The grape behind Prosecco’s success story brings notes of pear drop and elderflower

THE GRAPE

Until 2009, this Italian white grape was known by the name of the sparkling wine for which it is famous: Prosecco. Sales have risen since the late Noughties financial crisis, when consumers traded down from champagne, to the extent that Prosecco now accounts for over 50 per cent of sparkling wine bought in the UK. The grape was given the name glera to distinguish it from the wine.

THE TASTE

Prosecco typically gets its sparkle by a secondary fermentation in huge stainless-steel tanks, rather than in the bottle as is the case with the traditional method (or méthode champenoise). The tank method produces light, frothy wines and the glera lends a taste of pear drops and elderflower. The sweetness in Prosecco is due to higher levels of residual sugar than champagne and cava.

THE PAIRINGS
Perhaps the ultimate party wine, Prosecco’s approachable flavour makes it exceptionally drinkable by itself or when mixed in simple cocktails, from an Apérol spritz to the peach Bellini invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice. But follow the lead of Locanda Cipriani on Torcello, where Prosecco is served in glass jugs to accompany
fried prawns, baked scallops and Parma ham. South-East Asian flavours of fish sauce and lime are another good match.

THE VINES
Prosecco itself is a village near Trieste, but the vast Prosecco DOC wine-producing area covers nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions, where huge quantities of inexpensive fizz is made across the plains of much of north- east Italy. The best wines come from the two DOCG Prosecco Superiore zones of Asolo and Conegliano Valdobbiadene, close to the Dolomites. Here, vines grown on ridges on steep limestone hills are exposed to temperature variations that result in wines of greater complexity and refinement.