Valdobbiadene – Conegliano and then Asolo : these are the three best wine region for the Prosecco wine , DOCG Area , and each ones has a different taste , soil , micro climate which give to them the typical characteristics of their region where they come from . The territory makes the difference , remember it .Speaking about Valdobbiadene and Conegliano , a region where the hills roll softly through almost 6200 hectares of vine’s plants , the panorama you can see is one of the most beautiful in Italy : country houses placed quietly into this green hills , small roads that runs up and down shows the harmonious charms of these places , above all is spring time summer time , with all that green , deep light green that cover everything , smelling the fresh wind which fondle your face and the landscape and you feel you are in the middle of a landscape that looks like a paradise , defined by wine , like the families are living there , the farmhouses and the history behind it , where the bubbles and effervescence of this particular wine lift up from the glass and explode into your mind and heart . 40 kilometers of hills , between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene , 15 municipalities with the DOC denomination since 1969 but changed in 2009 with the DOCG denomination ( controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin )
which put the word ” end ” to a trip started 50 years ago , to define the ” Superiore ” prosecco , therefore the best one only in this area , marked by DOCG classification , the highest in Italy . Actually , in 2009 , during the denomination’s changing into DOCG , even Asolo prosecco superiore has been introduced within DOCG area . Asolo is a beautiful village in the Hills of Treviso, the poet Giosué Carducci described it as “the town of hundred views”. This place gave hospitality to a lot of prestigious courts that you can still find today , far 20 kilometers from Valdobbiadene .
Now , with DOCG introduction , the name of prosecco is not refers anymore to the grape variety like Cabernet franc or sauvignon , but to a denomination of origin like Barolo or Chianti , therefore all the others fake Prosecco , the copies you could find in Germany or Slovenia has been ( we hope ) eliminated from the market and the customer now has the guarantee that the wine which have written in the label ” Valdobbiadene – Conegliano prosecco superiore Docg ” come from this particular area only , and is not aloud write prosecco in the label as well if it is not into the DOCG and DOC area . The grape now is called GLERA , an ancient name always used since 300 years ago and more . Indeed , the name of Prosecco come from a small village called Prosecco ( wow ) in province of Trieste where the name of glera has been always used to call the grape meanwhile the grape has been introduced in Valdobbiadene and Conegliano on 1700 , almost 300 years ago and the real name , glera , was been replaced with Prosecco .
Now , i said that DOCG is located in 40 kilometers of hills between Conegliano and 
Valdobbiadene (15 municipalities) plus the area of Asolo . About DOC instead , the regions which were able to produce IGT Prosecco now they can produce DOC Prosecco Treviso (as it is written in the label ) in the province of Belluno , Treviso , Venezia , Vicenza , Padova , Pordenone , Gorizia , Udine , Trieste which included more than 600 municipalities between Veneto and Friuli .
In Valdobbiadene , the historical place of the oldest prosecco production , there is the CRU of this wine , an Area called Cartizze , the oldest one , that cover almost 104 hectares . I would like to speak about it in the next articles because it deserve a closer look .
DOCG
The highest denomination changed some rules , starting from the yield per hectares and the possibilities to create ” subzones ” called “RIVE ” ( dialect form used to highlight the sides of the hills ) and to focused the attention not just on the product only , but on the growing area of it . From the vineyards to the bottles and before to be sold the products has to be subjected to hard controls , certifying the quality and to guarantee it to the final consumer .
The yield per hectares are :
- Prosecco Treviso DOC–> 180 quintals
- Valdobbiadene – Conegliano DOCG –> 135 quintals
- Valdobbiadene -Conegliano DOCG Rive –>130 quintals
- Cartizze –> 120 quintals
The grape used is Glera that include different grapes , called clones
( it deserve a closer look ) , is important to know now : Conegliano – Vladobbiadene is made with a minimum of 85% of Glera and 15 % max with local varieties like Perera , Verdisio , Bianchetta , Glera lunga and international like Chardonnay and Pinot , only for Spumante ( sparkling ) which represent almost 90 % of the production , then Frizzante( semi- sparkling ) and Tranquillo ( Still wine) .
Stay tuned for the next lesson of Valdobbiadene- Conegliano DOCG .
