Are you getting the most out of your Prosecco? With so many cheap Proseccos around, it’s easy to get sucked into the race to the bottom on price. But next time you choose a bottle consider that there are two levels of quality for Prosecco wines. Take a close look at the label and you’ll see Prosecco is always labelled as either DOC or DOCG.
The majority of Prosecco wine produced falls into the DOC category which includes lower-priced wines, with DOCG being a premium wine made in smaller quantities.
DOC stands for ‘Denominazione di Origine Controllata’ and the extra G stands for ‘Garantita’ which adds an extra level of assurance about where and how the wine was made.
Region Of Prosecco
The region for Prosecco production covers a wide area, both flat and hillside sites, the latter being considered superior as they have better soil types for grape growing, are cooler, and allow for slower ripening of the grapes which results in more flavoursome wines.
Prosecco DOCG has to be made using hillside-grown fruit from the townships of Valdobbiadene, Conegliano, and Asolo. Prosecco DOC is made from fruit grown on the valley floors of Treviso province or the entire region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Vineyard management costs for hillside growing areas are higher than those for the valley floors so Prosecco DOCG costs more to produce than Prosecco DOC with costs being passed on to the consumer.
Our Favourite
Val d’Oca Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene DOCG is a great example of a top-quality Prosecco at a very affordable price. This is one for the Champagne-lovers out there as it’s a dry, steely style of Prosecco with a good dollop of acidity making it very elegant and refreshing to drink. If you buy this DOCG version you’ll be rewarding those grape growers who work on the more difficult vineyard sites and who may sometimes struggle to compete with the lower-priced wines out there. The old adage, you get what you pay for certainly rings true when it comes to Prosecco, especially when you are trying to be an ethical consumer.
