How is Prosecco rosé made?

The short answer

Prosecco DOC Rosé combines 85–90% Glera with 10–15% Pinot Nero vinified as red wine. The blend undergoes a sparkling process in sealed tanks lasting at least 60 days. Its pink color and its bubbles come from different stages, not a splash of color at bottling.

Answered by Michael Goldstein · Founder, Bella Principessa
Updated on October 30, 2026

The full answer

The pink is what you notice first. The question of how it got there usually comes later, perhaps when somebody suggests rosé is simply the white wine with a prettier finish.

Prosecco DOC Rosé has its own grape blend and production requirements. Its color and sparkle come from different stages, and both deserve a little credit.

First comes the color

Pinot Nero is the Italian name for Pinot Noir. Its red-wine vinification allows color from the grape skins to enter the wine. That component is combined with Glera within the permitted proportions: 10–15% Pinot Nero and 85–90% Glera.

Those are the DOC Rosé limits. They do not tell you the exact percentage used in every brand or vintage.

Then comes the sparkle

The rosé blend goes through natural fermentation in sealed pressure tanks. The production specification requires a processing period of at least 60 days for Prosecco DOC spumante rosé. Carbon dioxide produced during fermentation is retained under pressure.

That is the Martinotti or Charmat method. It gives you an explanation for the bubbles without confusing the color-making stage with the sparkling stage.

Does pink mean sweet?

No. Prosecco DOC Rosé can be made in Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut and Extra Dry styles. Read the sweetness term as well as looking at the color.

Bella Principessa's Prosecco DOC Rosé is Brut. Its white Prosecco DOC is Brut. For choosing between those expressions, our Prosecco sweetness guide explains the labels in plain language.

To see where rosé fits in the category, read Prosecco rosé explained. For the grape detail, see Pinot Noir and Prosecco.

Sources

Prosecco DOC production regulations, Articles 2 and 5; consortium winemaking guide.

The long read, in the JournalPink Prosecco: how to choose a good Prosecco Rosé6 min read →

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Prosecco Rosé

What is Prosecco rosé?

Prosecco DOC Rosé is an Italian sparkling rosé made from Glera and Pinot Nero. The red-wine component gives it its pink color; fermentation creates the bubbles. Pink may catch your eye, but check the sweetness term before falling in love with the bottle.

The two grapes, the bubbles and Millesimato

Is Prosecco Rosé sweet or dry?

Usually not. Prosecco Rosé can only be made in the four driest sweetness styles: Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut and Extra Dry. In stores you’ll mostly see Brut, which is dry, or Extra Dry, which is slightly sweeter. The pink color comes from Pinot Noir grapes, not from sugar.

The four styles, and how to pick a dry one

What’s the difference between Prosecco and Prosecco Rosé?

Prosecco Rosé is Prosecco with 10 to 15% Pinot Noir added, which gives it its pink color and a light red-berry flavor. By the rules it must be sparkling, carry a vintage year, and spend at least 60 days fermenting in the tank (white Prosecco needs 30). It’s never made in the sweetest styles.

The two side by side, and which to pour

Is “Prosecco Rosé” also referred to as “Pink Prosecco”?

Yes. Pink Prosecco is an informal name for Prosecco rosé. Look for the complete Prosecco DOC Rosé designation on the bottle: pink colour alone does not identify the wine or tell you its sweetness.

The nickname, the official name and sweetness

What Does Pinot Noir Have to Do with Prosecco?

Pinot Noir, called Pinot Nero in Italian, supplies the red-wine component in Prosecco DOC Rosé: 10–15%, alongside 85–90% Glera. It may also be used in white Prosecco DOC when vinified as white wine. The same grape can have two quite different roles.

Its role in rosé, and in white Prosecco

What are the key characteristics of Prosecco rosé?

Prosecco DOC Rosé is a pink, fully sparkling wine made mostly from Glera with 10 to 15% Pinot Noir. Expect fine bubbles, floral aromas, strawberry and raspberry fruit and a crisp finish. It ranges from bone dry to off-dry, and every bottle carries a vintage year.

Color, bubbles, vintage, dryness and food

What are the recommended food pairings for Prosecco rosé?

Prosecco rosé can work with light savory dishes, seafood and appetizers. Choose for the bottle's sweetness and the finished dish, including its sauce and seasoning. Pink is not a food group, so you do not need a pink menu to make the pairing feel considered.

Pairings to try, and checking sweetness first

What does DOC mean on rosé?

On an Italian rosé label, DOC means Denominazione di Origine Controllata: controlled designation of origin. It identifies a wine made under the rules of a named Italian appellation. DOC alone does not tell you that the rosé is Prosecco, sparkling or sweet. Read the complete wine name and style words beside it.

What DOC on rosé tells you, and what it doesn’t

Where is Prosecco rosé produced?

Prosecco DOC Rosé is an Italian wine whose defined grape-growing area spans nine provinces across Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in northeastern Italy. It shares the Prosecco DOC geographical designation with white Prosecco DOC. Pink changes the blend, not the country on the map.

Where it’s made, and whether it’s ever DOCG

What is the first fermentation process for Prosecco rosé?

In Prosecco rosé’s first fermentation, yeast turns grape sugars into alcohol to make the base wines. Glera is vinified as white wine and Pinot Nero as red wine. They are then blended before the later tank fermentation that retains the bubbles. The pink and the sparkle have different beginnings.

The base wines, then the sparkling stage

What distinguishes Prosecco rosé from other sparkling wines?

Prosecco DOC Rosé is an Italian sparkling rosé with a defined Glera and Pinot Nero blend and its own production rules. Other sparkling rosés may use different grapes, origins and methods. The shared pink color does not make them the same wine or tell you how sweet they are.

What defines Prosecco DOC Rosé, and what to compare

All 113 Prosecco questions →

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