The Prosecco represents an all-Italian success story and today is, by volume, among the most best-selling types of Spumante in the world.
In order to understand its fame, just think that Prosecco is not just a Spumante but is much more.
The complexity of this world often leads consumers to get confused on the topic and on the different types of Prosecco that exist.
What are the types of Prosecco?
To best contextualize the topic, we must make a subdivision by parameters:
- geographical area
- sugar content
- perlage.
The geographical area to classify Prosecco
The first distinction therefore concerns the territory, which must be divided into two areas:
- The DOC (controlled denomination of origin): the wider area and the most common Prosecco.
Its production is carried out within a territory that includes 9 provinces, distributed between Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto: Venice, Treviso, Padova, Pordenone, Udine, Vicenza, Belluno and Gorizia.
The denomination of controlled origin ensures that Prosecco is produced according to precise standards, guaranteeing a continuous quality and a distinctive character that reflects the qualities of the wider territory. - The DOCG (controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin); it is a smaller area than the DOC, which refers to the limited and qualitatively more relevant territory of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo Hills.
The production area of Prosecco Superiore DOCG is hillier and more mountainous, with greater exposure to the sun and a lower yield per hectare than the production areas of Prosecco DOC.
This allows for a slower maturation of the grape, which results in a complex wine and a quality Prosecco. - To be even more precise, the areas of Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo must be divided according to the different production regulations:
- The area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG is located in the province of Treviso and is characterized by a series of hills separated by valleys crossed by small watercourses.
- The area of Asolo Prosecco DOCG is in the province of Treviso, at the foot of Monte Grappa, close to the Dolomites and Montello.
The types of Prosecco divided by sugar content
Sugar is a key element to distinguish the different types of Spumante and Prosecco.
The quantity of sugar present inside a Prosecco therefore determines both a variation in taste and in possible culinary combinations.
There are 6 types of Prosecco by sugar content, and they are divided below from least sweet to sweetest:
- Prosecco Brut Nature or Zero Dosage
It has a sugar content of less than 3 grams per litre and is overall the driest Prosecco. You can pair it with sushi, light fries, and oily fish.
- Prosecco Extra Brut
It has a sugar content between 0 and 6 grams per litre. This type of product enhances the liveliness and the fruitfulness of the grapes. It is dry on the palate with a great intensity. It goes very well with appetizers with cold cuts and cheeses, crudités and also with white and lean meats.
- Prosecco Brut
It has a sugar content not higher than 12 grams per litre. Thanks to this, it is ideal with light first courses and to be paired with shellfish risottos. It can also be tasted with second courses based on fish or white meat and as an aperitif with vegetable crudités and fresh cheeses.
- Prosecco Extra Dry
It has a sugar content between 12 and 17 grams per litre. Unlike the previous two, here we can start to taste sweeter notes. It goes very well with battered vegetables, cold pasta, fresh cheeses, and raw fish such as oysters and prawns.
- Prosecco Dry
It has a sugar content between 17 and 32 grams per litre. In this type, the sweet notes become more evident and influence the taste. You should pair Prosecco Dry with candied fruit, dry pastries, or fish carpaccio.
- Prosecco Demi-Sec
It has a sugar content between 32 and 50 grams per litre. Therefore, it is the sweetest type of Prosecco. This aspect makes it perfect if paired with a dessert, dry pastries, desserts with fresh and dried fruit or fruit salads.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that in the Prosecco DOC regulations, the types of Prosecco ranging from Brut Nature to Dry are allowed, while in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG and in the Asolo Prosecco DOCG, the types of Prosecco from Extra Brut to Demi-Sec.
The perlage to distinguish Prosecco
The last parameter to divide the different types of Prosecco is the perlage, i.e. the set of bubbles that develop in a Sparkling Wine.
The perlage is formed through a chemical process that develops during the second fermentation: the transformation of sugar and yeasts, in fact, leads to the generation of carbon dioxide, which remains trapped inside the bottle.
When the Sparkling Wine is poured, the carbon dioxide returns to its gaseous state.
These bubbles form the foam, until they reach a critical size beyond which they are released to make room for other bubbles that rise.
This is how the perlage is formed.
The bubbles are present in the Spumante version of Prosecco and in the sparkling version, while they are not present in the still version.
What is the difference between dry, Spumante and sparkling wine?
The elements that make the difference in these three types of wine are:
the amount of carbon dioxide and the pressure inside the bottle.
Let’s see the differences in detail:
Still wine
Carbon dioxide is present at very low levels, even the pressure is very low. Therefore, there are no foam and perlage.
Sparkling wine
The presence of the pressure inside the bottle is between 1 and 2.5 atmospheres.
The foam is present and is more evanescent, while the bubbles are large.
Spumante
Here the pressure inside the bottle is 3-5 atmospheres. The foam is more compact, while the bubbles are thinner than those inside the sparkling wine.
Furthermore, the pressure is at least 3.5 atmosphere, i.e. 0.5 Bar more than a normal Spumante.
