Prosecco

A pale and light grape indigenous to northern Italy that makes one of the countries most popular sparkling wines. Most Prosecco is made in an extra extra dry, or off dry, style offering fruity aromas of confected pears and peaches. A small percentage are made in a dry Brut style offering bracing green apple and citrus fruit. Since the 2009 vintage the Prosecco zone in the Veneto region was elevated from DOC to DOCG status, joining the ranks with the likes of Barolo, Chianti and Brunello Di Montalcino. At the same time the grape was renamed from Prosecco to Glera. Now anything made outside of the region must be labeled Sparkling Glera, offering extra protection for the zone's 5,000 or so small producers. Most of the regions production (roughly three quarters) is made in a spumante or fully-sparkling style. The rest made frizzante (semi-sparkling), and a tiny amount (less than 3%) is reserved for making still wine, most of which is consumed domestically.