Prosecco Wine: The Amazing History of Prosecco
Amidst its recent popularity, Prosecco sparkling wine has a lengthy history. North-Eastern Italy has been producing wine since antiquity, and many of its vines were already mature when the Greeks arrived around 800 BC.
The Glera grape as we are calling now was the Prosecco grape but because of a need for protection, they changed the name to Glera which is the grape growing in the Prosecco region. DNA of the grape comes from the Italian-Slovenian border and analyses showed that the grape is actually Vitovska, which is a cross between Prosecco Tondo and Prosecco Nostrano.[6]
We assume the Romans referred to it as Puccino as early as 200 BC. Widespread grape farming has been practiced in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region for a very long time. The vendemmiales and celebrations for the grape harvest are remembered on a nearby monument stone that recalls the remarks of a Roman centurion. The first time mentioned Prosecco was in a poem penned by Aureliano Acanti in 1754.
About the Prosecco wine Region and the uniqueness of the name term Prosecco
North-Eastern Italy has a recognized Prosecco region, similar to France’s Champagne region. The title “Prosecco” cannot be used on the label of sparkling wine made with grapes cultivated outside of this region.
They did this to safeguard the characteristics linked to the Italian Sparkler since Glera grapes cultivated in this area only fluctuate in flavor, acidity, and scent within defined bounds.
Francesco Maria Malvolti was the first to link the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region to Prosecco in 1772, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that the Prosecco production area was formally defined.
Francesco Maria Malvolti was the first to link the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region to Prosecco in 1772, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that the Prosecco production area was formally defined.
Professor Tullio De Rosa gathered relevant information from local sparkling wine specialists in this area throughout the 1960s and 1970s, which has since been examined by many people interested in getting into the industry or looking to improve the procedures used by their existing business.
The Denominazione di Origine Controllata designation was conferred to the Prosecco produced in the 15 communes between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene on April 22, 1969.
What made Prosecco wine so popular?
The dramatic surge in Prosecco sales in the UK and worldwide occurred simply because makers took advantage of a market gap.
Consumers could only pick between pricey bottles of Champagne or, on the other hand, Cava, Asti, and a few different varieties of sparkling wine that were usually regarded as inferior, less expensive alternatives to Champagne with uninspired reputations.
A few Italian winemakers modified their marketing technique with their high-quality Prosecco brands and established a sensation. A good bottle of Prosecco was generally less expensive than Champagne, and producers were ready to capitalize on the sudden surge in demand.
Over the previous five years, clever marketing strategies have guaranteed that this new wine favorite isn’t just a trend.
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Champagne saw major damage in 2021 once more, this time as a result of heavy rain, harsh cold, and mildew. Several Champagne houses were compelled to release their reserve bottling or, in some circumstances, not produce any Champagne at all from their 2021 harvests due to low yields. This terrible triad of weather patterns ultimately produced issues leading up to the harvest.
Despite the fact that Champagne sales have drastically increased in 2022, climate change is still a key issue in the area, so producers of the French sparkling wine are particularly worried about spring frost and hail similar to what happened in 2021. As we have an enormous demand for sparkling wines and then we have, out of stock of most Champagne, Prosecco has made his turn point of one of the biggest selling bubbles for 2022.
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ON THIS DAY
1754 –Prosecco was mentioned for the first time in a poem penned by Aureliano Acanti.
1772 –Francesco Maria Malvolti linked the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region to Prosecco.
The 1930s – The Prosecco production area was formally defined.
In the 1960s and 1970s –Professor Tullio De Rosa gathered relevant information from local sparkling wine specialists in the Prosecco area and has since been examined by many people interested in getting into the industry or looking to improve the procedures utilized by their existing business.
References
- “Prosecco Types”. Consorzio di Tutela delle Denominazione di Origine Controllata Prosecco. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
- “Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG »”. Italian Wine Central. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- “Asolo Prosecco DOCG.” Italian Wine Central. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- O’Keefe, Kerin (25 September 2015). “The Superiority of Prosecco Superiore”. Wine Enthusiast.
- https://medium.com/@steen_84976/the-story-of-prosecco-8d85b7ebdd0a
- Wine Grapes Jancis Robinson First Edition