National Prosecco Day

Although this wine was practically unknown beyond Italy’s borders before the beginning of the 21st century, it actually has been around for many years. Prosecco comes with a longer history than most people outside of Italy are aware of. In fact, its origins likely date back at least 2000 years, to 200 BC when the Romans first referred to this regional white wine as “Puccino”.

Made from grapes grown in the vineyards of the Prosecco region in northeastern Italy, this wine is similar to Champagne in that it must be grown in that particular region in order to be labeled with the name Prosecco. This region of Italy, with its largest city Trieste, lies on the border of Slovenia.

The Prosecco wines are usually made in the Spumante fashion, which is a sparkling wine, or as a Frizzante, which is a semi-sparkling product. The most popular version of this wine is the Prosecco DOC Spumante which has long-lasting bubbles.

About 5 percent of Prosecco wines are made in the Tranquillo fashion, without any bubbles at all, but these versions are rarely exported and are usually only found within Italy.

Prosecco is similar to Champagne in that it is a white wine that is usually bubbly and has a light taste. However, the processes to make each of these wines are a bit different, rendering Prosecco a bit more affordable than its French counterpart, Champagne.

While Champagne is allowed to go through the secondary fermentation process individually in each bottle, in contrast, Prosecco’s secondary fermentation takes place in a large, stainless steel vat before it is bottled. Because of this difference, the production time is shorter–as little as 30 days or up to 9 months for a higher-end product.

It is likely the affordability of Prosecco that has brought about its popularity in the past couple of decades, as the prices of Champagne often prohibit many people from enjoying it on a regular basis. Prosecco, on the other hand, offers much of the delight and joy of a bubbly, white wine, but without that prohibitive price tag.

The grape that this white wine comes from was originally called the Prosecco grape, but it was renamed within the EU in 2009 to become the Glera grape. In recent years, Glera grapes have been cultivated in many places other than this northeastern region of Italy, including Brazil, Argentina, Romania, and Australia.

It is important to note, however, that even though it cannot actually be called “Prosecco” if it is grown in one of these other countries, the processes and resulting product may create very similar results that can be enjoyed in a similar fashion.

Now it’s time to learn how to celebrate all of the delight that is involved with Prosecco Day!