CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- There are some interesting background on this delightful sparkling wine from Italy.
Certified wine expert, Ron Breitstein has this week’s food and wine suggestions.
Prosecco is Italy's most famous sparkling wine. Not just any Italian sparkling wine can call itself Prosecco. The wine enjoys a protective geographic designation label of D.O.C., for controlled designation of origin. Named after the former village of Prosecco, now part of the Italian city of Trieste, Prosecco D.O.C. is exclusively produced in a limited area of Northeastern Italy, from just nine provinces in two Italian regions - Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Regardless of where it comes from, all Prosecco must be made with at least 85 percent glera grapes - the traditional variety formally known as Prosecco. The remaining 15 percent can contain the familiar variety Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Nero or the more obscure Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera - nothing else. These help create structure and palette complexity.