Choosing your Prosecco & Fizz
Prosecco & Fizz Sweetness
- Prosecco and sparkling wine is available in a range of different sweetness levels.
- The residual sugar level (the sugar that is left in the wine after fermentation) is labelled according to the International Sparkling Wine Sweetness Scale (see below). The chart is applicable to Champagne, Cava, English Sparkling Wine as well as Prosecco and other sparkling wines.
- The sweetness of the wine mainly depends on how the winemaker makes it, how sweet the grape is, or the rules of the category of wine.
- Not every type of wine is made in each sweetness level. Prosecco is made in Brut Nature to Demi Sec, accordingly to the rules of the Consortiums that govern Prosecco production in Italy.
- Prosecco is made in different levels of sweetness to suit our own tastes as well as giving Prosecco the ability to pair with a wide range of different food types.
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You can see from the chart above that 'Extra Dry' is confusingly sweeter than Brut, as is 'Dry' which is a medium sweet style.
Frizzante or Spumante?
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Prosecco is available in different levels of fizz.
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Spumante is the Italian word for fully sparkling and not 'cheap wine' as some of us may remember from years gone by. It has about 4.5-5 bars of pressure.
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Frizzante means lightly sparkling and has about 2.5 bars of pressure.
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Frizzante is generally cheaper than spumante. The import duty in the UK is cheaper for Frizzante than Spumante, as it is classed as a still wine.
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There is a third style of Prosecco; Tranquillo. This is a still Prosecco with no bubbles.
What does Millesimato mean?
- Sometimes the word 'Millesimato' is found on Prosecco bottle labels. Millesimato refers to grapes used which are from a single harvest to produce the Prosecco. Wineries also tend to use grapes from their best vineyard(s) to make Millesimato Prosecco.
Can you buy Rosé Prosecco?
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Rosé Prosecco does not exist, currently. However, the Prosecco DOC consortium will allow it from January 2021.
- To be called 'Prosecco' the wine must be made from a white grape. Of course, to produce a rosé wine, a red grape must be used to give the pink colour.
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The Consortiums that govern Prosecco production in Italy, do not currently allow the use of a red grape, but that is changing in January 2021. Pink Prosecco will be made from Glera and Pinot Noir.
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A wine may be a blend made from the main Prosecco grape used; Glera, together with a red grape. However, this blend cannot be labelled as Prosecco.
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Our Furlan winery produces a wonderful blended pink sparkling wine, using the Glera grape, Manzoni Bianco (a beautiful white grape from the Prosecco region) and Cabernet Sauvignon (a red grape to give it the lovely pink colour). If you would like to find out more about this beautiful wine, click here.