{"id":3370,"date":"2019-08-20T10:01:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T10:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devourromefoodtours.com\/?p=3370"},"modified":"2025-10-18T14:18:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T14:18:49","slug":"what-is-prosecco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devourtours.com\/blog\/what-is-prosecco\/","title":{"rendered":"Popping the Cork on Prosecco: A Sparkling Guide to Italy\u2019s Favorite Bubbly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prosciutto. Parmigiano. Prosecco. There are certain words that just recall Italy. But when it comes to the last one, the love for it is often coupled with a justified confusion.

Say “Prosecco” to someone, and the image that will come to their mind is a chalice of golden, bubbly liquid, sipped on a terrace in Italy. It’s relaxation in a glass. <\/p>

But ask them, “What is Prosecco, exactly?” and you might get something like, “It’s Italian Champagne.” Yes, it’s a sparkling white wine produced in Italy. However, we can go further. Always wanted to know what makes prosecco prosecco<\/em>? We’ve prepared this guide for your next trip to Italy—or your local wine store.<\/p>

\r\n Northern Italian sparkling wine comes in three styles: Prosecco, Franciacorta and Asti Spumant. Photo credit: Matthieu Joannon<\/a>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>

What is Prosecco and where does it come from?<\/h2>

When talking about any wine, we have to take three things into account: grapes, terroir and method of production<\/strong>. After all, a French Burgundy and an Oregon pinot both use the same grape (pinot noir), just cultivated in wildly different environments and processed in different ways. <\/p>

Prosecco is a white wine from northeast Italy, specifically the Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto wine regions<\/a>. It’s made from the glera grape, whose origin is in neighboring Slovenia. In fact, the name “Prosecco” comes from the eponymous village, located near the border of the two countries, whose name in Slovenian is Prosek. The glera may be supplemented with small quantities of other white grapes, like pinot grigio, but at least 85 percent must be glera.<\/p>

Prosecco vs. Champagne<\/h3>

While Prosecco is most famous as a vino spumante <\/em>(sparkling wine), it doesn’t necessarily need to be. It can also be frizzante <\/em>(slightly bubbly), or even tranquillo <\/em>(no bubbles). For our purposes here, we’ll mostly be talking about prosecco spumante<\/em>. It has a characteristic crispness and freshness of flavor, ever-so-slightly tart and fragrant, a whitish-yellow color, and 11 percent alcohol<\/strong>—about a point less than traditional champagne.<\/p>

One of the draws of Prosecco is its cost and availability<\/strong>. This mainly comes from its production method, called the Martinotti, or “tank” method. When making true Champagne, for example, the base white wine is fermented again in the individual bottle, and undergoes a series of mechanical and chemical processes to promote re-fermentation and preserve the bubbles. This is laborious and can take years (which is why Champagne is so expensive). Most Prosecco, however, uses the Martinotti method, where big batches of base wine are fermented in pressurized steel tanks for only around 30 days<\/strong>, before being bottled. <\/p>

Want to see prosecco in action? Watch the video below on prosecco during a typical aperitivo evening in Rome!<\/p>