Italy’s sparkling Prosecco has experienced a bit of a transformation in recent years. This bubbly has been plagued by inconsistent quality — from the top of the pyramid, Cartizze, to celebrities jumping on board to promote everything from canned Prosecco made in Austria to low-end fizz. Italians, who historically take their wine production very seriously, took notice and worked to address the problem head on.
The heart of Prosecco production is the Veneto region bordering the towns of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. Recently, a new labeling change has brought more stringent production requirements within the Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene zone. If the label has the name “Prosecco” it must adhere to specific production techniques and include only grapes grown in strictly controlled areas.
Italian wines are given levels of quality much like the French Appellation d’Origin Controlee. Beginning with the Vino da Tavola (basic table wine) to IGT, DOC and DOCG, each level has more stringent rules for growing and production. The change basically takes the areas previously given the lesser IGT designation a type of upgrade to DOC. To add to the confusion, it also technically renames the grape to its ancient name “glera” for producers outside of the named zones, effectively making “Prosecco” a place name and not a grape variety.
THE VALUES
- NV Zonin Prosecco, Italy (about $15 retail)
- NV Candoni Prosecco, Italy (about $15 retail)
THE SPLURGE
- NV Santa Margherita Brut Prosecco, Italy (about $25 retail)