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.
Pinot Noir in Prosecco sounds like a detail someone might mention to catch you out. Then the Italian name, Pinot Nero, arrives and makes it sound as though there are two grapes to remember.
There is one variety here. The useful distinction is how the grape is made into wine and which Prosecco expression it will become.
In rosé, it brings the red-wine component
Prosecco DOC Rosé requires Pinot Nero vinified as red wine. That colored wine is blended with Glera, with the DOC rules specifying 10–15% Pinot Nero and 85–90% Glera.
The blend then undergoes the required sparkling process. Our how Prosecco rosé is made guide follows the sequence. The color and the sparkle have different parts of the story to tell.
In white Prosecco, it can play another part
The white-wine rules permit Pinot Nero vinified as white wine among the blending varieties. Together, the permitted additions may account for no more than 15%; Glera remains the principal grape.
This does not mean every white Prosecco contains Pinot Nero. Nor would its permitted use automatically make the finished wine pink.
Use the knowledge when choosing rosé
Bella Principessa Prosecco DOC Rosé is Brut. The DOC blend rules explain the category’s grapes; Brut explains its sweetness category. An exact blend percentage for the brand still requires specific producer information.
Our Prosecco sweetness guide helps with that choice. For the wider picture, read grapes used in Prosecco and other permitted grapes.
Once you know the grape’s role, rosé becomes more than a color you like. You know something about how it got there.
Source
Prosecco DOC production regulations, Article 2.
