What is Prosecco Wine?

Prosecco is a sparkling wine from Italy. Its name is an actual region with protected status so a Prosecco can only be from the place which is called Prosecco. It used to be made from a grape that was also called Prosecco, but that was leading to some confusion in the marketplace so the grape now goes by the name Glera.

Prosecco is generally made in a different method than Champagne. Unlike Champagne where the secondary fermentation happens inside the bottle to cause the bubbles to form, Prosecco has the secondary fermentation happen inside a large tank. The resulting sparkling wine is then transferred under pressure to the bottle. This is called the Charmat Method.

A common misconception is that all Prosecco is sweet. Although there is a lot of sweet stuff out there, you can find a dry Prosecco by examining the back of the label. Brut would be the driest type of Prosecco. Dry and Extra Dry are also designations with the latter being less sweet. These designations are not interchangeable for Champagne or other regions that have their own unique laws.

Because Prosecco has a tendency to be on the lighter side, it is sometimes mixed with other things to make a cocktail. A couple of famous examples would be an Aperol Spritz or a Belini (with peach nectar).