidity that actually feels gentle thanks to a well-balanced residual sugar.

Casa Canevel Extra Dry Prosecco DOC

From the Veneto area, with pale lemon intensity of appearance with expressive floral hits and apple and pear on the nose, a typical Glera grape variety. Nice refreshing acidity with balance with the fruitiness of the wine. Casa Canevel aka "Small Cellar" produce by the producer in the historical area the city of Valdobbiadene, it shows on the persistence and quality of the wines.

Fantinel Prosecco Brut Millesimato, One & Only 2021

A vintage Prosecco wine made only from a single vineyard with the minimum required 85% from the vintage stated. The wine has a great elegant flourishing of white flowers, with deep fruity aromatic essences. Well balanced, mixing a pleasant acidity with a velvety smoothness, reveals a full structure that, with intensity, lingers in the whole mouth and offers a delightful after-taste. Remember, only in this exceptional year was Prosecco made as a vintage wine.

Prosecco Pairings

Pairing food with Prosecco is easy, as it almost can be pairing with anything. With its refreshing, high acidity with a hit of sugar, bubble cleansing the palate, the acidity will compliment the savoury, whilst the slightly sweet notes will balance the spices in food. Not only does it make for an excellent aperitif, this sparkling wine can be happily matched with all fish dishes such as salmon, shellfish and also with white meats. Even with dry beef, stuffed mushroom, creamy sauces, and even potato chips.

Now, the vessel! This wine variety is best enjoyed in a glass with a slightly oval shaped bowl, slight narrowness on the rim - so yes, definitely bigger than your normal sparkling wine glass or chute. This shape will help capture and collect the aromatic aroma, whilst, the narrower rim will bring the wine into the middle of the palate where fruits are best detected.