Prosecco DOC

Prosecco uses the Charmat method, re-fermenting in pressurised tanks rather than the bottle. This keeps fresh fruit aromas and lowers costs. Champagne ferments inside the bottle on lees for months or years, building yeasty, toasty complexity that Prosecco deliberately avoids.

Glera, a white variety grown across Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. DOC regulation sets Glera as the dominant grape, with small additions of authorised local varieties permitted for blending character.

The wine's high acidity and gentle sweetness work well with salty antipasti, prosciutto and melon, seafood starters, sushi, and lightly spiced Asian dishes. The classic Venetian pairing is cicchetti: small plates of cured fish, cheese, and vegetable bites.

DOC covers nine provinces across Veneto and Friuli, mostly on the plains. DOCG covers two smaller hillside zones: Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo. DOCG yields are lower, slopes are steeper, and the wines typically carry more texture and aromatic concentration.

Prosecco runs from Brut Nature (almost no residual sugar) through Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, and Dry. Despite its name, Extra Dry carries slightly more sugar than Brut and remains the UK volume leader. Demi-sec versions sit at the sweeter end.

Six to nine degrees Celsius. Too cold and the aromatics collapse; too warm and the bead turns coarse. Flute or tulip glass preferred over the wide coupe to concentrate the nose.