AREA

The Prosecco DOC area is located in the North-Eastern part of Italy and consists of the five provinces of Veneto (Treviso, Venezia, Vicenza, Padova and Belluno) and the four provinces of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Gorzia, Pordenone, Trieste and Udine), which is one of the most beautiful parts of the Italian peninsula.
Special mention needs to be given to the Treviso and Trieste provinces as they are of particular value during the harvest of the grapes and historically, they have played important roles in the winemaking and bottling of Prosecco.
The climate is temperate and has diversity similar to that of a relatively large area. The region is protected by the Alps to the North and is warmed by winds from the Adriatic Sea to the east, the combination of which, help to mitigate summer temperatures and provide rainfall that favours desirable vegetative growth in the vines.
Towards the end of summer, the region has a considerable diurnal temperature variation, which encourages the retention of aromatic flavour components during the grapes maturation.
The soil is predominantly limestone and clay of alluvial origin, which is rich in minerals and trace elements that contribute to the unique flavour profile of the grapes, which are well suited to the production of sparkling wines.

THE GRAPE

The grapes used in the production of Prosecco DOC are mainly Glera, a white variety from the region. The vine has hazelnut coloured canes and produces large, long clusters with golden yellow berries. Harvest time is usually during the first weeks of September, when the bunches are ripe and have developed the desired qualities to produce a base wine that will eventually make a good sparkling wine.

SPARKLING PROCESS

Production of sparkling wines is carried out using either the Italian, Martinotti or Charmat methods and takes place in large pressure vessels called “Autoclave”. It is here where secondary fermentation takes place and the wine acquires the sparkling characteristics.