Prosecco's history spans regional wine traditions, the development of sparkling production and later appellation rules. The consortium records eighteenth-century references, nineteenth-century sparkling developments and the modern reorganization in 2009. Those are different milestones, not one birthday for everything now called Prosecco.
The glass looks thoroughly at home at a modern party. Its history takes you through older wine references, a wine school and changes in how the sparkle was made.
There is no single birthday that covers all of Prosecco. The region's wine traditions, the sparkling methods and today's designations reached their milestones at different times.
What milestones can we identify?
The DOC consortium records references to Prosecco wine in Veneto in the eighteenth century, including Aureliano Acanti in 1754 and Francesco Maria Malvolti in 1772. Its account then describes sparkling production developing in the nineteenth century.
Conegliano's wine school was founded in 1876. Research and practical winemaking in that area contributed to later sparkling techniques, including fermentation in closed tanks. Our Martinotti method guide explains the process used for Prosecco DOC spumante today.
What changed in 2009?
The modern Prosecco appellation system was reorganized, including the Prosecco DOC and the Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo DOCGs. This was an appellation milestone, not the first year anyone made wine in the region.
Read DOC and DOCG for the modern designations and where Prosecco is made for the geography.
How should you read the older stories?
The consortium itself presents the earliest accounts as a mixture of history and legend. A historical wine name, a place reference and a modern grape identity are not automatically the same evidence.
Bella Principessa white Brut and rosé Brut belong to today's Prosecco DOC category. The region's history gives that wine context, while the story of an individual brand remains its own.
For today's wine, read how Prosecco is made.
