Grape variety
Glera
Glera, the grape behind Prosecco: origin, the Charmat method, DOC and DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene, styles and what to eat with it.
- Colour
- White
- Origin
- North-eastern Italy; the name Prosecco comes from a village near Trieste, and the grape has been officially called Glera since 2009
- Main regions
- Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia: Prosecco DOC (more than 25,000 hectares), Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG (about 8,000 hectares)
- Typical aromas
- Apple, pear, white blossom, citrus; light, fresh, low in alcohol
- Classic pairing
- Aperitif and Spritz, ham and melon, fritto misto, risotto, sushi
- Styles
- Spumante (fully sparkling), Frizzante (lightly sparkling), Col Fondo (bottle fermentation, on the lees); Brut, Extra Dry, Dry
Glera is the grape from which Prosecco is made, and the difference between the two names is part of the story. Prosecco was originally the grape’s name and recalls a village on the Karst plateau above Trieste. Since the reform of 2009, Prosecco is a protected place name and the grape is officially called Glera, an old name brought back into use. So Prosecco can now only come from the zone: from nine provinces across Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia for the DOC, from the hills north of Treviso for the DOCG.
The rules: Prosecco DOC must contain at least 85 per cent Glera, and the rest may come from old local grapes such as Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana and Perera, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot. Since 2020 there is also a rosé, Glera with 10 to 15 per cent Pinot Nero. The DOC covers more than 25,000 hectares and produces more than 600 million bottles a year, most of them for export. The heart lies in the hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene: Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG grows there on about 8,000 hectares of steep slopes, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2019. Cartizze, a hill of about a hundred hectares near Valdobbiadene, and the 43 “Rive” are regarded as the finest sources.
The method matters as much as the grape. Most Prosecco is made by the Charmat-Martinotti method: the second fermentation takes place not in the bottle but in a pressurised steel tank, a process patented by the Italian Federico Martinotti in 1895 and improved by the Frenchman Eugène Charmat in 1907. It preserves the fresh, fruity scent of Glera, which has little pronounced character of its own, and keeps the wines affordable. Alongside it stands the traditional Col Fondo, which re-ferments in the bottle and stays on its lees, hence its slightly cloudy look. The sweetness is on the label: Brut up to 12 grams of residual sugar per litre, Extra Dry 12 to 17, Dry 17 to 32.
In the glass Prosecco is light and easy: apple, pear, white blossom and citrus, moderate acidity, little alcohol. It is drunk young and cold, at about 6 to 8 degrees, as an aperitif, in a Spritz or with ham and melon, fritto misto, risotto and sushi. Whoever wants more structure will choose a Superiore from Valdobbiadene, ideally a Brut or a Rive, where freshness and the fineness of the bubble show more clearly.