Prosecco wine is the locomotive of Italian wine, and even in the context of the epidemic and war, the export volume of Prosecco wine is still leading in major international markets and shows no signs of slowing down. As of 2022, sales of Prosecco sparkling wines have shown steady growth, including prosecco DOC, as well as high-quality pocates Asolo Prosecco DOCG and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, aka Prosecco Superiore DOCG) produces Prosecco wines in 10% of Sales of Italian DOP-grade wines.
Image source: prosecco.it
In 2021, a total of 750 million bottles of the three Prosecco wines were sold, worth 3.5 billion euros, an increase of 25.4% compared to the previous year, and a large part of this growth was attributed to the new Rosé category. Of these wines, 627.5 million bottles of Prosecco wines are sold each year (71.5 million of which are rosé sparkling wines), 21 million bottles of Asolo-Plosaic wines, and 100 million bottles of Super Prosecco wines.
Super Prosecco appellation scenery (Image source: prosecco.it)
This article introduces readers to one of these three Prosecco wines: Super Prosecco, which represents the top of the Pyramid of Prosecco wine quality, and the beautiful hilly vineyards in its appellation were recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2019.
The Super Prosecco appellation is located in a hilly region in northeastern Italy called Conegliano Valdobbiadene, 50 km from Venice and about 100 km from the Dolomiti Mountains. Grapes used to make super prosecco wines have been grown here for more than three centuries, and the success of this wine began in 1876, when Italy's first winemaking school was established locally. The appellation covers 15 municipalities and represents the heart of the entire Prosec region, which was certified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) in 1969 and in 2009, with the reorganization of the Prosec region, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture classified it as a premium appellation (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita). , or DOCG for short), represents the highest quality grade of Italian wine.
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Among the many Super Prosecco wines on the market today, we will also find the following 3 different labels on the label, representing three different categories of Super Prosecco.
Rive: The word Rive refers to the steep hills unique to the region in the local dialect and refers to one of the 43 officially recognized single vineyards of high quality on the label. The wine grapes of "Rive" wines usually come from high-quality vineyards on steep hillsides with their own unique soils, orientations and microclimates, and these super prosecco wines highlight the characteristics of specific terroirs. In the "Rive" vineyards, the yield per hectare is reduced to 13 tonnes, and all are harvested by hand, usually with the year of harvest also marked on the label.
Cartizze: "Cartizze" is a sub-appellation of the Super Prosecco region, which has had independent winemaking regulations since 1969, producing up to 12 tonnes per hectare, and the wines produced here are at the top of the quality pyramid in the appellation.
Scenery of the Cadiz sub-appellation (Image source: prosecco.it)
The vineyards in this sub-appellation cover only 107 hectares and sit on the steepest slopes of San Pietro di Barbozza, Santo Stefano and Saccol in the Valdobbiadene region. Ancient soils of moraine, sandstone and clay, combined with a mild microclimate, give these wines a unique flavour, with aromas of apple, pear, citrus fruits, peaches and apricots, as well as faint rose aromas, full of fruit, delicate bubbles, balanced and elegant taste, very fresh, with a hint of almond in the aftertaste.
Sui Lieviti (puree precipitation): "Lieviti" means yeast in Italian, which is the name of the traditional puree secondary fermentation faprosec wine, this type of wine bottle with puree sedimentation, also known as "sur lie" or "col fondo", this is the first version of sparkling wine made in the super prosecco appellation. The brewing method of secondary fermentation of puree in bottles is similar to the traditional method of brewing sparkling wine, which is now becoming increasingly popular.
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Usually brewed into a natural Brut Nature, this type of super prosecco is a lively, slightly cloudy sparkling wine with very delicate bubbles, compared to the classic super prosecco sparkling wine, the apple flavor of this type of wine is less pronounced, but the aroma is broader and more complex, with the classic crisp bread flavor from yeast.