D4.C10. Prosecco Flashcards
Which grapes are used to produce Prosecco?
- Mainly Glera
- Local and some international varieties upto 15% are permitted
Tasting notes for Prosecco
- Light to medium (-) intensity apple and pear
- A light body
- Medium to medium (+) acidity
- Low or medium alcohol
What is the range and the most common style for sweetness for Prosecco?
- Brut to Demi- Sec
- Extra Dry being the most common style
What are the styles of Prosecco in terms of pressure?
- Spumante (full sparkling)
- Frizzante (lower pressure)
What are the main differences between Prosecco DOC and Prosecco DOCG wines?
The DOC wines are mainly of light intensity, while the DOCG wines typically show medium intensity and greater definition and range of primary fruit than the DOC wines (pear, apple, peach)
What are the quality/price range for Prosecco DOC and Prosecco DOCG wines?
- DOC: Acceptable to good quality/ mainly mid-priced with some inexpensive examples in supermarkets
- DOCG: Good to very good quality/ mainly mid-priced, with a few wines at premium prices
What are the PDOs for Prosecco and their planted areas ?
- Prosecco DOC: 23.000 ha
- Conegliano Valdobbiadene – Prosecco DOCG: 7.700 ha
- Asolo Prosecco DOCG: 1.800 ha
What is the topography of the most of the vineyards in Prosecco DOC?
The grapes are overwhelmingly grown on the plain
When can the the geographical indications Treviso or Trieste be added to Prosecco DOC?
If the grapes have been grown and the wine made within these two areas
How can the sparkling wines from Conegliano Valdobbiadene – Prosecco DOCG be labelled?
- Producers must use either or both names of the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene
- Within the spumante category, the term ‘Superiore’ may be added and/or ‘Prosecco’ omitted
What does ‘Superiore’ term on the label imply for the Conegliano Valdobbiadene – Prosecco DOCG wines?
Superiore is part of the name of the wine and implies no difference in terms of winemaking
Why is the name of the grape Prosecco changed to Glera?
Name was changed so that Prosecco could be used to designate defined areas that were entitled to use the name and to prevent other regions or countries from exploiting the success of the name
What are the percentages of production volumes in 3 denominations of Prosecco?
- Prosecco DOC: 82%
- Conegliano Valdobbiadene – Prosecco DOCG: 16%
- Asolo Prosecco DOCG: 2%
How is the climate in Prosecco DOC?
Warm and moderately continental with moderate rainfall
What are the modifying factors that affect the climate in Prosecco DOC and Prosecco DOCG?
- Flat plain: Moist air and fog from the rivers of the region, increasing the number of sprays
- DOCG: Hillier area: Cooling influences coming from altitude itself and the higher diurnal temperature ranges, which make for longer, slower ripening (wines from the DOCG area can have higher acidity and more intense fruit flavours)
What are the viticultural properties of Glera?
- Vigorous, semi-aromatic variety capable of very high yields
- Susceptible to millerandage, to powdery and downy mildew, to drought in summer and to grapevine yellows
- As the first two buds do not bear much fruit, it has to be trained long, typically on vertically trellised systems with 8–12 buds
- Low to medium planting densities (3,000 plants per ha) are normal due to the vigour of the variety
What are common training options for Glera?
- Sylvoz
- Double-arched cane
- Guyot
Describe Sylvoz training
- It is a high cordon system with shoots that hang downwards
- It is well suited to high vigour sites such as on the fertile, flatter land of Prosecco DOC
What are the advantages of Slyvoz training?
- Inexpensive to create initially
- Minimises winter pruning
- It is suitable for machine harvesting all of which reduces cost
- Protection from the frost
What are the disadvantages of Slyvoz training?
- It may encourage over cropping,
- It requires careful monitoring and trimming of the canopy to avoid excessive shading
- It is difficult to distribute the clusters evenly
Describe double-arched cane pruning.
It is a form of replacement cane pruning where the canes are bent into arches
What are the advantages of double-arched cane training?
- Improves the evenness of the growth and the fruitfulness of Glera
- Increases the ventilation of the canopy, reducing fungal diseases
What are the disadvantages of double-arched cane training?
- Individual branches must be tied in on every plant (adding to cost)
- Care must be taken to maintain an open canopy by repeated shoot thinning
Guyot training is preferred on which area of Prosecco region? Why?
It is used on the flatter land where, after winter pruning, it is possible to work with machines, reducing cost