Prosecco overtaking champagne as sparkling wine of choice

On the Coast's resident wine columnist Barbara Philip brings us a little of the history behind the Italian sparklingwineprosecco, as well as four of her recommendations for you to try this summer.

Growing appeal

"As much as I love champagne, the most famous sparkling wine of the world,proseccois overtaking it by volume.It's overtaking it in the next generation of wine drinkers," said Philip.

• Champagne sales fizzle as prosecco bubbles

Proseccos have a lower price point than champagne, making them more accessible and moreappealing as aperitifs, she said.

Stylistically,proseccohas lightfloral, citrusand moderately acidic tones that makeit less austere than champagnes can sometimes be, Philip said.

Add to that its easy-to-pronounce and elegant-sounding name, and it's a highly marketable product, she added.

Must come from Italy

Prior to 2009,unlike champagne,proseccodid not have to be produced in a specific region or from a specific grape variety in order to be called prosecco.

However, whenprosecco began to climb in popularityand other vintners began producingit in other countries, "the Italians scrambled in record time to protect the name prosecco," said Philip.

In order for a sparkling wine to bear the labelprosecco, it must come fromgleragrapes grown within the designated region.

Regional differences

Philip said there are two easily defined regions where prosecco is made.

The first isthe flatlands, or the plain. Prosecco originating here is generally priced lower, and is "very friendly in the glass," Philip said.

The second is the prosecco superiore region, which lies inthe higher altitudes and steep slopes of Italy. "This is where the more interesting, the more minerally and complex prosecco come from," Philip said.

You can distinguish where your sparkling wine originates by the label on the bottle: DOCG indicates the superiore region, where DOC means it was produced in the flatlands.

4 proseccosfor thesummer

Riondo Prosecco Frizzante DOC. Veneto. $12.99
Not quite fully sparkling. The bubbles will feel "lazier" in the mouth.

Vaporetto Prosecco Brut DOC. Veneto. $17.29
Fully sparkling,dry style.

Valdo Prosecco 'Marco Oro' DOCG. Veneto. $18.29
Extra dry. Don't be fooled - thatmeans there's a touchof sweetness. Think of that as added complexity and softness.

Val d'Oca Prosecco Extra Dry DOCG. Rive di Colbertaldo. 2014. $27.29
Most serious, most complex.

To hear the full interview with Barbara Philip, listen to the audio labelled: Prosecco in B.C.