Prosecco Flashcards
Describe the typical style and characteristics of Prosecco including DOC and DOCG level quality and price levels
- 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
Describe the climate of Prosecco DOC
Warm, moderately continental with moderate rainfall
Flat plain has moist air + fog so requires spraying
Plain has more fertile soil
Describe the size and situation of Prosecco DOC
- 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
Describe the climate of Prosecco DOCG
Still warm and continental overall but…
- Cooling influence of altitude + higher diurnals
- Poorer soils on hillsides
Describe the size and situation of Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG
- 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
Describe the size and situation of Asolo Prosecco DOCG
- 1,800 ha to south of Valdobbiadene
- Within Spumante, Superiore may be added
- 2% of production
Describe the characteristics of the Glera variety
- Vigorous
- Semi-aromatic
- High yields
What is Glera vulnerable to?
- Diseases: susceptible to millerandage, powdery mildew, downy mildew, grapevine yellows
- Susceptible to drought
Why is Glera usually trained long with 8-12 buds?
First two buds don’t bear fruit
At what densities is Glera usually planted and why?
Low - med (3000VPH) due to vigour
What grapes can be used to make Prosecco?
Glera min of 85% but some local and int’l varieties may also be used
Which pruning/training systems are often used in Prosecco?
- Sylvoz
- Double-arched cane
- Guyot
What is Sylvoz pruning and where is it used?
High cordon system, shoots hang down
Best on fertile, flat sites in DOC to achieve high yields - sometimes used in DOCG
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Sylvoz pruning / training?
+ 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
What is double-arched pruning and where is it used?
Replacement cane pruning where canes are bent into arches Hillside DOCGs
What are the advantages and disadvantages of double-arched cane pruning / training?
+ 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
What is Guyot, where is it used, what are the advantages?
Single or double, replacement cane pruning
Used on flat land
+ Possible to work with machines
Describe vineyard management in Prosecco DOC
- Large vineyards
- Flat land with work and harvest done mechanically
- High yields with lower concentration
Describe vineyard management in Prosecco DOCG
- 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
Why do DOCG sites produce better wines?
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
What Cartizze, Rive and sui lieviti tell you about where the grapes must have come from and how they were harvested?
DOCG grapes, picked by hand
Outline the winemaking process and the decisions winemakers can make
- Destemmed or wholebunch (preserves primary fruit) fruit
- Fermentation 15-20 days at ~18c to preserve fruit
- Malo blocked to preserve primary fruit and retain acid
- 2nd ferment ~ 1 month at 12-15c to preserve fruit
- Few weeks on lees 6. Chilled, filtered, bottled
What age requirements do Prosecco DOC and DOCG require?
None
Since 2014, what have winemakers been allowed to do?
Adjust sugar after wine racked off lees after 2nd ferment - traditionally no adjustment and required sugar added at tirage
The amount of sugar added for tirage impacts what two aspects of the final wine?
- Pressure
- Sweetness
How might the winemaking for a premium Prosecco (most likely DOCG) differ?
- Slow 2nd ferment down (lower temp)
- Age wine on lees for few months e.g. Charmat lungo (on lees for at least 9 months) with lees agitated while in tank
Describe the style and production of Col Fondo
- Lightly cloudy, dry, frizzante
- Second ferment in bottle and undisgorged
- It may be bottle-aged for a short time
How can you identify a Col Fondo Prosecco?
- Phrase “rifermentazione in bottiglia”
- Crown cap
- Sediment in bottle
T/F Col Fondo wines may only come from DOCGs?
False
What term must Col Fondo wines be called from 2020?
sui lieviti (on the lees)
What is “tranquillo”?
Still Prosecco - produced in tiny quantities
Give the max yields for the following denominations.. 1. DOC 2. DOCG - Rive - Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze 3. Asolo
- DOC - 125 hL/ha
- DOCG - 94.5 hL/ha
- Rive - 90hL/ha
- Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze - 85 hL/ha - Asolo - 94.5 hL/ha
Outline three key rules that DOC/DOCGs must follow
- 85% Glera
- Sold in bottle
- If labelled vintage, 85% grapes from that vintage
What does “rive” mean and what rules are associated with wines that carry that label?
Rive = slope of a steep hill, followed by name of single commune / vineyard e.g. “Rive di Soligo”
- Grapes grown from one of 43 Rive
- Hand-harvested
- Lower max yield
- Vintage declared
What is Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze DOCG?
A single, 108ha vineyard within Valdobbiadene
Wine not usually called Prosecco, but Vadobbiadene
Describe the style of Superiore di Cartizze / Cartizze DOCG
- Spumante only
- Fuller bodied
- RS >Brut
What makes the Cartizze DOCG special?
Steep hillsides with v. good drainage
Describe the broad trends within the Prosecco DOC
- 50% of Italy’s sparkling wine production
- x2 production 2011-16
- 75% Spumante, 25% Frizzante
Describe the structure of the Prosecco DOC
- 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
What role does Treviso play within the Prosecco DOC?
Most important area for grapes and sale of base wine to bottlers
Where is Prosecco DOC sold?
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.
Describe how Prosecco is perceived and consumed in its key export markets
- 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
What is the key aim of the Prosecco DOC given its recent success?
- 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
What recent changes have been made to the Prosecco DOC?
- Prosecco Rose using Pinot Nero
- Brut Nature and Extra Brut
What different styles of Prosecco DOCG are most popular?
- Extra Dry - 60%
- Brut - 30%
- Extra Brut introduced in 2019 (0-6 g/L RS)
Describe the structure of Prosecco DOCG production and where it is sold
32 companies accounts of 90% of production 60% sold in Italy 40% sold at export Top three markets are Germany, UK and Switzerland
What are the challenges for Prosecco DOCG? (1)
- Improve recognition of superior quality and achieve a better price (esp. since DOCG is fully planted)
