Wine · Light & sessionable
Prosecco
Pear, blossom, and easy bubbles — Italy's everyday sparkle.
How to order it: Brut or extra dry. The base of half the world's spritzes for good reason.
Flavor profile
The proper serve
- Chill to 40–45°F — very cold
- Tulip or white-wine glass
- Brut or extra dry styles
- Pairs: aperitivo hour, fried things
- The spritz base of record
The story
Prosecco's empire was built on a deliberate trade: where Champagne ferments in each bottle, Prosecco uses the tank method — refermenting in pressurized steel — which preserves the Glera grape's pear-and-blossom freshness and keeps the price merciful. The heartland is the absurdly steep hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, terraced ground that UNESCO listed as a World Heritage site in 2019. In 2009, Italian law renamed the grape Glera and tied the word Prosecco firmly to place, fencing off the name just as global demand detonated. During the 2010s it overtook Champagne in bottles sold worldwide — a polite, unpretentious coup. Champagne kept the prestige; Prosecco took the volume, and most of the parties.
Adjacent pours