Everything you need to know about Prosecco

Is there anything better than a glass of cool, bright Prosecco? Absolutely not. It’s delicious, it’s versatile, and best of all a fab bottle of Prosecco won’t break the bank. 

Before we share some of our favourite bottles of bubbly, let’s talk about how Prosecco is made, why it’s important, and all the fun things you can make with it (e.g everyone’s favourite brunch drink).

Both sparkling, both gold, both delicious, but what’s the diff? Well, there are a few. Champagne (what we use to toast and celebrate with) can only be made in Champagne, France. It is typically made with pinot noir, chardonnay grapes and pinot meunier, making it taste either sharp and citrusy (sometimes peachy) or big and buttery like brioche.

Prosecco, on the other hand, is made from a neutrally flavoured white wine grape variety, known as Glera. It’s a great aperitif-style wine, often dry, with fairly subtle hints of pistachio and apple to taste. Wine people often refer to the taste of Prosecco as ‘crunchy’ and boy, does that adjective hit the nail on the head.

So, they taste different, but why? Aside from the difference in grapes used during production, you’ll find that when comparing the two, the bubbles of Champagne are smaller and more powerful, whereas Prosecco’s bubbles are slightly more easy-going and frothier. The bubble difference, or what the wine people call ‘beads’, is caused by its fermentation process. 

Prosecco is very different to both Champagne and high quality domestic sparkling wines in that it is not made in the Méthode Traditionelle. Meaning, Prosecco does not undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Rather, Prosecco is fermented in a tank before early bottling, with low atmospheric pressure and a light fizz preserving the wine's fresh fruit flavour.

Well, that really depends on your taste. If you’re a hardcore, traditional-is-best, Prosecco drinker, then anything that has DOC written on the label would be your go-to. DOC, short for Denominazione di Origine Controllata (controlled designation of origin), lies west of the hamlet of Conegliano, near the Piave river, in the subalpine zone of the province of Treviso. 

If you’re really into breaking tradition, experimentation and complexity then you’ll love some of the Proseccos coming out of places like Argentina and Aus, that tend to have some rounder, more diverse tasting notes.

One of the best things about Prosecco is its versatility. Yes, you can drink it by itself and it’s delicious, but if you’re not feeling it, then you can easily turn it into something else. 

There’s definitely a tonne of cool Prosecco infused cocktails you can make if you want, but we’re just gonna highlight the most obvious choices. Let’s start with Mimosas, the staple of all bottomless brunches. Super easy, just grab some pulpy orange juice and go half-half with your Prosecco — or sub out the orange juice for peach juice and you’ve got yourself a Bellini. 

Next up is the Pornstar Martini, a little more complex, it adds vodka, passionfruit and vanilla alongside the Prosecco to create a truly delicious and slightly dangerous cocktail. 

And lastly, the OG of Prosecco cocktails, the one, the only, Aperol Spritz. A mix of Aperol, soda water, Prosecco and ice and you’ve got yourself the trendiest summer cocktail of recent years.

Salivating yet? We sure are. 

So without further ado, here are our favourite drops of Prosecco for your perusal.