Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG: the king of sparkling wines loved by crowds

Among the most known and appreciated oenological products both in Italy and abroad, Valdobbiadene Prosecco is not by chance the Italian wine with the highest volume of exports.

A record not to be underestimated, if we consider how much the market has long been dominated by champagne French.
The fact is that Valdobbiadene Prosecco is a quality product but without the stench under the nose.

A wine from the most famous area in Italy for the production of sparkling wines; a versatile and multifaceted oenological product, which develops in various facets responding to the tastes of each drinker; In other words, a wine that knows how to arrive and that knows how to communicate to people. A wine that knows how to be noble without being unpleasant.

On our DF Gourmet shop of excellence you will find the best wines of the Merotto Winery.

Characteristics and history of Valdobbiadene Prosecco: a historical certainty for a recent triumph

Already mentioned in the texts of ancient Rome by Pliny the Elder with the name of Pucinum, prosecco was appreciated in ancient times not only for its taste but also for its alleged benefits against aging.

The appreciations have remained constant over time, with a boom in the post-war years until the recognition of the DOCG in recent times, in 2009, including 15 municipalities in the Veneto with a historical and rooted vocation for the cultivation of vines and for the processes necessary for the creation of this product of excellence.

As with any self-respecting specification, the rules are very clear: Valdobbiadene Prosecco must come exclusively from at least 85% of Glera grapes and a remaining 15% of the other accepted types, namely Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Glera Lunga and Verdiso.

The method to follow for sparkling wine is Martinotti (otherwise known as the Charmat Method) which, compared to the Classic Method, opts for a mass and faster fermentation in autoclaves under pressure with a controlled temperature. Click here to find out the differences between these two production methods.

It is actually a particularly ideal method for sparkling wines that are fresher and more drinkable, making sure that the less contact with the yeasts goes in favor of the primary aromas of the grapes used, favoring a more harmonious result.

Obviously, just as the grapes must necessarily come from the 15 municipalities indicated in the specification, both winemaking and sparkling processes must also take place only in the province of Treviso.

The final product is a light and fine white wine, with a straw yellow and brilliant color, delicately fruity and with a pleasant taste that expertly balances bitterness and flavor; The perlage is soft and persistent.

A long historical journey, many steps and many rules to be respected for the achievement of a result of excellence that today represents the Italian wine production more than any other wine of the Bel Paese.

Types and particularities: One, none and one hundred thousand Valdobbiadene Prosecco

Valdobbiadene Prosecco is a multifaceted wine that potentially manages to respond to every taste.
Prosecco, in itself, is already divided between:

• the so-called ‘‘quiet” type (i.e. the historical one, prior to the arrival of the Martinotti method – we are therefore talking about a still prosecco),
• the ”sparkling” type (which in the Martinotti sparkling process receives less pressure, to reach a wine with a softer perlage) and finally a ”spumante” type (the most widespread, with a sparkling wine such as to allow a wine with a more consistent and persistent perlage).

There is also a further diversification that is based on the residual sugar, that is, on how much sweetness will be felt to the taste tasting a wine. There are four main variants:

• Extra Brut is the version of Valdobbiadene prosecco with the lowest sugar residue (from 0 to 6 gr/l); This is the most recent elaboration that has however immediately found consensus in the field of world oenology with its fresh and fruity notes, for a perfect wine for aperitifs and to be combined with delicate flavors such as those of fish or shellfish.
• The most common type is certainly the Brut, with a residual sugar between 8 and 12 gr / l; A markedly more savory version with greater acidity, with floral hints and perfectly combined with a fried fish or fresh and delicate cheeses.
• Going up in residual sugar (from 14 to 18 gr / l) we find the Extra Dry, that is the Valdobbiadene prosecco par excellence with a fresher and fruity aroma that makes it particularly sweet and suitable for a wide range of combinations ranging from white meats to seafood, shellfish, fish and fresh cheeses .
• The highest residual sugar is Dry prosecco, with a range ranging from 22 to 24 gr/l; Its sweeter taste makes this wine perfect to accompany vegetables with a more delicate taste, such as zucchini, but also dry pastries enriched with fruit.

Valdobbiadene Prosecco Extra Dry: the sparkling wine par excellence

Those who know the English language will be misled by reading the terminology Extra Dry (in Italian: extra dry) because, in reality, this type of wording is given to a particularly sweet kind of wine.

Particularly ductile, Extra Dry goes very well with a large number of products ranging from salty to sweet, from meat to fish, from ingredients for aperitifs to those of meal courses.

The producers of Valdobbiadene Prosecco and its various versions – including extra dry – are many, each with its own family history and specific characteristics.

To have a clearer overview of the best proposals on the market, an excellent choice is to visit the DF-gourmet page, as a particularly competent reality and on the piece about the products of excellence and for connoisseurs in the national and international food and wine scene.

In their Prosecco offer, for example, the Merotto winery stands out, which in the Extra Dry area even proposes a further diversification to further strengthen the concept of flexibility of this wine:

• On the one hand the Extra Dry Superiore ” Colbelo”, soft and fruity, with a delicate and floral aftertaste and a light but persistent perlage;
• on the other hand, the Extra Dry Superiore Millesimato ”Castè”, with the use of at least 85% of grapes from the same vintage and a longer maturation process that gives this wine a more intense aroma and a fresh taste that perfectly balances acidity, flavor and softness – remains the fine and persistent perlage.

A producer who makes the land his religion and his guide, for the achievement of superior quality wines that do not disappoint expectations.