People often assume that Prosecco is a monovarietal wine. But it’s not.
Glera is an ancient name for a grape otherwise and previously known as Prosecco. In 2009, after the reform of the Valdobbiadene-Conegliano Prosecco DOCG and Asolo Prosecco DOCG appellation regulations, the name was adopted as the official name of the grape.
Our American friends are often obsessed with grape names and percentages of grapes used in a given wine. And we are always impressed when we visit a restaurant in the U.S. and we see that the sommelier and/or wine director lists the names of the grapes for each wine. Our American counterparts definitely have a heightened awareness of European grapes and what wines they are used to make. And we see this as a byproduct of the excellent level of high-quality wine education there. It’s astounding really, especially when you consider how it’s evolved over the last 20 years.
But we sometimes scratch our heads when we see “Glera” listed as the only grape in our wines and in wines by other Prosecco producers.
In fact, a number of grape varieties can be used to make Prosecco, which must have at least 85 percent of the primary grape. But it can also have up to 15 percent of other grape varieties. And not just white grape varieties.
For example, some producers use up to 15 percent of “corrective” grapes and these include Pinot Blanc (Pinot Bianco), Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero), Pinot Gris (Pinot Grigio), and Chardonnay.
But there are some producers that prefer not to use “international” grape varieties like those listed above. There is nothing wrong with them, of course. And there’s nothing wrong with the wines they produce.
The traditional grapes to blend in Prosecco beside the primary grape variety are Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, and Glera Lunga.
Our Prosecco Colfòndo is made using up to 15 percent of Bianchetta Trevigiana and Perera, for example.
