The Nations Favourite Sparkler, Demystified

We all know it’s Italian and we all know how wonderful it is to enjoy a glass of chilled Prosecco, but how much do you know about the history of this most popular of wines? Our wine researchers have collated some interesting facts about the history of Prosecco, so why not indulge in a little light reading along with your glass of bubbly?

So, where did Prosecco originate?

Prosecco sparkling wine may have only been catapulted to stardom in recent years, but this amazing Italian marvel has a history going back many hundreds of years. North Eastern Italy has produced wine for millennia and many of its vineyards were already well established when the area was colonised extensively by the Greeks around about 800 BC.

The Glera grape which is used to produce Prosecco, is believed to be of Slovenian origin and was probably cultivated in the vineyards of the Italian village of “Prosecco” in Trieste which shares a border with Slovenia. It is thought to have been referred to by the Romans of the area, as far back as 200 BC, as Puccino. The first documented mention of Prosecco comes in a poem written in 1754 by Aureliano Acanti.

The Prosecco Region

Just as France has a Champagne region, North Eastern Italy has a designated Prosecco region. Sparkling wine manufactured using grapes grown outside of this region cannot use the term “Prosecco” on the label. This is to protect the characteristics associated with the Italian Sparkler as Glera grapes grown in this region only vary in flavour, acidity and bouquet within predictable parameters.

In 1772 Francesco Maria Malvolti first linked the Conegliano Valdobbiadene region and Prosecco, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that the boundaries of the production area for Prosecco were officially outlined. During the 1960s and 1970s Professor Tullio De Rosa compiled information gathered from local sparkling wine specialists in this area which has been studied by a great number of people over the years, keen to become involved in the industry or those seeking to improve the techniques used by their existing business.

The Prosecco Popularity Explosion: How Did That Happen?

The meteoric rise in sales of Prosecco in the UK and across the world quite simply happened because manufacturers exploited a gap that existed in the market. Wine consumers could only choose between expensive bottles of Champagne or, at the opposite end of the market, Cava, Asti and a few other types of sparkling wine which were widely regarded as inferior, cheaper alternatives to Champagne, with uninspiring reputations.

A few Italian wine producers changed their marketing approach with their high quality Prosecco brands and a phenomenon was born. A great bottle of Prosecco was generally much cheaper than Champagne and manufacturers were very quick to exploit the sudden huge increase in demand. Clever marketing campaigns over the last 5 years have ensured that this new UK favourite hasn’t just been a fad.

Why is Premier Estates Wine’s Prosecco so very popular?

At Premier Estates Wine, we were very fortunate to have a team with a huge amount of experience when it comes to Prosecco. They were able to refine the recipe and manufacturing method to produce a multi award winning sparkling wine which sells at a competitive price, giving us an edge over the fierce amount of competition. We didn’t want to follow the actions of our competitors who have an award winning Prosecco, in charging more for our brand. We wanted to reward our many faithful customers who continue to purchase our wines, by proving to them that we are supplying them with very special wines at everyday prices.

To date, our Prosecco has won 8 awards from some very prestigious awarding bodies. The latest award was a silver medal from the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), an award reserved for only the very best wines.