Dry prosecco sparkling wine. Champagne vs Prosecco - What's the difference?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Prosecco is one of the most popular wines in Italy. This sparkling drink is famous for its pleasant refreshing taste and is affordable. The combination of these two significant factors makes Italian prosecco champagne suitable for both a special occasion and a picnic in nature.

Native to Ancient Rome

This drink has a rich history. Even in ancient Rome, it was successfully produced and enjoyed with pleasure wine, the raw material for which was the Glera grape. A refreshing drink with a fruity aroma and moderate strength, the Romans called puccino. Unlike its modern counterpart, it was not sparkling, but was valued for being perfectly refreshing in the summer heat.

Today, thanks to modern technology, Sharma prosecco is characterized by the presence of gas bubbles. Loved by Italians, it is one of the important elements of the national culture.

Designed to enjoy

In the homeland of this drink, in the cities of Valdobbiadene and Conellado, people really know how toenjoy the taste of life that flows here measuredly and without fuss. Created for pleasure, prosecco is like nothing else the happy embodiment of the Italian dream: to enjoy the simple things carelessly and slowly.

Prosecco is a champagne that appeared on the international market much later than its eminent counterpart from French Champagne. Only in the 60s of the last century they heard about him outside of Italy. The combination of excellent taste and reasonable cost made this wine instantly popular. Now prosecco is produced not only in Italy, but also in Brazil, Argentina, Romania and even Australia.

Prosecco - champagne for the people

Currently, Glera grapes are used for the production of this dry wine, but Bianchetta, Verdiso and Perera are also used. Prosecco is considered the most valuable, made from raw materials grown in the town of Kartizze. The vines here ripen at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level, and the time of filling the vines is longer. This allows you to get an extraordinary taste of the drink, which is considered the best prosecco in the world. However, it is worth noting that its cost is relatively low.

This explains the incredible popularity of prosecco. Champagne, the price of which starts from 40 euros per bottle, can hardly be called an affordable drink for public consumption. The technology of its manufacture is quite complex and lengthy. The price of prosecco fluctuates around 10-15 euros per bottle.

So similar and so different

These drinksare really similar, and a simple layman will not even be able to accurately indicate in which glass the prosecco is located. Champagne in the classical sense has very significant differences, which are due to the peculiarities of its production.

Genuine Reims champagne is made using the Methode Champenoise technology, which involves saturation of the drink with carbon dioxide as a result of secondary fermentation. It is carried out directly in the bottles, which are arranged horizontally. The carbonization process lasts at least 9 months. This is reflected in the cost of champagne, which many consider high. The difference in manufacturing technology is not the only difference between champagne and prosecco. The aroma of French sparkling wine felt notes of biscuit, almonds, citrus, peach and cherry. Champagne bubbles are sharper and more stable.

Prosecco is based on the Sharma method, when secondary fermentation takes place in an airtight container. The carbonated wine is bottled. This drink is good young, because after 2 years of storage it begins to lose its original properties. The presence of abundant foam is more typical for prosecco, champagne is usually characterized by moderate foaming. The bubbles of Italian wine are less stable, and notes of exotic fruits, green apple, honeysuckle, pear and creamy nuances are read in the aroma.

Varieties of Prosecco

For those who are in dilemma: prosecco - champagne, the price is one ofthe most striking and weighty arguments in favor of Italian wine. At the moment in Europe, this affordable drink breaks all records of popularity among people of different ages and social status.

Prosecco is categorized by sugar content. It can be extra-dry (from 12 g/l) and dry (from 20 g/l). Champagne prosecco brut is a separate type, the sugar content of which is 15 g / l. Today, brut is a fairly popular brand among wine lovers and connoisseurs. The eminent company Martini produces an elite drink of this type, the cost of which cannot be called affordable. Experts say that this is not the best brut, and the fabulous price is due to the big name of the manufacturer and the skillful marketing company of the drink.

Features of types of prosecco

In total, there are several types of prosecco, depending on its characteristics.

• Tranquille, which means "calm". This mid-range wine is the least sparkling, and the production volume is very small - only 5% of all Italian proseccos.
• Spumante is a full-fledged brut, the re-fermentation of which is carried out at a pressure of 3 atmospheres. Its price is also average.
• Frizzante is a compromise between the above two wines and is exported in small volumes. Its price may be different and directly depends on the grape variety used as a raw material.
• Superiore de Cartizze - the highest grade of brut,which is made from vineyards from the legendary Kartizze hill. This prosecco champagne has the most flattering reviews. Superiore de Cartizze has been awarded the status of "Grand Cru" - the highest in winemaking.

This information must be indicated on the label and can tell the consumer a lot about the character of sparkling wine.

Where is real prosecco made?

When choosing a bottle of prosecco, be sure to pay attention not only to the type of wine, but also to the place where it was produced. Today, this drink is rightfully called the one made in Venetto and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

One of the popular sparkling wines of excellent quality is Passa Parola Prosecco Champagne. This is a brut spumante from the Veneto region. The pure, elegant and refreshing taste, as well as the fruity-floral aroma of this prosecco, has been awarded the highest international awards. The cost of a bottle of PassaParol is within 1000 rubles, but its quality is valued much higher.

How and with what to serve prosecco?

Like champagne, prosecco is served in flute-shaped glasses. It is they who contribute to the long retention of gas bubbles in the drink. Before serving, prosecco should be cooled to 8 ˚C and offered to guests as an aperitif or addition to dishes and desserts.

Due to its light and unobtrusive taste, this dry wine goes well with many dishes, without interrupting their taste and adding new interesting notes to familiar products.

At special occasions, prosecco can be served inas an aperitif with fruits. Also, this drink is able to make a good company for fish and seafood. This combination is classic for champagne and sparkling wines.

A family dinner with poultry or game as the main course can also be complemented with a bottle of prosecco. Fragrant pastries, fruit salads, ice cream and other desserts are perfectly compatible with brut. Due to the moderate content of sugars in this wine, the sweetness of such products will not be cloying. Prosecco enriches desserts with a noble fruity-creamy aroma, gives a piquant sourness.

Prosecco Cocktails

This wine can serve as an excellent base for cocktails. You can experiment with a variety of fruits, spices, ice cream.

Here are some special occasion drink ideas:

• For a romantic picnic, you can make a cocktail of prosecco with strawberries. This will require ¾ cup of orange juice, 150 g of fragrant berries, a tablespoon of sugar, a couple of mint leaves and wine to taste. To get the most out of your cocktail, you will need to prepare ahead of time and bring a small portable refrigerator with you. From strawberries, sugar and orange juice, you need to puree in a blender, and then pass it through a sieve. Take this semi-finished product with you to nature. Already at the picnic place, place the glasses in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then take them out and put them ineach with 1 or 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree. Top with prosecco to taste and decorate with a fresh mint leaf.
• Surprise your guests with an incredibly delicious Bellini dessert cocktail. To prepare it, you will need 1.75 liters of prosecco, 4 large ripe peaches and cane sugar to taste. Fruits will need to be peeled and the pulp mashed with a blender. Pour sugar into the resulting mass and beat again. Mix the finished puree with chilled prosecco and pour into glasses. When serving to guests, the cocktail can be garnished with a piece of peach.

Pleasant taste and bewitching fruity-creamy aroma of prosecco have long been loved by gourmets from all over the world. The affordable price of the drink made it one of the most popular wines. It's time for you to appreciate it.