9 Prosecco Flashcards
Describe the style of a Prosecco
- light to medium (-) intesity
- aromas of apple, pear and peach
- light body
- medium to medium (+) acidity
- low to medium alcohol
- sweetness range form Brut to Demi-Sec (Extra-Brut is the most common style)
- produced in fully sparkling (spumante) and lower pressure (frizzante)
Prosecco DOCs have mainly light intensity
Prosecco DOCGs have mainly medium intensity and have greater primary aromas
Which grape variety is mainly used for Prosecco?
Glera
How are the quality and price levels of Prosecco?
Prosecco DOC:
- acceptable to good quality
- mid-priced and some inexpensive
Prosecco DOCG:
- good to very good quality
- mid-priced and a few premium-priced
Which Italian regions are included in the DOC Prosecco?
Veneto and Friuli
How big is the planting area of the Prosecco DOC?
23.000ha
How big is the planting area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG?
7.700ha
What is the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG and where is it located?
- the hilly, historic and smaller part within the huge Prosecco DOC
- it’s located between the towns Conegliano and Valdobbiadene
What is the Asolo Prosecco DOCG and where is it located
as small DOCG in the hilly area south of Valdobbiadene
How big is the planting area of Asolo Prosecco DOCG
1.800ha
How is the production volume split between the three Prosecco areas?
- 82% Prosecco DOC
- 16% Prosecco DOCG
- 2% Asolo DOCG
How are the climate conditions in the Prosecco DOC?
- warm and moderately continental
- moderate rainfall
- the flat area is affected by moist air and fog from the rivers
How are the climate conditions in the Prosecco DOCG?
- cooling influences and higher diurnal temperature range
from the hillier area
How are the soils in the Prosecco DOC and DOCG
vary considerably but more fertile on the plain than on the hills
Name the top facts of the grape variety Glera
- vigorous
- semi-aromatic
- very high in yield
- susceptible to millerandage, powdery and downy mildew, dough in summer and grapevine yellow
How much other grape varieties can be blended in?
maximal 15%
Which training systems are used in the Prosecco area?
- Sylvoz
- double-arched cane
- single or double Guyot
Describe the “Sylvoz” training system
- high cordon system
- downward hanging shoots
- well suited to high vigor sites with high yield
- inexpensive to create initially
- minimizes winter pruning
- suitable for machine harvesting
- the height protect form frost
- disadvantage is an easy over cropping
Describe the “double-arched cane” training system
- form of replacement cane pruning
- canes are bent into arches
- improves the evenness of growth and fruitfulness
- increases ventilation of the canopy and thus the decrease fungal diseases
- very common in the hillside sites of Prosecco DOCG
- disadvantages are that the individual branches must be tied at every plant and the work for maintaining open canopy
Describe the “Guyot” training system
- standard Guyot training
- used in flatter land
- possible to work with machines after winter pruning to reduce costs
Describe the vineyard management in the DOC
- vineyard work and harvesting is normally done by machines
- due to large vineyards there are considerable economies of scale
- high yield lead to wines with lower concentration
Describe the vineyard management in the DOCG
- best sites are the south-facing hillsides (more concentration in the final wine)
- longer ripening season for the grapes due to reduced fertility and greater day/night temperature difference
- lower but still generous yield lead to higher concentration
- steep parts are terraced (called: ciglione)
- work on steep slops is done by hand
- harvest is allowed by hand and by machine
- categorie “Cartine”, “Rive” and “sui lieviti” must be picked by hand
Describe the winemaking of Prosecco
- hand picked grapes can be whole bunch pressed or destemmed and pressed
- base wine fermentation at 18°C for around 15-20 days
- MLC is blocked to retain acidity
- second fermentation in the tank takes one month at 12-15°C
- short time on lees (a few weeks) the wine is chilled, filtered and bottled (no requirements for aging the wine)
- traditionally no adjustment of the sweetness (i.e. no dosage)
- calculation of sugar at triage to reach the required level of sweetness (Brut, Extra Dry, Dry) and pressure (spumante or frizzante) after second fermentation
- since 2014 a possible adjustment of the sweetness is allowed after second fermentation
- some quality producer slow down second fermentation by lowering the temperature or age the wine on the lees for a few month to add extra complexity
- longer form of tank method, called: Charmat lungo
Name other styles of Prosecco
- Prosecco Col Fondo (second fermentation in the bottle without disgorgement
- Tranquillo (still wine)
Describe the style and the production of Prosecco Col Fondo
- traditional style
- light cloudy, dry and frizzante
- allowed in the DOC and DOCG
- phrase “refermentazione in bottiglia” (refermentation in the bottle) must appear on the bottle
- second fermentation is un the bottle
- wine is left undisgorged
- finished with a crown cap
- can be aged for a short time
- tiny production level and special and fashionable like Pet Nat
- traditional name is: Col Fondo
- 2020 Prosecco regulations will require the name: sui lieviti (on the lees)
What dose the labeling term “Tranquillo” mean?
still wine form the Prosecco region
Name the maximum allowed yield for the different Prosecco styles
- Prosecco DOC: 125hl/ha
- Prosecco DOCG: 94,5hl/ha
- Rive DOCG: 90hl/ha
- Superiore di Cartizze DOCG or Cartizze DOCG: 85hl/ha
- Asolo Prosecco DOCG: 94,5hl/ha
Which are regulations if vintage on the label is used?
a minimum of 85% of the vintage must be used
Which are the regulations for Rive DOCG?
- rive is the local word for slope of the steep hill, followed by a place name (e.g. Rive di Soligo)
- name could be a single commune or vineyard
- grapes must be grown in one of the 43 Rive
- picked by hand
- lower maximum yield (90hl/ha)
- vintage must be shown on the label
Which are the regulations for Superiore di Cartizze DOCG and Cartizze DOCG?
- historic and limited single-vineyard of 108ha in Valdobbiadene
- lower yield (85hl/ha)
- only spumante is allowed
- steep hills and vineyards on slopes
- traditionally the area with highest quality
- fuller body and normally residual sugar above Brut
- Prosecco is not used (Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG or Valdobbiadene Cartizze DOCG)
How is the production size split between Prosecco and the other sparkling wines in Italy?
50% of the sparkling wines is Prosecco
Who is the world leader in export sparkling wine by volume?
Italy
Who is the world leader in export sparkling wine by value?
Champagne
How is the production size split between spumante and frizzante?
- 75% spumante
- 25% frizzante
Which is the average size of the vineyard holdings?
2,5ha
How many growers are located in the Prosecco area?
- 10.000 (50% co-operatives and 50% private growers)
How many producers of base wine are located in the Prosecco area?
1.200
How many sparkling wine producers are located in the Prosecco area?
350 (75% private companies)
Which is the most important region volume of production and for sale the base wine to the bottling companies?
Treviso
How is the domestic market and the export split in the DOC?
- 25% by volume (50% hospitality and 50% retail)
- 75% export (UK, USA and Germany)
Which are the three biggest export markets of the DOC?
- UK
- USA
- Germany
How big is the part of the three biggest export markets of the DOC?
nearly two thirds
For which alternative Prosecco DOC is used?
- cheap discounter Champagne
- still wine
- inexpensive or mid-priced rosé
When was Brut Nature and Extra Brut added to the Prosecco regulations?
2019
When was spumante rosé added to the DOC regulations?
2020
How are the production regulations for DOC rosé?
- maximal 15% Pinot Noir (made as a red wine)
- only made as spumante
- sweetness level is limited from Brut Nature to Extra Brut
Which are the most common styles of Prosecco DOCG
- 60% Extra Dry
- 30% Brut
When was Extra Brut added to the DOCG regulations?
2019
Which amount is account to the 32 large companies?
90% (each producing more than 1 million bottles per year)
How is the domestic market and the export split in the DOCG?
- 60% domestic (largest sale is northern Italy)
- 40% is export
Which are the three biggest export markets of the DOCG?
- Germany
- UK
- Switzerland
Which is a big challenge of the DOCG?
- improve recognition
- consumers see Prosecco as a generic brand.
- achieve a higher price du to higher quality
