Prosecco is an Italian wine made mainly from Glera grapes, best known for its sparkling styles and fresh fruit character. Prosecco DOC comes from designated areas of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. It includes white and rosé sparkling wines, semi-sparkling white wine and still white wine.
Someone has asked you to bring Prosecco. An easy assignment, until you find yourself looking at white, pink, Brut, Extra Dry and several sets of initials. You wanted something lovely for dinner. The shelf seems to want your qualifications.
Where does Prosecco come from, and which grape is used?
Prosecco comes from northeastern Italy. The Prosecco DOC zone covers nine provinces across Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, including Treviso, Venice and Trieste. There are also distinct DOCG appellations, including Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo. Our guide to Prosecco DOC and DOCG explains their origins and requirements.
Glera is the principal grape. White Prosecco DOC uses at least 85% Glera, with permitted varieties making up the balance where used. The grape blend, place of origin and production rules together define the wine’s identity.
Is Prosecco sparkling, semi-sparkling or still?
The familiar fully sparkling style is called spumante. For Prosecco DOC spumante, a second fermentation happens in sealed pressure tanks. Yeast produces carbon dioxide, which is retained in the wine and becomes the bubbles in your glass.
That is the Martinotti or Charmat method. Read how Prosecco is made for the cellar story.
You may also encounter frizzante, with a gentler sparkle, or tranquillo, which is still. The style tells you how much sparkle to expect.
What does Prosecco taste like, and is it sweet or dry?
Prosecco DOC typically offers apple, pear, citrus and floral aromas. Rosé can also show strawberry and raspberry notes. These are category characteristics, not a promise that every bottle will give you the same tasting experience.
A fruity smell does not automatically mean a sweet wine. For sweetness, read the label term. Brut is drier than Extra Dry; Dry is sweeter again. Anyone who has confidently chosen Extra Dry on the strength of its name has discovered that wine labels have their own relationship with English.
Our Prosecco sweetness guide puts the terms in order. You do not have to memorize the scale to make a good choice. Knowing where your preferred style sits is enough to start.
What is Prosecco rosé?
Prosecco DOC Rosé combines 85–90% Glera with 10–15% Pinot Nero, also called Pinot Noir, vinified as red wine. It is made in the fully sparkling spumante style. The red-wine component gives the color; the sweetness term still has its own job to do.
Our guide to what Prosecco rosé is explains the blend and style. A pink bottle may be exactly what you pictured on the table, but check the rest of the label before deciding how it will taste.
Is Prosecco a wine or Champagne?
Prosecco is wine, and its sparkling versions belong to the sparkling-wine family. Champagne is a different wine designation from the Champagne region of France, with second fermentation in the bottle. The familiar Prosecco DOC spumante uses sealed tanks. They have different origins and production rules; sweetness is a separate choice in both.
Choosing Bella Principessa for the occasion
Bella Principessa Prosecco DOC is a white Brut. Bella Principessa Prosecco DOC Rosé is Brut. The white and rosé offer different expressions within that shared sweetness category, which does not establish identical sugar content or taste.
Perhaps you are taking a bottle to someone who always orders dry white wine. Perhaps you are choosing for a birthday dinner and already know the host loves rosé. Use that knowledge alongside the label. The most useful wine expertise often begins with paying attention to the person who will open the bottle.
Sources
Category facts checked against the Prosecco DOC production regulations, the Consortium's winemaking guide and its guide to styles and sweetness. Champagne production checked against the Comité Champagne guide to bottle fermentation. DOCG context checked against the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Consortium's wine guide.
