Wine & Champagne

Prosecco

Prosecco is Italian sparkling wine made mostly from the Glera grape in nine provinces of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Its second fermentation happens in a sealed tank rather than in the bottle, which keeps it light and fresh-tasting, at 11% ABV or slightly more. It lengthens spritzes and fruit drinks such as the Aperol Spritz and the Bellini.

Quick Facts

ABV11% ABVProsecco DOC rules set 11% as the minimum for sparkling prosecco (10.5% for frizzante); most bottles are 11 to 11.5%.

Legal categoryWineWine. Prosecco is a protected designation of origin: DOC across nine provinces, DOCG in Conegliano Valdobbiadene.

OriginItaly (Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia)

Flavour Strengthlight medium

Our keeping timeOne to three days once opened, with a stopper, in the fridge.

Storage

Store bottles upright in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate before use. Once opened, reseal with a sparkling wine stopper and refrigerate.

Allergens

Contains: sulphites.

The ingredient

About Prosecco

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Green applePearLight citrusFresh yeast (subtle)

Tasting Notes

Light-bodied and refreshing with gentle fruit sweetness, crisp acidity, and lively bubbles. Clean finish without heaviness.

The bubbles are made in a tank

Prosecco's second fermentation takes place in a large sealed pressure tank, the Martinotti or Charmat method, not in the bottle. The wine spends little time on its yeast and is bottled young. What survives is the grape: Glera is aromatic, and prosecco tastes of pear, apple and white flowers rather than of bread.

The name is a place

Prosecco DOC covers nine provinces: Belluno, Padua, Treviso, Venice and Vicenza in Veneto, and Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste and Udine in Friuli Venezia Giulia. In 2009 the hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene became a DOCG, sold as Prosecco Superiore. At least 85% of the grapes must be Glera; the rosé adds 10 to 15% Pinot Nero made as red wine.

Extra dry is the sweeter bottle

Prosecco's sugar words follow the scale every European sparkling wine uses, and they read backwards. Extra dry on a label means a sweeter wine than brut; dry is sweeter again. In a spritz that difference is the line between bittersweet and cordial.

Prosecco sweetness on the label

Brut nature

Sugar per litre: 0 to 3g
In our recipes: Not named

Extra brut

Sugar per litre: 0 to 6g
In our recipes: Not named

Brut

Sugar per litre: Up to 12g
In our recipes: The default: Bellini, Hugo Spritz, Limoncello Spritz, Spritz al Bitter, Sgroppino

Extra dry

Sugar per litre: 12 to 17g
In our recipes: Accepted in the Aperol Spritz; suits sharper fruit in a Rossini

Dry

Sugar per litre: 17 to 32g
In our recipes: Too sweet for our drinks

Demi-sec

Sugar per litre: 32 to 50g
In our recipes: Too sweet for our drinks

Label	Sugar per litre	In our recipes
Brut nature	0 to 3g	Not named
Extra brut	0 to 6g	Not named
Brut	Up to 12g	The default: Bellini, Hugo Spritz, Limoncello Spritz, Spritz al Bitter, Sgroppino
Extra dry	12 to 17g	Accepted in the Aperol Spritz; suits sharper fruit in a Rossini
Dry	17 to 32g	Too sweet for our drinks
Demi-sec	32 to 50g	Too sweet for our drinks

Volume and lift more than flavour

In most of our prosecco drinks the wine makes up most of the glass. In the Aperol Spritz it is 90ml, with 60ml of Aperol and 30ml of soda. The Bellini and Rossini fold 100ml into 50ml of purée, and the Negroni Sbagliato needs only 30ml to change a Negroni. Each takes the wine cold and adds it last.

Using it

Using Prosecco

Usage

Most of our prosecco drinks take 90ml: the Aperol, Hugo and Limoncello Spritz and the Spritz al Bitter. The Bellini and Rossini fold 100ml into fruit purée, the Mimosa takes 75ml and the Negroni Sbagliato just 30ml. Pour it cold and last, and choose brut unless the recipe names extra dry.

Pro Tip

When prosecco meets something thick, add it in stages. Fold it into the purée for a Bellini in two or three pours, and whisk it into the sorbet for a Sgroppino a little at a time; pouring it all in one go collapses the froth.

Top Tips

Read the sweetness word first: extra dry and dry both sit higher than brut on the sugar scale, whatever the words suggest.
Buy it to drink soon. Prosecco is bottled young for freshness and is not made for long keeping.
Prosecco Superiore on the label means the hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a DOCG since 2009.
Keep a clamp stopper by the fridge: an open bottle lasts one to three days with it, far less without.

Possible Substitutions

Champagne: Drier and sharper, with more bread from the yeast; it changes a Bellini more than a spritz

Production Method

Base wine of at least 85% Glera ferments a second time in a large sealed pressure tank, the Martinotti or Charmat method, rather than in the bottle, and is bottled young.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is prosecco?

A sparkling wine from north-east Italy, made from at least 85% Glera grapes grown in nine provinces across Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is a protected name, and wine from elsewhere cannot use it. Most is spumante, fully sparkling; frizzante is the gentler semi-sparkling version, and a still one is made as well.

Why is extra dry prosecco sweeter than brut?

Because the terms are fixed in law and older than today's taste. A brut prosecco may hold up to 12g of sugar per litre; extra dry runs from 12 to 17g and dry from 17 to 32g. Our Hugo Spritz and Spritz al Bitter ask for brut for that reason, while the Aperol Spritz accepts either.

How strong is prosecco?

At least 11% ABV for sparkling prosecco, the minimum the Prosecco DOC rules set, with most bottles at 11 to 11.5%. Our recipes take 11%, so the 90ml in an Aperol Spritz carries about 1.0 UK unit before the Aperol adds its own.

What is the difference between prosecco and champagne?

Method, grape and place. Prosecco gets its bubbles in a sealed tank and is bottled young, so it tastes of the Glera grape: pear, apple and flowers. Champagne referments in its own bottle and spends a minimum of 15 months on its lees, which gives bread and toast. Champagne is also a point stronger, at about 12%.

How long does prosecco keep once opened?

With a clamp stopper and the fridge, one to three days. The gas escapes faster than the wine spoils, so a day-old bottle still tastes of wine but gives a drink less lift. For a spritz or a Bellini, where the bubbles are half the point, open a fresh bottle when you can.

Can I use cava or champagne instead of prosecco?

Yes, if they are brut. Both referment in their own bottles and taste drier and more yeasty, which sharpens a spritz and takes over a Bellini, where our recipe prefers prosecco's softer fruit. Our Mead Royale points the other way and names cava, crémant or an English sparkling wine, all brut.

What cocktails use prosecco?

Ten of ours. The Aperol Spritz, Hugo Spritz, Limoncello Spritz and Spritz al Bitter lengthen a liqueur with it; the Bellini, Rossini and Mimosa pour it into fruit; the Negroni Sbagliato puts it where the gin would be; the Sgroppino whisks it into lemon sorbet; and the Mead Royale takes any dry sparkling wine.

Make something

Made with Prosecco

Featured In These Cocktails

Rossini Aperol Spritz Bellini Mimosa Hugo Spritz Negroni Sbagliato

Show all 9 cocktails

Limoncello Spritz Sgroppino Spritz al Bitter

Often Used With

Updated 11 October 2026

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