Whether it is a Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG or a classic méthode champenoise, such as a Trento DOC, the visual aspect of a sparkling wine already tells us a lot about the quality of the product.
In particular, in addition to the colour of the wine, which is obviously a central issue, the aspect that we are going to look at more carefully is the effervescence of the wine – in other words, the bubbles.

Why is the right glass so important?

Before moving on to the characteristics of perlage, it is a good idea to consider the importance of the glass. Until a few years ago, the main glass for tasting a sparkling wine was the flute – a glass with a thin stem and an elongated shape that had, and still has, the undoubted advantage of making the most of the effervescence. Being narrow, the flute, in fact, limits the emission and dispersion of bubbles making them absolutely the principal characters of our visual examination; we see them rising upwards in a continuous carousel.

The limit of the flute however, in particular for a wine like Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG that has a moderately aromatic olfactory component - unlike a Moscato, for example, where it is much more marked - is that it inhibits the expansion of the aroma. The floral and fruity notes are one of the most typical characteristics of Prosecco Superiore DOCG and to make the most of them the choice of the right glass is essential. In this case then we will use a tulip glass, the large surface of which allows the Prosecco to express itself at its best and to let us grasp all its expressive nuances. Nowadays, the tulip glass (of which there are countless variations) is the favourite also for the tasting of classic method wines, including Champagne.

A small note of advice. Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG is not a beer, therefore, it should not be poured into a tilted glass. Although there are different schools of thought, the most accredited one, in our opinion, requires that the wine be poured steadily to favour the production of foam, naturally as gracefully as possible, until the level of the wine (not the foam!) has reached the widest part of the glass.

Now that we have poured our Conegliano Valdobbiadene into the glass, let's evaluate its effervescence.

The 5 fundamental things

As we all know by now, effervescence is a phenomenon due to the presence of carbon dioxide which, in contact with oxygen during the act of pouring the wine into the glass, causes froth and bubbles. Whatever the method used to make the wine (Charmat or Champenoise), and however banal it may seem, this is the indispensable characteristic that a sparkling wine must possess.

The examination of effervescence (otherwise known as pétillement or, more commonly, perlage) will have to evaluate:

1. The foam. It must be neither too thick nor too creamy, but fine and dry, then fade within a few seconds.
2. The quantity of bubbles. They must be very numerous and continuous, not sporadic.
3. The grain of the bubbles. The smaller the diameter, the greater the finesse and quality of the sparkling wine. This certainly depends on the type of wine and the method of production.
4. The persistence of the phenomenon. In a quality sparkling wine, the bubbles are fed by the fountain that pushes them to the surface. In this case it is good to evaluate both the continuity of the perlage and the speed of ascent, which must be as slow as possible.
5. The collar. That is the ring of very fine froth which, once the initial froth has vanished, forms around the wall of the glass. The persistence of the collar is due to the bubbles which, upon reaching the surface, spread outwards around the wall of the glass remaining attached to it.

All these characteristics, but in particular the minimum size, the high number and the long persistence, indicate a good sparkling wine production process and announce, in the gustatory phase, a pleasant sparkling wine, free from an annoying excess of gas.

One last tip. When you are about to evaluate the perlage, do not swirl the wine in the glass to enhance the aromatic aspect of the wine as you would commonly do with any quality still wine, whether white or red; otherwise, you will get the undesirable effect of dampening the charge of the bubbles accelerating the disappearance of carbon dioxide.

Our Prosecco Superiore DOCG is almost ready to be tasted. In our last article we left it at the creation of the base. Now we will see how this leads to the finished product, the one destined to delight your palate. And, perhaps, even surprise you. Let's start!

The importance of sugar for fermentation

Before decanting the wine into an autoclave, where the famous second fermentation takes place, a second filtration is carried out over two to three days. During this time, a mixture of selected yeasts, wine and sugar is prepared in order to "help" the yeasts activate before this stage of the process starts. The composition of the mixture is vitally important; without the sugar the yeasts cannot release carbon dioxide and without carbon dioxide we won’t have any bubbles.

When the filtration is completed the base is transferred to the autoclaves where the ‘sparkling’ process takes place, (a process synonymous with secondary fermentation). If the wine is a cuvée, (we talked about it here, remember?), different bases from different vineyards will be blended together inside the very same autoclave to create the desired wine, as in the case of our Brut DOCG. If, on the other hand, we wish to make the Rive di Collabrigo Costa sparkling wine, the Extra Brut, we will transfer only the base from the specific cru to an autoclave.

The Charmat-Martinotti method

The famous Charmat-Martinotti method, in rather rough terms, simply simulates the fermentation process that takes place in the bottle in the classic method, otherwise known as champenoise. With champagne the wine is made in the bottle. It takes years to get that perlage and those aromas, celebrated all over the world.

With Charmat, on the other hand, the same phenomenon, the creation of bubbles, is achieved much more rapidly. It is a method that has proved to be perfect for those sparkling wines which, given the characteristics of the grape, do not lend themselves to long aging, but must be drunk within the year to preserve the semi-aromatic characteristics of the grape.

Little by little, as the yeasts transform the sugars into carbon dioxide, the pressure in the autoclave rises. The fundamental question to understand is this: since the yeasts only "eat" the necessary amount of sugar to reach the desired pressure, the quantity inserted into the autoclave is never random, but corresponds to certain chemical / physical criteria. For “spumanti” sparkling wines, the pressure is normally brought up to 5 bars, while 2.5 bars is sufficient for “frizzanti” sparkling wines.

The sugar is initially a fixed amount. More or less is added depending on the type of wine to be made. The Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG allows 4 types of sparkling wine, each recognised by their sugar residue, (ie. the amount of sugar present per litre), on a progressive scale of softness:

1. Extra-Brut (0-6 g / l)
2. Brut (7-12 g / l)
3. Extra Dry (12-17 g / l)
   
4. Dry (17-32 g / l).
   

Now going back to the autoclave... When the wine gets up to a pressure of around 5 bars, the fermentation must be stopped otherwise a “zero residue” would be reached. To do this, the temperature is lowered by successive steps until it goes down to a level below 0°. The gradual nature of the process has the further benefit of giving life to very fine, delicate bubbles.

But how long the second fermentation last?

Not more than ten days. Just enough to allow the winemaker to extract all the aromatic elements from the Glera considered most appropriate for their particular conception of the wine. Conception is not something to be taken for granted; think about the numerous interpretations of Prosecco Superiore Extra Dry made by different producers.

There are some, always respecting the characteristics of the vine, who will enhance the more fruity aromas, while some bring out the floral aspect, and others the softness (by adjusting the quantities of sugar permitted by the regulations). This variety of approaches is the joy of the passionate enthusiast; depending on the producer, we will have a different wine that will more or less meet our tastes and expectations. This is where the producer/terroir synergy gives the greatest satisfaction.

Stabilization in the autoclave

After fermentation, the wine remains in the autoclave for at least 2/3 weeks waiting to be bottled. During this very delicate phase, the oenologist returns to his post and regularly checks the wine which, being a living material, often behaves in a relatively unpredictable way. There will be wines which mature early, and others maturing later. In this context, the vintages are of great importance, each with its own precise climatic evolution which can substantially influence the quality of the finished product.

When the oenologist, through a series of chemical and sensory cross-analyses, is sure that the aromatic character of the wine has reached its highest point, (beyond which any additional aromas would be unsuitable for Prosecco Superiore, a wine to be drunk young), the process moves on to a second filtration in an isobaric environment, completely deprived of oxygen.

The procedure is as follows: an autoclave is filled with Argon, an inert gas that leaves no room for oxygen, to avoid oxidation which would spoil the wine. Then the wine is passed from autoclave A to autoclave B, which is rich in gas, and proceeds to filtration.

Bottling and labeling

At this point the wine is ready to be bottled. First, however, we must wait for the checks by the disciplinary commission who check the product according to the regulation of the denomination. Providing no irregularities are detected, we can move on to the certification and issue of government seals.

After slowly being brought down to a temperature of -2°, again in isobaric conditions, the wine is finally bottled. The bottles are then positioned vertically in the cellar, at a controlled temperature, for at least a month, after which they go for labeling. Now the wine is ready for its triumphal entry into the market.

An actual conclusion

Without pretending to be exhaustive, we have tried to outline the production process of an authentic Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG. You will certainly have realized the complexity of the process and how much dedication is necessary to achieve the excellence that connoisseurs appreciate in a great Prosecco Superiore. Every stage is crucial. Last, but not least, is what you are now about to do... the tasting.
Cheers from all of us!

Where do the sensations evoked by Prosecco Supeiore DOCG come from? Certainly one might say from the quality of the wine. But that is not all.

Imagine you can watch a winemaker at work. You observe him while he works the land and tends the vineyard… while, with a worried look, he scrutinizes a black sky full of rain, or perhaps hail… while he checks the wine in the cellar to see that it is developing towards what will be the final product, the one for which he has worked so hard.

Imagine that the wine you saw being created before your eyes, you can now contemplate in a glass. Don’t you think you would feel much more involved in the tasting of it?

Every glass of Prosecco Superiore DOCG has its own story. A story not everyone knows but deserves to be told.

The Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG: from the drawing board to the label

In the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG area the producer is usually, although not always, a winemaker with his own vineyards who, as a supplier of grapes to other wineries, decides to go it alone and create his own independent label.

His right-hand man or woman is the oenologist, whose first task is to establish the feasibility of the business plan. When it has been ascertained that the horticultural characteristics of the soil are compatible with the qualitative objectives of the producer, the oenologist will ensure that all the necessary stages for production are up to the desired standard; from taking care of the vineyard through to the processing of the wine in the winery.

Pruning and yela for hectare

There are those who say that wine, first and foremost, is produced in the vineyard. That is not to be taken light-heartedly. The first objective is to take care of the vineyard, at every stage constantly checking the health of the grapes to ensure that, at harvest time, they are as intact as possible.

There are many important procedures. Among these there is one, pruning, which relates to a concept you have probably heard of – yield per hectare. So what does that mean?

Through pruning, cutting the long branches that would produce a lot of fruit, the winemaker reduces the quantity of grapes per plant. Fewer grapes on the plant means less stress to the vine and, above all, ensures greater quality for the remaining fruit, being able to absorb all the nutrients.

This is one of the fundamental conditions for creating great wines; controlled, incidentally, by various procedural guidelines. In the case of Prosecco, the yield per hectare* destined for the DOC is equal to 180 quintals**, while for the DOCG the quantity drops to 135: the greater the selection of the grapes, the better the quality of the wine.
*1 hectare = 10,000 m²
**1 quintal = 100 kg

Harvest, de-stemming and soft pressing

Generally in September, when the grapes are judged to be ripe, through sensory or chemical analysis, the harvest begins. Given the type of territory is mostly hilly and sometimes steep, the harvest is done by hand for Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG.

As soon as the grapes are harvested, they are placed in crates which must be taken to the winery as soon as possible. It is essential to avoid too much sun exposure and heat, otherwise a spontaneous fermentation could start which is very difficult to correct later.

In the winery, the first thing to do is de-stemming, a mechanical process that serves to separate the woody part of the bunch, the so-called stalk, from the grapes. As the operation proceeds, these are conveyed by the de-stemmer to a refrigerated coil of pipes that maintains the grapes at a constant temperature between 15° and 18°.

The grapes flow from the refrigerated coil into a press where, at a controlled temperature of about 15° or 16°, the juice is extracted, separating the pulp from the skins. The result of this phase, called “soft pressing”, is the free run must; the wine in its rawest state, and very cloudy because it is extremely concentrated. 100 kg of grapes produces more or less 70 litres of wine.

The must passes from the press, without interruption, directly into large steel tanks where very slowly the base of the wine will start to be created.

Keep in mind that in reality, from the harvest to the pressing, only a few minutes have passed. All these operations must be carried out quickly and at controlled temperatures to avoid unwanted fermentations that could seriously compromise the quality of the wine.

A consideration...

We are only at the beginning. There is still a long way to go to taste our wine and we will see it in detail in the next articles. However, it is good that one thing is clear to you immediately – that any high quality wine is always the result of a constantly monitored process. And a great team effort.

Discover our DOCG wines!

Our Prosecco Superiore Brut is a Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG sparkling wine with a genuine flavour
and original character that gives drops of goodness with every sip.

Prosecco Superiore Brut

The minerality of our Sommariva Prosecco Superiore Brut adds to the quality of its flavour and fragrance, and elegantly enhances all your choices of accompaniment. The bright straw colour is an identifying characteristic of the wines produced in the eastern hills of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG region. Rippled by the finest of bubbles, it heralds the fullness of its body in the mouth. The pungent mineral note that dampens the citrus scent of grapefruit and lime, the acacia and linden flowers and the fragrance of bread crust is a characteristic feature of the iron and mineral-rich soil in which we grow our Glera. With its full, balanced flavour in harmony with the hint of mineral, Prosecco Superiore Brut is a versatile companion for raw and cooked dishes based on fish and vegetables, risotto with porcini mushrooms, white meats or classic Italian appetizers.

Be entranced by its versatile minerality