Prosecco Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the typical style and characteristics of Prosecco including DOC and DOCG level quality and price levels

A
  • Light to med (-) apple and pear
  • Light body
  • Med - med (+) acid
  • Low - med alcohol
  • Brut - Demi-Sec, Extra Dry most common

DOC - good quality, mid-price with some inexpensive

DOCG - good - very good quality, mid-price with some premium

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2
Q

Describe the climate of Prosecco DOC

A

Warm, moderately continental with moderate rainfall

Flat plain has moist air + fog so requires spraying

Plain has more fertile soil

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3
Q

Describe the size and situation of Prosecco DOC

A
  • 23,000ha
  • Former IGTs incl. 9 provinces within Veneto and Friuli
  • Mainly plains with some hills / mountains
  • Treviso / Trieste may be added
  • 82% of production
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4
Q

Describe the climate of Prosecco DOCG

A

Still warm and continental overall but…

  • Cooling influence of altitude + higher diurnals
  • Poorer soils on hillsides
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5
Q

Describe the size and situation of Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG

A
  • 7,700 ha
  • Either or both town names must be used
  • Hilly - 200-320m ASL
  • Spumante - can add Superiore and omit Prosecco (no difference in winemaking or quality)
  • 16% of production
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6
Q

Describe the size and situation of Asolo Prosecco DOCG

A
  • 1,800 ha to south of Valdobbiadene
  • Within Spumante, Superiore may be added
  • 2% of production
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7
Q

Describe the characteristics of the Glera variety

A
  • Vigorous
  • Semi-aromatic
  • High yields
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8
Q

What is Glera vulnerable to?

A
  • Diseases: susceptible to millerandage, powdery mildew, downy mildew, grapevine yellows
  • Susceptible to drought
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9
Q

Why is Glera usually trained long with 8-12 buds?

A

First two buds don’t bear fruit

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10
Q

At what densities is Glera usually planted and why?

A

Low - med (3000VPH) due to vigour

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11
Q

What grapes can be used to make Prosecco?

A

Glera min of 85% but some local and int’l varieties may also be used

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12
Q

Which pruning/training systems are often used in Prosecco?

A
  1. Sylvoz
  2. Double-arched cane
  3. Guyot
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13
Q

What is Sylvoz pruning and where is it used?

A

High cordon system, shoots hang down

Best on fertile, flat sites in DOC to achieve high yields - sometimes used in DOCG

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14
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Sylvoz pruning / training?

A

+ Inexpensive to establish

+ Reduces winter pruning

+ compatible with machine harvesting

+ high cordon provides frost protection

  • may encourage overcropping
  • requires careful monitoring / trimming to avoid shady canopy
  • difficult to distribute clusters evenly
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15
Q

What is double-arched pruning and where is it used?

A

Replacement cane pruning where canes are bent into arches Hillside DOCGs

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16
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of double-arched cane pruning / training?

A

+ Improves evenness of growth and fruitfulness

+ Increased ventilation

+ Reduces fungal disease pressure

  • Labour intensive
  • individual branches must be tied in on each plant
  • Requires repeated shoot thinning to keep the canopy open
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17
Q

What is Guyot, where is it used, what are the advantages?

A

Single or double, replacement cane pruning

Used on flat land

+ Possible to work with machines

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18
Q

Describe vineyard management in Prosecco DOC

A
  • Large vineyards
  • Flat land with work and harvest done mechanically
  • High yields with lower concentration
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19
Q

Describe vineyard management in Prosecco DOCG

A
  • Work and harvest mechanical or by hand depending on steepness of slopes
  • Steepest parts are terraced on grassy banks (ciglione) and have to be maintained
20
Q

Why do DOCG sites produce better wines?

A

DOCG is hillier

  • Less fertile soils
  • due to better drainage and poor nutrient contents on slopes
  • Slopes (esp. south facing) increase sunlight
  • Larger diurnal range, slower growth –> Longer season for grapes to ripen before sugar is too high, acid too low, reduced yield but increased concentration
21
Q

What Cartizze, Rive and sui lieviti tell you about where the grapes must have come from and how they were harvested?

A

DOCG grapes, picked by hand

22
Q

Outline the winemaking process and the decisions winemakers can make

A
  1. Destemmed or wholebunch (preserves primary fruit) fruit
  2. Fermentation 15-20 days at ~18c to preserve fruit
  3. Malo blocked to preserve primary fruit and retain acid
  4. 2nd ferment ~ 1 month at 12-15c to preserve fruit
  5. Few weeks on lees 6. Chilled, filtered, bottled
23
Q

What age requirements do Prosecco DOC and DOCG require?

A

None

24
Q

Since 2014, what have winemakers been allowed to do?

A

Adjust sugar after wine racked off lees after 2nd ferment - traditionally no adjustment and required sugar added at tirage

25
Q

The amount of sugar added for tirage impacts what two aspects of the final wine?

A
  1. Pressure
  2. Sweetness
26
Q

How might the winemaking for a premium Prosecco (most likely DOCG) differ?

A
  1. Slow 2nd ferment down (lower temp)
  2. Age wine on lees for few months e.g. Charmat lungo (on lees for at least 9 months) with lees agitated while in tank
27
Q

Describe the style and production of Col Fondo

A
  • Lightly cloudy, dry, frizzante
  • Second ferment in bottle and undisgorged
  • It may be bottle-aged for a short time
28
Q

How can you identify a Col Fondo Prosecco?

A
  • Phrase “rifermentazione in bottiglia”
  • Crown cap
  • Sediment in bottle
29
Q

T/F Col Fondo wines may only come from DOCGs?

A

False

30
Q

What term must Col Fondo wines be called from 2020?

A

sui lieviti (on the lees)

31
Q

What is “tranquillo”?

A

Still Prosecco - produced in tiny quantities

32
Q

Give the max yields for the following denominations.. 1. DOC 2. DOCG - Rive - Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze 3. Asolo

A
  1. DOC - 125 hL/ha
  2. DOCG - 94.5 hL/ha
    - Rive - 90hL/ha
    - Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze - 85 hL/ha
  3. Asolo - 94.5 hL/ha
33
Q

Outline three key rules that DOC/DOCGs must follow

A
  1. 85% Glera
  2. Sold in bottle
  3. If labelled vintage, 85% grapes from that vintage
34
Q

What does “rive” mean and what rules are associated with wines that carry that label?

A

Rive = slope of a steep hill, followed by name of single commune / vineyard e.g. “Rive di Soligo”

  1. Grapes grown from one of 43 Rive
  2. Hand-harvested
  3. Lower max yield
  4. Vintage declared
35
Q

What is Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze DOCG?

A

A single, 108ha vineyard within Valdobbiadene

Wine not usually called Prosecco, but Vadobbiadene

36
Q

Describe the style of Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze DOCG

A
  • Spumante only
  • Fuller bodied
  • RS >Brut
37
Q

What makes the Cartizze DOCG special?

A

Steep hillsides with v. good drainage

38
Q

Describe the broad trends within the Prosecco DOC

A
  • 50% of Italy’s sparkling wine production
  • x2 production 2011-16
  • 75% Spumante, 25% Frizzante
39
Q

Describe the structure of the Prosecco DOC

A
  • 10,000 growers with average vineyard holding of 2.5ha
  • 1,200 producers of base wine
  • 350 producers of sparkling wine Growers sell to co-ops who make base wine and sell on to private companies to finish, market and sell
40
Q

What role does Treviso play within the Prosecco DOC?

A

Most important area for grapes and sale of base wine to bottlers

41
Q

Where is Prosecco DOC sold?

A

25% domestically

  • 50/50 hospo/retail 75% export with sales tripling in a decade UK, US, Germany account for 2/3 of exports by vol.
42
Q

Describe how Prosecco is perceived and consumed in its key export markets

A
  • Prosecco itself is a soft brand seen as an everyday luxury
  • Alternative to cheapest Champagne and still rosé
  • Used for Prosecco cocktails e.g. Mimosas
43
Q

What is the key aim of the Prosecco DOC given its recent success?

A
  • Stabilise and maintain current sales levels despite increased comp
  • Innovate new style e.g. Prosecco rosé
  • Protect name e.g. Australian producers using name Prosecco for Glera based wines and other sparkling wine being sold on tap
44
Q

What recent changes have been made to the Prosecco DOC?

A
  • Prosecco Rose using Pinot Nero
  • Brut Nature and Extra Brut
45
Q

What different styles of Prosecco DOCG are most popular?

A
  • Extra Dry - 60%
  • Brut - 30%
  • Extra Brut introduced in 2019 (0-6 g/L RS)
46
Q

Describe the structure of Prosecco DOCG production and where it is sold

A

32 companies accounts of 90% of production 60% sold in Italy 40% sold at export Top three markets are Germany, UK and Switzerland

47
Q

What are the challenges for Prosecco DOCG? (1)

A
  1. Improve recognition of superior quality and achieve a better price (esp. since DOCG is fully planted)